St Matthew 17:1-9/2 Peter 1:16-21/Exodus 34:29-35
Rite of First Communion for Cole Organ
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
It is easy to harp on St Peter. He is impetuous and brash; perhaps a bit opinionated. The filter between his brain and his mouth at times fails him. He is simultaneously sinner and saint; at one time boldly confessing Christ, the Son of the living God, at another cowering at the voice of a servant girl.
We see ourselves in him. We can relate to Peter. As we can all the saints of Old and New Testament. They are sinners, too. Noah was a drunkard. Abraham an adulterer. Moses had a temper. David was a murderer. Peter denied Christ more than once. Their humanity bleeds through. Ironically, this lends credit to the veracity of Holy Scripture, rather than detract from it. We did not follow cleverly devised myths about Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. They tell the truth; warts and all.
And there is something here for Cole today. We have all stood where he stands. We have all offered the good confession and pledged our lives for the sake of Lutheran doctrine and the Sacrament. It’s easy to be brave and courageous in front of your family and congregation. A little embarrassing, but easy. Harder to speak up for Christ to the hardened atheist or skeptic.
But what Jesus here gives at His Transfiguration is for the courage of the hearts of Peter, James, and John; it is for the steadfastness of your heart Cole and for all catechumens. For that is what you are – you are catechumens – hearers of the voice of Jesus, listeners to His Word.
And after six days Jesus took with Him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was metaphorized before them, and His face became as radiant as the helios, and His clothes became white as phos, as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If it is Your will, I shall make three eskene, tents, here, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
None of the Evangelists shy away from recording Peter’s blunders; or their own. Yet perhaps we chastise the Rock too much. He is the prima inter pares, the first among equals. He does speak for the apostles.
Lord, it is good that we are here. Indeed it is good to be there. Present on the holy mountain, eyewitnesses of the glorious majesty of Jesus, the Christ. For that which is good is from the One who alone is good. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (Ja 1:17). For He who created all things in the beginning, who by the Word spoke them into being as gift, declared them all to be good.
Now all catechumens speak out of turn. They say things that are not necessarily wrong, but are out of place. Yet rather than bring shame and contempt on Peter for his rash statement, St Matthew takes pains to display the true beauty of the moment. He speaks liturgically, employing temple language! The Mount of Transfiguration is for the moment the Holy of Holies; for the Ark, the physical presence of God for His people, among them for their salvation, is in Jesus!
Recall Christmas Day, how St John said, The Word became flesh and dwelt, literally “tabernacled,” “tented,” eskenosen, among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (Jn 1:14). In Jesus the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. He is the Temple made without hands. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature (Heb 1:3).
It is written, God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6). Matthew the catechumen, receives and confesses this reality; he leaves no doubt that this is the divine presence. Peter, James, and John are entering into the presence of the Holy Trinity upon the mountain. They witness that which Isaiah beheld, what Moses saw, and the Holy of Holies alone contained!
For the cloud that signified the presence of God at the tabernacle, is here! The Holy Spirit who once hovered over the waters at creation, now envelops these three along with Christ. The light that shone in the darkness on the first day shines from the face of Jesus! He is the Light of the world; the Light of men! And the Father who bespeaks the eternal Word declares the man Jesus to be His beloved Son.
It is good Lord that we are here! Peter gets this, in part. The Psalmist prays, One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple (Ps 27:4). This is what Peter wants, what every true catechumen, every hearer of the Word, wants. He wants to remain in the Holy of Holies. He wants to stay on the mountain; to set up three tents.
But there is only one tent; only one tabernacle – the flesh of Jesus, the beloved Son. And His glory is not manifest in power, but made perfect in weakness.
And that’s what Peter did not understand. And that is where we struggle. For here Peter, James and John rely on their experience. They are enthralled at the “awesomeness” of God. With fixed gaze and joyous rapture they long to remain on the Mount of Transfiguration. Yet later, these same three, have no interest in the happenings on the Mount of Olives.
For there the face that shone as the sun is disfigured in agony and sorrow. He who was transfigured in glory as God in the flesh, will be disfigured in shame as a worm and not a man. Moses and Elijah are gone, the Father is silent, it is Jesus only.
This is where the Christian life is lived, dear ones, in the valley of the shadow of death. Peter, James, and John had to come down from the mountain. And the once shining face of Jesus is set like a stone toward Jerusalem, to the Mount of the Skull. His clothes, white as light, are gambled over in the darkness. But fear not, for Jesus did not leave behind His glory, but proceeds to the greater glory of His Cross and Passion.
