Transfiguration

This Sunday we celebrate the Sunday Next Before Lent. The Lutheran church marks this Sunday as the Feast of the Transfiguration and our readings for the day reflect the same theme – a moment that feels both dazzling and deeply mysterious. Jesus is revealed in glory on the mountain, his face shining like the sun, his clothes radiant with light, as Moses and Elijah join Jesus. Peter, James, and John glimpse something extraordinary: not just who Jesus is, but who we are called to become.

The Transfiguration stands as a pivot in the story of Jesus. Just before this moment, Jesus speaks for the first time about his coming suffering and death. The light of the mountain does not cancel the darkness of the cross – but it does transform how we understand it. Glory and suffering are held together. Hope is not found in escaping the world’s pain, but in discovering God’s presence within it.

In the busyness and uncertainty of our own lives, we may long for moments of clarity or radiance – times when God feels close, when faith feels luminous. The Transfiguration reminds us that such moments are gifts, not destinations. The disciples are not meant to stay on the mountain. They are sent back down, into the ordinary world, carrying with them from that encounter a deeper vision of Christ.

At St Martin’s, in both our prayer and public life, this story speaks powerfully. We are invited to hold together contemplation and action, silence and service, worship, and justice. The light of Christ is not for us to contain, but to reflect – in how we listen, how we serve, and how we stand with the dispossessed and marginalised, those whose voices are not heard.

As we approach the season of Lent, the Transfiguration offers us a wondering: I wonder where have we glimpsed God’s glory – and how might that vision shape the way we live?

May we, like the disciples, learn to listen to the voice that says, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him.’ And may we find the courage to follow Christ not only into moments of light, but into the places where light is most needed.

Our own transfiguration comes as our eyes are opened, and our hearts are changed.

With every blessing, Andrew