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Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155
Feast of the Transfiguration
Welcome to our celebration of Transfiguration. Not just the transfiguration of Jesus, but of all of us.
Opening Prayer: Beloved, every day we see, hear and touch reminders that you call us to glory. Help us to notice the glory that comes from you in ourselves and in our fellow inhabitants of this planet. We ask this especially today, as we are reminded of the glory that shone in our brother, Jesus.
Opening Song: Newsboys, Something Beautiful https://youtu.be/MXww9oYp5Bc
Liturgy of the Word
First Reading: 2 Peter 1: 16-18 (adapted)
Beloved:
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of Jesus our teacher,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from The Holy One
when that unique declaration came to him, “This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.
You will do well to pay attention to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
May these words, attributed to Simon Peter, disciple of Jesus, inspire us. Amen.
Second Reading:
You Reading This, Be Ready by William Stafford
Starting here, what do you want to remember?
How sunlight creeps along a shining floor?
What scent of old wood hovers, what softened
sound from outside fills the air?
Will you ever bring a better gift for the world
than the breathing respect that you carry
wherever you go right now? Are you waiting
for time to show you some better thoughts?
When you turn around, starting here, lift this
new glimpse that you found; carry into the evening
All that you want from this day. This interval you
spent
reading or hearing this, keep it for life—
What can anyone give you greater than now,
starting here, right in this room, when you turn
around?
May this poem, written by William Stafford, inspire us. Amen.
Gospel: Luke 9:28b-36
Jesus took Peter, John, and James
and went up a mountain to pray.
While he was praying his face changed in appearance
and his clothing became dazzling white.
And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah,
who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus
that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.
Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep,
but becoming fully awake,
they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,
“Master, it is good that we are here;
let us make three tents,
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
But he did not know what he was saying.
While he was still speaking,
a cloud came and cast a shadow over them,
and they became frightened when they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”
After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
They fell silent and did not at that time
tell anyone what they had seen.
May this good news, attributed to Luke, inspire us. Amen.
Homily Starter
When we are in the dark we wait for light. When we are in confinement we wait for freedom. When we are oppressed we wait for justice. There can be no argument about these simple truths.
Today we hear a story about a moment. Actually we hear two versions of the same story, but no matter. No matter that in Peter’s version the apostles witness only the glorified Jesus and the words of the Holy One announcing that this Jesus is the Holy One’s son, and that the Holy One is pleased with him. No matter that in Luke’s version Jesus has company, and that the Holy One admonishes the apostles that they should “Listen to him.” These are mere details. There could have been a crowd of all the saints of heaven, or no one at all but Jesus and Peter on that mountain. It wouldn’t have mattered. What mattered was the moment.
Was this a moment in history? Did the sleeping apostles awaken to see Moses and Elijah discussing Jesus’s upcoming journey to Jerusalem? Was there a cloud that cradled the presence and voice of the Divine? Do any of those details matter? I don’t think so. Because clearly there was a moment. And in that moment something happened. Those apostles saw Jesus in a different and new way. A new “light,” so to speak. A connection was made that this man had something. That the message he preached was from a place of light. A place of freedom. A place of justice. A place that held everything they were waiting for. They would carry that moment with them wherever they went from that day forward. Jesus wasn’t the only one transfigured that day.
What about us? How do we experience a moment like that one? All we have is the life we live. Our moments. The people we love. The wind, the sky, the earth the sun. These are, every one of them, infused with Divinity. They are beloved of the Creator, just as Jesus is. And we are called to listen to them. The first snowflakes of the season, crocuses rising through snow, lilies in bloom, a summer rain, falling autumn leaves, they all call us to moments of transfiguration. They “possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.” They are wonders. They are portals to a deeper reality where truth lies. They are enough, as William Stafford reminds us in his poem, because: “What can anyone give you greater than now, starting here, right in this room, when you turn around?” Let’s turn around.
What did you hear in today’s readings? Please share your thoughts.
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.
Denise: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we voice our intentions beginning with the words, “We bring to the table…..”
Denise: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Denise: Let us pray together our Eucharistic Prayer:
ALL: O Divine Fire of Love, how often have we felt your tender love, for you love us without limits or boundaries! How often have we been consumed with delight by your love in human touch! How often have we felt your embrace through Earth's beauty, as part of your beloved creation! Your Spirit energizes us to work for a just and peaceful world and we raise our voices with grateful hearts as we sing:
Alleluia Sing https://youtu.be/E9Yo34Irn6Y
All: Holy One, we recognize Your Spirit in the gifts of this Eucharistic table and the gifts within each of us. May they become gifts of wisdom, light and truth.
We thank you for Jesus whose message blesses and transform our lives. He showed us how to live as your new creation.
Denise: Please extend your hands in blessing.
On the night before he faced his own death, Jesus sat at the Seder supper with his companions and friends. He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly with them, he bent down and washed their feet.
All lift their plate and pray the following:
When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the Passover bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
Take and eat; this is my very self.
All lift their cup and pray the following:
He then raised high 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.
What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives,
As we share communion, we will become communion;
Both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
Please receive communion with the words, “Let my light shine.”
Communion Meditation: May the Light Shine in You by Kathy Sherman https://youtu.be/tY0Rj9Yd2lk
Denise: Let us pray together, O Holy One, You call us to live the Gospel of peace and justice. We will live justly. You call us to be Your presence in the world. We will love tenderly. You call us to speak truth to power. We will walk with integrity in your presence.
Denise: Let us pray the prayer Jesus:
O Holy One, who is 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 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
(Miriam Therese Winter)
Denise: Please raise your hands in blessing. May your ever-present, empowering and magnificent love, the source of all light and life, fill us to over-flowing. With it may we light the world.
Closing Song: Shine, Collective Soul https://youtu.be/olIJSkJAU0g
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