In Jesus the veil has been lifted and you are given to behold the true glory of God. Not in the reflected face of Moses and the glory of the Law, for leads only to death. But in the suffering and death of the beloved Son, which leads to eternal life. For we glory not in the Christ as He goes up the Mount of Transfiguration, but in the Christ who is lifted up on the Cross of Mount Calvary; Jesus only.
The transfiguration is meant to give courage and strength of heart to the disciples for what lies ahead. Liturgically, it serves the same purpose for us. Next Sunday is the beginning of Pre-Lent. Ash Wednesday and the forty-six days until Easter are just around the corner. The Mount of Transfiguration gives way to Mount Calvary. Christmas and Epiphany must give way to Lent and Holy Week.
But the Cross and what lies beyond it are our strength for the fast. Jesus who gave His life for us is the Father’s Son in whom He is well-pleased, then we too, in Him, shall be the Father’s sons and He will be well pleased with us. For Jesus who took what was yours in His Baptism, here stands as the Father’s beloved Son, the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, ready to lay down His life for you.
But fear not, for He lays it down of His own accord, and He takes it up again. And He now gives it to you. This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him, the Father says. Indeed, where else shall we go, for He has the Word of eternal life? Peter got that one right.
His Word speaks to you now, even as He came to Peter and the others and touched them, saying, Rise and have no fear. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. In the Holy Absolution, Christ Jesus comes to you, places His hand on you, and raises you from your grave, saying, “Fear not, for there is no one to accuse you; I have silenced the Law for you. Death does not hound you nor Satan breath down your neck. Look about you, goodness and mercy follow you.”
And you, you catechumens all, hearers of the Word of the Son, indeed you shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. David desired to inquire of the Lord in His temple. It is no longer in Jerusalem. Peter wanted to stay on the mountain, but the Lord’s glory is not there either. It is here. Mt Zion is the Altar of the Holy Communion, where the Word made flesh gives Light, as a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
For the day will come, dear ones, when you too shall be transfigured, for you reside in the Body of Christ. When He appears, you shall be like Him, because you shall see Him as He is (1 Jn 3:2). You shall gaze upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living and see no one but Jesus only. Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord (Ps 27:14).
In the Name of the Father + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Rite of First Communion for Cole Organ
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
It is easy to harp on St Peter. He is impetuous and brash; perhaps a bit opinionated. The filter between his brain and his mouth at times fails him. He is simultaneously sinner and saint; at one time boldly confessing Christ, the Son of the living God, at another cowering at the voice of a servant girl.
We see ourselves in him. We can relate to Peter. As we can all the saints of Old and New Testament. They are sinners, too. Noah was a drunkard. Abraham an adulterer. Moses had a temper. David was a murderer. Peter denied Christ more than once. Their humanity bleeds through. Ironically, this lends credit to the veracity of Holy Scripture, rather than detract from it. We did not follow cleverly devised myths about Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. They tell the truth; warts and all.
And there is something here for Cole today. We have all stood where he stands. We have all offered the good confession and pledged our lives for the sake of Lutheran doctrine and the Sacrament. It’s easy to be brave and courageous in front of your family and congregation. A little embarrassing, but easy. Harder to speak up for Christ to the hardened atheist or skeptic.
But what Jesus here gives at His Transfiguration is for the courage of the hearts of Peter, James, and John; it is for the steadfastness of your heart Cole and for all catechumens. For that is what you are – you are catechumens – hearers of the voice of Jesus, listeners to His Word.
And after six days Jesus took with Him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was metaphorized before them, and His face became as radiant as the helios, and His clothes became white as phos, as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If it is Your will, I shall make three eskene, tents, here, one for You and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
None of the Evangelists shy away from recording Peter’s blunders; or their own. Yet perhaps we chastise the Rock too much. He is the prima inter pares, the first among equals. He does speak for the apostles.
Lord, it is good that we are here. Indeed it is good to be there. Present on the holy mountain, eyewitnesses of the glorious majesty of Jesus, the Christ. For that which is good is from the One who alone is good. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (Ja 1:17). For He who created all things in the beginning, who by the Word spoke them into being as gift, declared them all to be good.
Now all catechumens speak out of turn. They say things that are not necessarily wrong, but are out of place. Yet rather than bring shame and contempt on Peter for his rash statement, St Matthew takes pains to display the true beauty of the moment. He speaks liturgically, employing temple language! The Mount of Transfiguration is for the moment the Holy of Holies; for the Ark, the physical presence of God for His people, among them for their salvation, is in Jesus!
