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Welcome: Good morning and welcome to all – those here present and those zooming in from near and far. Today we will continue with Lynn’s invitation last Sunday to dwell in the wilderness experience of Jesus and in our own wilderness experience. We look beyond the transfiguration as a heavenly light show and explore how Jesus and Peter, James and John recognized who he was and how this knowledge would lead them forward to fulfill the plan for Jesus in that time and in our time.
Opening Prayer: Today we are confronted with the wonder of Jesus. Be not afraid. We cannot pitch our tents and stay on the mountain. Let us come down, embrace the light and share it. Amen.
Opening Song: “Live More and Love More” by Cat Burns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAuNaWKSg8A
LITURGY OF THE WORD
First Reading: Excerpt from “Sermon on the Transfiguration & How Seminary is Like Hogwarts” by Nadia Bolz-Weber
So in our Gospel story for today, Jesus is transfigured before Peter James and John…his clothes bleached blindingly white and suddenly he’s talking to Elijah and Moses – and for those of you not keeping track…those guys had been dead for centuries well Moses had - Elijah kind of never died but was taken into heaven on a fiery chariot – but that’s its own freaky Bible story. For our purposes we’ll stick with this one.
It feels magical, this story of Jesus transfigured on a Mountain talking to Moses and Elijah. It’s as though time ceased to be a neat, straight line pulled taut with the present in its appropriate distance from the past and the future. Instead, it’s like on the mount of Transfiguration that the line of time was all crumpled up with past present and future all touching for a moment.
Then a cloud overcomes them and God says this is my beloved son…listen to him. Its all kind of hard to comprehend.
So, Peter says it’s good to be here…. he didn’t know what else to say … he was terrified.
In the face of the holy and unexplainable what else is there for us to do?
That’s the thing about God. The more we know, the less we know. The more God reveals God’s self to us, the less certainty we have.
So, it is good for us to be here. Not so that we can get answers. Answers are too easy and sometimes can bring with them a blinding arrogance . . . meaning that certainty can sometimes obscure mystery. Easy answers are easy. What takes time is to have the story of Christ lived out in a community of saints and sinners transfigure you slowly like water forming a rock. It is good to be here.
These are the inspired words of contemporary prophet and pastor, Nadia Bolz-Weber, and the community affirms them with “Amen”
Second Reading: A reading from “Loud, Clear and Nonviolent” by Joan Chittister
Peter longed to stay atop the mountain, where he recognized the presence of holiness. But he was challenged to come down the mountain and bring his new awareness of God’s presence with him. If there is anything about the prophetic dimension of life that is clear, it is surely this: more people decline to accept the appointment than to embrace it. The struggle to escape the world–to avoid conflict and let things take care of themselves–stays strong in us.
No doubt about it: The purpose of prophecy is to leaven the world, not to leave it, to bring it closer to the Reign of God. The quality of life we create around us as followers of Jesus is meant to seed new life, new hope, new dynamism, the very essence of a new world.
The local messenger of God’s word of justice for the poor becomes known as the expert on an issue. They do their best to follow new material, to write short pieces for the local newspaper on current problems, and to lead discussions on those issues as well. It has been said that every community needs at least one prophet. The poet Mary Oliver may have written the best definition of what it means to be a prophet, “Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
Maybe we should start by writing those instructions on every church wall. Then we might be alert enough to notice when God’s beloved sons and daughters are deported, when their healthcare costs rise, when their food assistance is slashed. Maybe we could start telling people about it who have the power to change things. Then we could take our place among the prophets.
These are the inspired words of contemporary prophet and writer, Sr. Joan Chittister and the community affirms them by saying “Amen”
Gospel Acclamation: Spirit of the Living God by Michael Crawford-video by MTStreck https://youtu.be/xoJN0owUoWA
Gospel: A reading from the gospel writer known as Matthew (17:1-9)
Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James and John up on a high mountain to be alone with them.
And before their eyes, Jesus was transfigured—his face becoming as dazzling as the sun and his clothes as radiant as light. Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said, “Rabbi, how good that we are here! With your permission I will erect three shelters here—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah!” Peter was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them. Out of the cloud came a voice which said, “This is my Own, my Beloved, on whom my favor rests. Listen to him!”
When they heard this, the disciples fell forward on the ground, overcome with fear. Jesus came toward them and touched them, saying, “Get up! Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they did not see anyone but Jesus.
As they were coming down the mountainside, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone about this until the Chosen One has risen from the dead.”
These are the inspired words of the gospel writer known as Matthew, and the community affirms them by saying “Amen.”
Homily Starter:
When Diane and I realized that the readings for the 2nd Sunday of Lent included the Transfiguration Gospel, we were both dismayed. We agreed this is a tough one. So, in considering the wilderness musings from last Sunday, we see a connection. Perhaps, the experience of the transfiguration was another step towards Jesus’ understanding of himself and who he was called to be. Also, as Nadia Bolz-Weber pointed out in the first reading, the three apostles were shaken. Yet, this intense experience may have deepened their understanding of their friend and teacher, adding a new dimension to their perspective.
Peter’s first reaction (after all Peter is the king of first reactions) was to build three tents as memorials on the spot that this apparent miracle occurred. It is almost humorous that while Peter ‘was still speaking’ a cloud appeared and the voice of God resounded. I imagine that voice stunned Peter into silence. As Bolz-Weber indicated, Peter, James and John were overwhelmed. What to do with this new information? And then to have Jesus instruct them not to tell anybody must have further confused them.
