Sermon: “A Mountaintop View of Mark’s Gospel”, Mark 8:27-9:8 (February 11, 2024)

When we refer to a “mountaintop experience”, we generally mean any moment of revelation or transcendence, regardless of where it actually takes place. It’s a solid metaphor; after all, a mountaintop is both literally and figuratively far above the monotony of everyday life, where the air is fresh and the view is clear – ideal conditions for an epiphany. It’s no wonder that so many important biblical moments take place on top of a mountain: Abraham’s almost-sacrifice of Isaac, Moses’ encounter with the burning bush and receiving of the Ten Commandments, and of course, Jesus’ transfiguration. It’s hard NOT to gain new perspective on top of a mountain. It’s the sort of place where the heavens and the earth meet, where we can see and understand the divine in ways that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to.

Sermon: “The Deal of a Lifetime”, Matthew 16:24-17:8 (February 19, 2023 - Transfiguration Sunday)

---------------------------------------------------

Although this week’s reading begins towards the end of Matthew 16, the full episode actually starts back in verse 13. You already know the story, though: Jesus asks the disciples who they say he is, and Peter quickly (and correctly) responds, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God!” Jesus praises Peter’s understanding and declares him the rock upon which the Church would be built. But not three verses later, Peter gets spooked by Jesus’ teachings about the Messiah’s suffering and crucifixion and tells him not to speak of such things. Jesus makes a 180 from calling Peter the rock upon which the Church would be built to the stone that could cause him to stumble. And that’s the point at which today’s reading begins.

Liturgy: Transfiguration - Matthew 16:24-17:8 (February 19, 2023)

*You are welcome to use or adapt any of my resources for free, but I ask that you provide proper citation AND comment on this post to let me know.*

Call to Worship

Leader: We gather with Jesus on the mountaintop.
People: We keep company with such ones as Moses, Elijah, and the Christ.

Sermon: “Like Moths to a Flame”, Exodus 34:29-35/Matthew 5:1-16 (February 27, 2022 - Transfiguration Sunday)

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Transfiguration Sunday is a day of divine transformation. Each of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) recount the “mountaintop experience” of Peter, James, and John as they witness Jesus’ face “shining like the sun” and his clothes becoming “as white as light”. This year’s lectionary also gives us a fascinating First Testament parallel: this account of Moses descending into the valley of Mount Sinai with his face similarly illuminated after having received the law for a second time. Moses is certainly no Jesus—he’s flawed and sinful, like any of us, and yet his encounter with the divine left him transformed in the exact same way.

Sermon: “Jesus’ Deciphers”, Mark 9:2-9 (February 14, 2021--Transfiguration Sunday)

----------------------------------------------------------

Every year, on the last Sunday before Lent, we read this story. Every year we hear the account of the disciples’ encounter with a transfigured Jesus. Every year, the disciples try to convince Jesus to stay up on the mountain with them for a while. And every year, we struggle to figure out what to make of this supernatural story.

Sermon: "Get It?" Matthew 17:1-9/Acts 8:26-39 (February 23, 2020--Transfiguration Sunday)

----------------------------------------------

Some of you may not know this about me, but while I’ve been ordained for almost six years now, I’ve actually been working in churches professionally for more than ten years. The vast majority of the time, my career has been focused on Christian Education. I was also a Religious Studies major in college before that, so you might say that I have a bit of experience—both formal and “on the job”—learning and teaching about God.

Sermon: “The Truth Behind the Veil”, Exodus 34:29-35/Luke 9:28-36 (March 3, 2019)

--------------------------------------------------------------

I’ve got to be honest: it was really difficult for me to focus on this week’s sermon. There’s been a lot going on in the world this week, and it’s had the lamentable effect of draining the hope right out of me. Some of it’s personal, but several of the things weighing on me have been very public and all over the news. Notably, Michael Cohen testified before members of Congress on Wednesday in order to help them discern the right path forward for our nation. I’m sure many of you were just as riveted to the coverage as I was. With everything going on this week, I had serious trouble thinking about anything else. It literally felt like I was tearing my spirit in two trying to keep my mind exclusively on scripture while my heart was elsewhere. So I decided to choose the path of authenticity and attempt to preach about these current events through the lens of our lectionary readings.