Recall Christmas Day, how St John said, The Word became flesh and dwelt, literally “tabernacled,” “tented,” eskenosen, among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (Jn 1:14). In Jesus the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily. He is the Temple made without hands. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature (Heb 1:3).
It is written, God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 4:6). Matthew the catechumen, receives and confesses this reality; he leaves no doubt that this is the divine presence. Peter, James, and John are entering into the presence of the Holy Trinity upon the mountain. They witness that which Isaiah beheld, what Moses saw, and the Holy of Holies alone contained!
For the cloud that signified the presence of God at the tabernacle, is here! The Holy Spirit who once hovered over the waters at creation, now envelops these three along with Christ. The light that shone in the darkness on the first day shines from the face of Jesus! He is the Light of the world; the Light of men! And the Father who bespeaks the eternal Word declares the man Jesus to be His beloved Son.
It is good Lord that we are here! Peter gets this, in part. The Psalmist prays, One thing I have asked of the Lord, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple (Ps 27:4). This is what Peter wants, what every true catechumen, every hearer of the Word, wants. He wants to remain in the Holy of Holies. He wants to stay on the mountain; to set up three tents.
But there is only one tent; only one tabernacle – the flesh of Jesus, the beloved Son. And His glory is not manifest in power, but made perfect in weakness.
And that’s what Peter did not understand. And that is where we struggle. For here Peter, James and John rely on their experience. They are enthralled at the “awesomeness” of God. With fixed gaze and joyous rapture they long to remain on the Mount of Transfiguration. Yet later, these same three, have no interest in the happenings on the Mount of Olives.
For there the face that shone as the sun is disfigured in agony and sorrow. He who was transfigured in glory as God in the flesh, will be disfigured in shame as a worm and not a man. Moses and Elijah are gone, the Father is silent, it is Jesus only.
This is where the Christian life is lived, dear ones, in the valley of the shadow of death. Peter, James, and John had to come down from the mountain. And the once shining face of Jesus is set like a stone toward Jerusalem, to the Mount of the Skull. His clothes, white as light, are gambled over in the darkness. But fear not, for Jesus did not leave behind His glory, but proceeds to the greater glory of His Cross and Passion.
In Jesus the veil has been lifted and you are given to behold the true glory of God. Not in the reflected face of Moses and the glory of the Law, for leads only to death. But in the suffering and death of the beloved Son, which leads to eternal life. For we glory not in the Christ as He goes up the Mount of Transfiguration, but in the Christ who is lifted up on the Cross of Mount Calvary; Jesus only.
The transfiguration is meant to give courage and strength of heart to the disciples for what lies ahead. Liturgically, it serves the same purpose for us. Next Sunday is the beginning of Pre-Lent. Ash Wednesday and the forty-six days until Easter are just around the corner. The Mount of Transfiguration gives way to Mount Calvary. Christmas and Epiphany must give way to Lent and Holy Week.
But the Cross and what lies beyond it are our strength for the fast. Jesus who gave His life for us is the Father’s Son in whom He is well-pleased, then we too, in Him, shall be the Father’s sons and He will be well pleased with us. For Jesus who took what was yours in His Baptism, here stands as the Father’s beloved Son, the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, ready to lay down His life for you.
But fear not, for He lays it down of His own accord, and He takes it up again. And He now gives it to you. This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him, the Father says. Indeed, where else shall we go, for He has the Word of eternal life? Peter got that one right.
His Word speaks to you now, even as He came to Peter and the others and touched them, saying, Rise and have no fear. And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. In the Holy Absolution, Christ Jesus comes to you, places His hand on you, and raises you from your grave, saying, “Fear not, for there is no one to accuse you; I have silenced the Law for you. Death does not hound you nor Satan breath down your neck. Look about you, goodness and mercy follow you.”
And you, you catechumens all, hearers of the Word of the Son, indeed you shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. David desired to inquire of the Lord in His temple. It is no longer in Jerusalem. Peter wanted to stay on the mountain, but the Lord’s glory is not there either. It is here. Mt Zion is the Altar of the Holy Communion, where the Word made flesh gives Light, as a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
For the day will come, dear ones, when you too shall be transfigured, for you reside in the Body of Christ. When He appears, you shall be like Him, because you shall see Him as He is (1 Jn 3:2). You shall gaze upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living and see no one but Jesus only. Wait for the Lord, be strong and let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord (Ps 27:14).
In the Name of the Father + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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