So here we sit with this Gospel; maybe we are also confused. Did this really happen? It could have. I am reminded of a report of a sighting of Padre Pio in the skies over Italy by American fighter pilots in World War II. There is an acronym that applies to both stories: NOE – No Other Explanation. Can we accept miracles? I confess that I am often a skeptic about the literal truth of gospel stories. Did the transfiguration really happen as written or is this a sacred myth? Whether it is or is not, was the gospel writer implying that Jesus was more than an ordinary man? His energy and consciousness were operating at a higher vibration than the disciples had perceived up until then, so something was clearly different and the writer dramatically made that point. So that brings us back around to the same question that faced the three apostles: what are we supposed to do with this knowledge? Joan Chittister tells us that “Peter longed to stay atop the mountain, where he recognized the presence of holiness. But he was challenged to come down the mountain and bring his new awareness of God’s presence with him.” We are all challenged by this Gospel – both in understanding it and in courageously stepping out into the world as prophets. Many misunderstand the word prophet assuming it means someone who predicts the future. It is not. A prophet is someone who tells the truth. How we speak that truth is an individual decision. In whatever way we respond, like Peter, James, and John, we are invited to move our awareness of God’s presence from the shelter of our tents into the wider world. Let’s take Mary Oliver’s admonition to heart: “Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
Resources:
Nadia Bolz Weber, Sermon on the Transfiguration and How Seminary is Like Hogwarts, https://www.patheos.com/blogs/nadiabolzweber, March 5, 2012
Sr. Joan Chittister, LOUD, CLEAR, AND NONVIOLENT,A Guide to Lent 2026
Statement of Faith
We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery beyond all definition and rational understanding, the heart of all that has ever existed, that exists now, or that ever will exist.
We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word, bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion, bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's prophets, mystics, and saints. We believe that We are called to follow Jesus as a vehicle of divine love, a source of wisdom and truth, and an instrument of peace in the world. We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One, the life that is our innermost life, the breath moving in our being, the depth living in each of us. We believe that the Divine kin-dom is here and now, stretched out all around us for those with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it, and hands to make it happen.
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
Prayers for the community
As we prepare for this sacred meal, we are aware of our call to serve, and just as Jesus is anointed, so is each of us. We bring to this table our prayers for the community.
We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
Presider: Please join in praying the Eucharistic prayer together.
Eucharistic Prayer for Lent
Blessed are you, Holy One, source of everything that has ever existed. Through your goodness you set this universe in motion. Through ages and eons, you have called your creation to become, and we are becoming.
You called our brother Jesus into the wilderness of the desert, and there you revealed to him his own path of becoming, and he called his friends to follow.
During this season of Lent, let us enter into the wilderness of our own lives. Let us rest there with open eyes and hearts, as you reveal to each of us the path that we are called to.
In great joy and gratitude, we join with friends living now and with those living in eternity. Together we celebrate the continuing evolution of our becoming, as we sing:
Holy, Holy: Holy, Holy, Holy by Peter Mayer shortened
https://youtu.be/A4kiEGVb3E8
We thank you for Jesus, who in word and action reminded us of who we are, and who we are called to be.
Through his compassion for the least among us he showed us what love looks like.
Please extend your hands in blessing.
The bread and wine on this table have been blessed by air, water, and soil to become the gifts before us today. We bless them together once more, and gratefully receive them, for they come from you, Holy One.
On the night before he died, Jesus gathered for supper with the people closest to him. Like a household slave, he washed their feet, so that they would remember him.
When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat, this is my very self.
(pause)
Then he took the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying:
Take and drink.
Whenever you remember me like this,
I am among you.
(pause)
What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives. As we share communion, we become Communion both love’s nourishment and love’s challenge.
Please receive Communion with the words….”Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”
Communion Meditation/Song: “Learning to Sit Without Knowing by Carrie Newcomer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_t8WqgKL3I
Prayer after communion
Holy One, like Jesus, we are willing to enter the wilderness of our lives, opening ourselves to you and to the path of our own becoming. Like Jesus, we want to be the people you created us to be. We want to live compassionate lives, bringing hope to many, simply by being true to our best selves.
We open ourselves to your Spirit, especially during this holy season of Lent, and we call on that Spirit to fill us with your life and purpose, as we join with our brother Jesus in giving you unending gratitude. Amen.
Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
Holy One, you are within, around and among us. We celebrate your many names. Your wisdom come; your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us. Each day you give us all that we need. You remind us of our limits and we let go. You support us in our power, and we act with courage. For you are the dwelling place within us, the empowerment around us, and the celebration among us, now and forever, Amen.
Adapted by Miriam Therese Winter
BLESSING
Please raise your hands in Blessing:
adapted from John O’Donohue’s Blessing “On Presence”
Awaking to the mystery of being here and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.
Have joy and peace in the temple of your senses. Receive encouragement when new frontiers beckon.
Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to follow its path.
May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder
Closing Song: “Imagine, “written by John Lennon, performed by Julian Lennon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NicWjYMPDG0&list=RDNicWjYMPDG0&start_radio=1
