Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS | More

Preparation

O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Blessed are you, creator of all,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As your dawn renews the face of the earth
bringing light and life to all creation,
may we rejoice in this day you have made;
as we wake refreshed from the depths of sleep,
open our eyes to behold your presence
and strengthen our hands to do your will,
that the world may rejoice and give you praise.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.

Mark 9.2-13

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’ Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. Then they asked him, ‘Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ He said to them, ‘Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him.’ 

Reflection

From the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’

Today we are being called to reflect upon the identity of Jesus … who he really was and is. On what probably began like a normal day, Jesus took three of his disciples and he led them up a high mountain … by themselves. As they journeyed together Jesus was transfigured before them. In this moment of Transfiguration Christ’s true glory was revealed. Then, by way of confirmation of what they had seen, there came a voice which said: This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him! In a fleeting moment the truth of Jesus’ identity was revealed in all of its mystical glory.

Surely those three disciples were overcome with all that they had seen. The one whom they had followed since his first invitation to follow was, without doubt, the Son of God, the Messiah, the one who had come to bring salvation into this world. They must have been bursting with a desire to shout out that they were, in fact, now proved to be right. But, Jesus said, ‘No!’ Jesus specifically ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen. The frustration of those three disciples must have been almost unbearable.

It is easy for us to put ourselves in the place of Peter and James and John. When we witness or experience exciting things we want to rush out and share it with others, even when that is not necessarily the most appropriate thing to do. Today we hear Jesus saying, in effect, ‘No! Wait! The time is not yet right.’

Jesus is now turning from all that has gone before towards all that lies ahead. Soon will come his triumphant entry into Jerusalem and the playing out of all that was foretold in the words of the prophets of old. Soon the world will be travelling through the events, the horror and the victory of the time we know as Holy Week and Easter. In Jesus’ instruction to remain silent about the Transfiguration there is no sense of waiting until he could say, ‘I told you so!’ Rather, Jesus is wanting people to come to him because of the sacrifice that lies ahead. Jesus does not want to rely on that which would be denied by so many. Jesus wants the world to recognise the totality of God’s interaction with the world, the establishing of new covenant between God and humanity.

Let us pray that we might stand firm in our knowledge of the transfigured Christ, the One who is our Redeemer and Saviour. Let us pray that through the strength of our faith others may join us on the journey. Let us pray for the time when we come before the transfigured Christ who reigns in heaven, sitting alongside his Heavenly Father, and join the angelic hosts of heaven in singing the praises of God for all time.

Prayers 

Let us by prayer and intercession with thanksgiving
make our requests to God.

Gracious God,
we pray for peace, justice and reconciliation throughout the world.
We pray for the honouring of human rights,
and for the relief of the oppressed.
We give thanks for all that is gracious in the lives of men,
women and children.

We pray for the renewal of the Church in faith, love and service.
We pray for our bishops and for the life of all communities of faith.
We give thanks for the gift of your word,
the grace of the sacraments
and the fellowship of your people.

We pray for this local community
and for all people in their daily life and work.
We pray for the young and the elderly,
for families, and all who are alone.
We give thanks for human skill and creativity
and all that reveals your loveliness.

We pray for those who are in need;
for the sick, sorrowful and bereaved.
We pray for all who bring comfort, care and healing.
We give thanks for human love and friendship
and for all that enriches our daily lives.

Let us commend ourselves, and all for whom we pray,
to the mercy and protection of God.

Almighty God,
give us reverence for all creation
and respect for every person,
that we may mirror your likeness
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Lord bless us and watch over us,
the Lord make his face shine upon us
and be gracious to us,
the Lord look kindly on us
and give us peace;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among us and remain with us always.
Amen.