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Mark 9:2-9 - Lectionary for Transfiguration, Series B

2/8/2018

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2/8/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

The transfiguration of the Lord is one of the most perplexing events described in the Gospels. In this passage, we see Jesus and the three most intimate of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, ascend a mountain. Jesus was changed in his appearance. Peter, James, and John saw Jesus speaking with Elijah and Moses.

This passage has so much that could be speculated about and so little that could be confirmed as a clear purpose, it’s difficult to shed any light on it at all. Here are a few ideas.

First, it may well be that here God is showing that Jesus is in fact the Glorious one, God of all, and that he is revealing himself to his disciples so the news of the Gospel will be delivered to all generations. The sign of the transfiguration acts as a confirmation that Jesus really is who he says he is. This is entirely possible. It lends strength to our understanding that the apostles, after the resurrection, actually would have known how to carry on the work of the glorified Lord, because they had been in the presence of his glory before.

A second idea is that Jesus, by speaking with Moses and Elijah, shows himself to be the one who can communicated with the living (Elijah didn’t die) and with the dead (Moses did die). Again, this happens in the presence of Peter, James, and John so that they would believe as well.

There may be some other directions we could go with the passage as well. What’s important is that we realize it is a description of some event which appears to be very real. Three of Jesus’ twelve saw him chnged in his appearance. At that time they were given a tool which they were instructed to use later, after the resurrection. They apparently knewwhat to do with this revelation, even if we don’t quite know what to do with it.

How have we seen Jesus? Are we prepared to tell about him, not about ourselves? May the Lord have mercy on us, as he did on his earliest saints.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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2 Corinthians 3:12-13; 4:1-6 - Lectionary for Transfiguration, Series B

2/7/2018

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2/7/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Is the Christian life about the Christian? Our Epistle reading from 2 Corinthians 3 and 4 says quite clearly that it is not about us, but about Jesus, the Christ. The message of the Gospel is all about mercy, forgiveness, and grace. While that mercy has been shown to us, the forgiveness has been applied to us, and the grace is spread to the world through us, it is decidedly not about us. It’s about Christ crucified for us.

In 4:3 Paul observes that sometimes the Gospel is veiled to people. Those are the people who are perishing. They have been blinded by this world and the powers of this world so that they cannot see the grace of God.  They are unable to see the glory of God. These are people who look at the Christian, with all his faults, all his sins, all his failures, and reject the Christ. Paul would point people to Jesus, not to himself. He knows his own sin. He knows that he is unworthy of the grace of God. If anyone wishes to be set up for failure, he need do no more than try to build his hope for salvation on the example of a Christian. Such an example will always let us down. It will drive us away from the Christ. On the contrary, Paul says, he will direct people to Jesus.

It is in Jesus that we find the true gospel. It is in him that we can come face to face with the mercy, the grace, the forgiveness which we need. Let the Christian life be all about the Christ. He is the only hope for the unbelieving world.

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2 Kings 2:1-12 - Lectionary for Transfiguration, Series B

2/6/2018

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2/6/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

We don’t always know what we are watching. In 2 Kings 2:1-12 as Elijah was preparing to depart from his role as a prophet, his disciple Elisha was determined to follow him. He didn’t really know what was going on. He had been told that his master, Elijah, would be taken away. But what would that mean? Was he going to die? Was he going to be arrested? Was he going to evaporate?

Elisha’s desire was to follow his prophetic mentor to the end. If he would be like his teacher, he needed to be loyal to his teacher. He set his mind to continuing in the task. He refused to be sent away, refused to be distracted, refused to be discouraged.

We notice at the same time that Elijah made very few explanations to his disciple. He led him. He answered his questions. He engaged in prophetic activities, such as parting the river with his rolled-up cloak. But he really didn’t explain what was happening. Perhaps Elijah also didn’t know his destination.

In the end, Elijah became the second person ever to leave this life without dying. He was taken up in a whirlwind, apparently accompanied by a chariot and horses of fire. We have no explanation beyond this. It’s all we are given.

Elisha took up Elijah’s cloak and became a noteworthy prophet. Some have observed that just as Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, Elisha has about twice as many recorded miracles as Elijah did. But it isn’t clear what that exchange meant, either.

What do we know about the situation? God used his prophet to prepare another prophet. He passed on his gifts, which were for the good of His people, from one prophet to another. Through the ages, God has always raised up his servants to speak His word and nurture faithful obedience among His people. This has never ended. The Lord is quite able to raise up servants in every age, including our age. Wherever there are those who are willing to follow the Lord, He will use them for the good of his creation.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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Psalm 50:1-6 - Lectionary for Transfiguration, Series B

2/5/2018

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2/5/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.

Many people would like to see God in all creation. This is a great idea. It works very well. However, most who have expressed this to me seem to want to see God in all creation from a fishing boat. They want to find God on the golf course, or by sleeping in on Sunday morning and being alone with a newspaper and a few doughnuts.

How does God show himself in creation? In Psalm 50:1-6 He is in a storm, in fire, in radiance as big as the day is long. This would be very dangerous when fishing on the lake. The golf course might not be the best place to meet this kind of God. And I’m afraid the newspaper and doughnuts would be ruined.

It seems we like the idea of summoning God. We have somehow tamed him so he will act the way we would choose. We think the Lord of all creation will respond to our whims, our preferences.

On the contrary, this Psalm directs us to the Lord who uses his mighty power and presence to call people to himself. He is unapproachable in himself. But from that position, over all creation, he calls people to himself, all who would gather by means of the sacrifice he has appointed. It is through the means God has created that we can approach his throne. It is by God’s own will, not our will, that we approach him. He’s the judge. As the judge, he gets to decide how and when his people will come to him, as well as what they will receive.

What do we receive from the Lord? When we consider him as the one with the fire and the storm, we might think our most likely reward would be destruction. But he doesn’t do that at all. Rather than destruction, the Lord gives his people his own righteousness. He makes us as righteous as the day is long. This, again, is entirely by God’s own good pleasure. Thanks be to God for his great mercy.

If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.

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