19. Year B - The Transfiguration of Our Lord

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VERSION: 9 April 2002

THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD, YEAR B

In 2003: 2 Mar

In 2006: 26 Feb

In 2009: 22 Feb

In 2012: 19 Feb

In 2015: 15 Feb

- - -

Note: For explanations and suggestions on the various resources provided, see the documents 'General notes and resources' and 'Epiphany season and time after' in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

LITURGY

SENTENCE

See the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder for suggestions on using a Sentence.

God said, 'Let light shine out of darkness', and made his light shine in our hearts

to give us the light of the knowledge

of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Cor 4:6 NIV alt.)

OR, use the standard Epiphany Sentence in the document 'Epiphany season and time after', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

OR, use one of the general Sentences in the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

LORD, HAVE MERCY

The following variation of the 'Lord, have mercy' may be used.

Lord Jesus Christ, God's beloved Son, hear our prayer and save us.

Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus Christ, God's chosen one, hear our prayer and save us.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus Christ, God's anointed one, hear our prayer and give us peace.

Lord, have mercy.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (COLLECT)

Traditional

Lord God, heavenly Father,

as you glorified your Son from the heavens:

Give us grace to receive in faith

this revelation of his glory

and willingly to follow him,

that through his suffering and death

we may come to the glory of the resurrection;

through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

OR, modernised traditional

Lord God, heavenly Father,

you glorified your Son from the heavens.

Give us faith to perceive his glory

and willingly follow him.

Bring us, through his suffering and death,

to the glory of the resurrection.

We ask this through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

OR, new (revised alternative)

(Let us pray that we become like Christ. [silence])

Almighty and loving God,

we thank you for revealing your Son Jesus in glory

before he suffered and died.

Give us faith to recognise him

as your dear Son,

and strengthen us to suffer with him,

until we come to share his glory.

For he lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

FIRST READING

2 Kings 2:1-12 Elijah is taken up to heaven

PSALM

Psalm 50:1-6

Antiphon:

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth. (Ps 50:2 NRSV)

SECOND READING

2 Corinthians 4:3-6 The light of the good news of Christ's glory

ALLELUIA VERSE (Mark 9:7 NRSV)

Alleluia, alleluia.

From the cloud there came a voice:

This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!

Alleluia.

GOSPEL

Mark 9:2-9 The transfiguration of Jesus

The words ‘Light of the world’ could be added to the gospel acclamations, giving:

Glory to you, O Lord, Light of the world.

Praise to you, O Christ, Light of the world.

PRAYER AFTER THE GOSPEL

This is the gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ (, Light of the world).

Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ,

for revealing your glory as God's Son.

Lead us to follow you in faith.

Amen.

OFFERING PRAYER

Great and glorious God,

thank you for revealing your Son,

and for showing the light of his glory.

Let us always reflect his glory.

And as Jesus was willing to die for us,

may we give of ourselves to others.

Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Call to prayer

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the beloved Son of God, the chosen one. So, let us pray in his name with boldness, knowing that the Father will hear us for his Son's sake.

The regular response, OR:

Lord God of heaven and earth,

hear our prayer.

Suggested intercessions

Concluding prayer

Lord God, hear the prayers we offer, and let your grace and mercy flow to us, and to all those for whom we pray. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

SEASONAL PREFACE

It is indeed right and good,

Lord God, holy Father,

that we should at all times and in all places

give thanks to you,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

You have sent your only Son

to appear among us as a human being,

and through him

you have fully revealed

the light of your presence to us.

And so, with angels and archangels,

and with all the company of heaven,

we adore and praise your glorious name:

COMMUNION INVITATION

The following invitation may be used before communion.

The Word became flesh and lived among us,

and we have seen his glory,

the glory as of the only Son of the Father,

full of grace and truth.

(Thanks be to God.)

Come, everything is ready.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

See the seasonal notes for Epiphany for a post-communion prayer. Alternatively, use the third prayer of the day (as listed above) at this point. It may be modified as follows.

Almighty and loving God,

we thank you for revealing your Son Jesus in glory

before he suffered and died.

Give us faith to recognise his presence with us

in this sacrament,

and strengthen us to suffer with him,

until we come to share his glory.

For he lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

BLESSING

The following Epiphany seasonal blessing may be used together with (ie before) the usual blessing in the order of service.

God the Father

show you the light of his glory

in the face of his Son,

so that you may be a light to the world . . .

DISMISSAL

Go in peace. May the light of Christ shine in our hearts.

Thanks be to God. OR In the name of Christ. Amen.

HYMNS AND SONGS

FOR THE READINGS

Please note:        * =        Modernised version available

      G3, G4 . . . =        Guitar chords available in the Music Package 3, 4 . . .

      GS =        Guitar chords in the Supplement to LH

First reading: 2 Kings 2:1-12

LHS

AT

TIS

Second reading: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

LHS

AT

TIS

Gospel: Mark 9:2-9

LHS

AT

TIS

HYMN OF ADORATION

Instead of 'Glory to God in the highest' or another hymn of adoration, the song 'Hymn of glory' (All Together Again 163) may be used.

PSALM 50:1-6

For musical settings of Psalm 50:1-6, see Music Packages 4 and 9. See also TIS 30, The Mighty One, God the Lord.

A paraphrased version of Psalm 50 from the Iona Community may be found in John L Bell, Psalms of patience, protest and praise on page 27.

The following metrical paraphrase of Psalm 50:1-6 by David Sch¸tz could be used on this day. It is sung to the tune Morning Light ('Stand up, stand up for Jesus', LH 206, TIS 592). If reproducing this version, please put 'Words (c) David Sch¸tz' at the beginning or the end of the psalm.

The God of gods is speaking,

he summons all the earth;

the Lord demands attention

from early dawn till night.

