Transfiguration

"Christ, like the sun, too bright to look upon, reveals his luminous power." Austin Farrer 

Today, in St. Matthew's Gospel, we witness the Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor where, for a moment, Jesus' divine radiance, the light that shines in the darkness, is revealed to Peter, James and John.

Peter babbles, understandably, until he's cut short by the voice of the Father, "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him." Rather than listen to my babbling, here's a poem by Malcolm Guite:

For that one moment, ‘in and out of time’,
On that one mountain where all moments meet,
The daily veil that covers the sublime
In darkling glass fell dazzled at his feet.
There were no angels full of eyes and wings
Just living glory full of truth and grace.
The Love that dances at the heart of things
Shone out upon us from a human face
And to that light the light in us leaped up,
We felt it quicken somewhere deep within,
A sudden blaze of long-extinguished hope
Trembled and tingled through the tender skin.
Nor can this blackened sky, this darkened scar
Eclipse that glimpse of how things really are.

I like that.

God bless,

LSP

Transfiguration

Today's the last Sunday of the Epiphany and Jesus appears in the Gospel, transfigured and standing between Moses and Elijah, as the fulfillment of prophecy and the law. I preached on that, emphasizing the spiritual ascent of the faithful up Mt. Tabor, culminating in our own transfiguration.

Easier said than done, of course, as we fall back down the mountain from time to time. "The Devil made me do it the first time," I told the congregation, "the second time I done it all on my own." 

Some say that a sermon's only half a sermon if it doesn't include at least one line from Waylon Jennings.

Enjoy the game,

LSP