Transfiguration Sunday
March 2nd 2025
The Revd. Edward Cearns
Luke 9: 28-36
What face do we show to the world?
How is it transfigured by our encounter with God?
As we approach Ash Wednesday at the gateway to Lent, we are reminded of Jesus’ humanity and the time he spent in prayer with his closest companions. In Luke 9, Peter, James, and John accompany Jesus to pray, up a mountain to retreat from the crowds. And while Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. This transfiguration is both a glorious moment, and an intimate one.
This event happens as Jesus was about to commence his journey to Jerusalem, and ultimately to the cross. And with this comes a profound understanding of his fate. For a moment, the disciples get a glimpse of what is to come. And in their tiredness, they nearly miss it. For them, the change in Jesus' appearance was not a change in Jesus' reality but a change in the disciples' understanding of who He is.
True transformation comes when we surrender ourselves; when we are vulnerable and we allow our true self to be seen by others. It seems to be the very opposite of what is happening in the world at the moment. Right now, the needs of individuals and nations are being used for political advantage and gain. Rather than beautifying our souls, we are uglifying humanity with this othering.
Getting to know and understanding someone takes time. It is not surprising that the transfiguration of Jesus takes place towards the end of his ministry. It is only through what a person may say or do that we gain insights into their character. It is only with time that trust is built and true beauty shines through. With that said, I am looking forward to having that gift of time in my ministry with you.
In our epistle today, Paul speaks about the followers of Jesus as: “unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, (are) being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” Paul contrasts this with Moses, who hid his shining face from the people. Why did he hide his face? Was it too much for them to take?
Last week we heard Jesus’ disciples arguing about who was the greatest. Today, we are shown the cost of that greatness. The word “glory” in Hebrew means heaviness. It is helpful to remember that, before we head into lent next week and the challenges that accompany it. Also today, we are reminded of the reality of Christ's divinity. But at the same time, we are reminded of his humanity. His is the way of the cross and not the earthly throne or Oval Office. It is so easy in the modern world to be transfixed by the shiny and the new, rather than be transfigured by the intimacy of service and relationship.
There is a certain irony in the holy land, Mount Tabor, the place most scholars believe is the place of transfiguration. Jesus told his disciples not to build shrines for Moses, Elijah and himself. And yet, a very elaborate and grand church is now standing at the very same spot, which I have had the privilege to see and experience.
Such a desire to protect and memorialise this event is understandable. Indeed, Malcolm Guite in his poem, The Transfiguration, recognises the significance:
“For that one moment, ‘in and out of time’
On that one mountain where all moments meet”
And yet, it is important to remember that this is also a deeply personal and human moment:
“And to that light the light in us leaped up
We felt it quicken somewhere deep within”
By entering into the suffering and the needs of others, we are invited into the divine relationship. To put it another way, what difference does the Eucharist make to our lives?
This lent may be a time of withdrawal whilst entering into its ash-ly glory. May our faces shine brighter with our encounter with Christ in the world
As soon as they come down from the mountain, Jesus and his disciples are confronted by the violent reality of the world's need.
We can’t live on the mountain top but neither can we solely live in the messiness of the world. We are called through Christ to inhabit both.
Perhaps this Lent is an opportunity to change the face of the church to accept Christ’s challenge and invitation to transform rather than conform.
“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”.
The Transfiguration - Malcolm Guite