From Zion, the perfection

of beauty, God shines forth.

Our God does not keep silence,

he comes in glorious might.

The Lord appears before us,

an all-consuming fire;

a mighty wind is raging,

around his throne of light.

He calls for cosmic witness

to earth and to the sky,

that he may judge his people

made holy in his sight.

'Come, gather now before me,

my steadfast, faithful ones,

and make your cov'nant with me

in sacrificial love.'

The heavens tell his glory

and justice to the world.

Come, gather now before him,

for God himself is judge.

OFFERTORY

Consider using the following hymn verses for the offertory. The entire song may be used for the offering hymn.

LHS 747, verses 1, 5

How good, Lord, to be here!

Your glory fills the night;

your face and garments, like the sun,

shine with unborrowed light.

How good, Lord, to be here!

Yet we may not remain;

but since you bid us leave the mount,

come with us to the plain.

LHS 358, verses 1, 3, 4, modernised

Renew me, O eternal Light,

and let my heart and soul be bright,

illumined with the light of grace

that shines out from your holy face.

Create in me a new heart, Lord,

that gladly I obey your word,

and only what you will, desire:

with such new life my soul inspire.

Lord, grant that you alone I love,

and seek those things that are above,

until I see you face to face,

O Light eternal, through your grace.

POST-COMMUNION CANTICLE

The hymn verses listed under 'Offertory' above may be used as a post-communion canticle instead.

AN IONA SONG

The song, 'Jesus is Lord', by John L Bell & Graham Maule, may be appropriate for today. It is found in Wild Goose Songs Vol. 1 Heaven Shall Not Wait, page 120.

NOTES ON THE READINGS

See the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Notes on the readings', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

2 KINGS 2:1-12: The prophet Elijah had stood against an overwhelming majority in Israel who had followed the royal example by worshipping Baal. His exit as a prophet of God was equally phenomenal with his service during his life. Note that it was the whirlwind which took him away, not the chariot of fire.  Yet Elisha was able to see past the chariot that his master was taken by the whirlwind and thus be assured that God granted him his request for a double portion of Elijah's spirit. The 'company' or 'sons' of the prophets were probably trainee or apprentice prophets. At any rate, Elisha's inheritance of a double portion of Elijah's prophetic spirit ensured his ascendancy and authority in Israel above all those other prophets.

2 CORINTHIANS 4: 3-6: How is it that if the Spirit makes God's word of truth clear, it is not plain to some people’s understanding? The answer is that it is not the gospel itself which is obscure, but rather that some people’s blindness makes it obscure. It is Satan (v 4), even though he has only usurped and temporary power, who prevents people from seeing that Christ has the perfect image of God which was lost by Adam. Paul therefore doesn't proclaim himself (v 5), but as a slave (imitating Christ by putting himself aside) proclaims Christ as 'Lord', that is, God! Verse 6 links the same power of God's word at the creation, which brought light into being from nothing, with the miracle of the dawning light of our faith. We see and know Christ's face as reflecting nothing less than the full glory of God.  Think of all that means!

MARK 9:2-9: In the section immediately prior to this text, St Mark describes the unwillingness of the disciples to come to terms with Jesus' clear teaching about his approaching suffering and death.  Now on the high mountain, Peter, James and John are witnesses of his transfiguration, as he appears with the glory that was his before his becoming human flesh (John 17:5). Moses and Elijah appear talking with him. St Luke tells us that they spoke about his coming suffering and death at Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). This concept was not at all foreign to these pillars of authority in the Old Testament. Peter still seems to miss the point and opts for a prolonged stay for all three by building dwellings! However, the voice of the Father testifies about the person of Jesus, and directs that they are to listen to him, that is, believe his word. The occasion was an important part of the disciples' spiritual education and a telling witness for us and the early church (John 1:14, 2 Peter 1:16-18).

VISUAL

VISUALS FOR THE READINGS

Pictures or visual symbols could be displayed on banners or the overhead screen during the readings. For instance, the first reading could be accompanied by a picture like the illustration in the TEV Bible for 2 Kings 2:12; and the gospel could be accompanied by a symbol of Jesus in glory, eg a stylised robed figure with a halo around the head and an oval-shaped aureole of small flames around the whole figure.

COLOUR

The colour for Transfiguration is white, which may also be used in decorations, such as with flowers.

SYMBOLS

Symbols for the transfiguration include:

ICONS

The Transfiguration has been a popular scene in iconography. An icon (or other painting) of the Transfiguration may be displayed prominently on this day.

DRAMA

'MEGA DRAMA'

See a drama for the day in Mega Drama resources (Openbook Publishers), originally included in these worship resources when they were released on disks.

DRAMATISING THE READINGS

The readings can be read by more than one person to make the dramatic meaning of the text clearer. For instance, the first reading could be read by four readers: narrator, Elijah, a prophet, Elisha;and the gospel could be read by four readers: narrator (the pastor), Peter, voice from cloud, Jesus.

CHILDREN

HALOS

As part of a talk with the children, they could make or be given cardboard or paper halos to wear, and be told what they mean (show them a picture of Jesus with a halo).

'COME AND SEE JESUS'

The Come and See Jesus curriculum published by Openbook Publishers has a wealth of material and ideas that may be adapted for use in worship. Please note that a new edition of this material is now available for the Revised Common Lectionary.

This week's story is: 'Elijah is taken up to heaven' (to be found in both the original and RCL editions, Transfiguration, year B).

OTHER

ENROLMENTS FOR BAPTISM/CONFIRMATION

See the documents 'Enrolment of an adult baptismal candidate' and 'Enrolment of confirmation candidates' in the 'Rites and services' folder. Candidates may be enrolled on Transfiguration Sunday or on Ash Wednesday.