St Clement Church
Sunday Next before Lent Community Service
Good morning to you all
Lent is nearly upon us and on Wednesday we will celebrate Ash Wednesday with our friends at St Allen.
Today we celebrate the Transfiguration on the Mount. Like so many of the stories, there is so much more to it than initially meets the eye.
What do you see?
My love to you all
Liz
Heavenly Father, as we gather today, we open our hearts to your presence, asking that you fill us with your Holy Spirit. May our worship be heartfelt and our minds focused on you as we come together to praise and glorify your name. Amen
We say together:
Into your presence we come, God of Grace and Peace, who was and is, and ever shall be the eternal One.
Into fellowship we come, bound together in the Love that died and rose again for us, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
Hymn: 271 Alleluia, sing to Jesus
Our Prayer of Penitence:
Lord God, we have sinned against you; we have done evil in your sight. We are sorry and repent.
Have mercy on us according to your love.
Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin.
Renew a right spirit within us and restore us to the joy of your salvation, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
The Collect for the Sunday Next before Lent
Almighty Father, whose Son was revealed in majesty before he suffered death upon the cross: give us grace to perceive his glory, that we may be strengthened to suffer with him and be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen
Readings:
Exodus 34. 29 -35
2 Corinthians 3. 12 – 4. 2
Hymn: 234 Christ whose glory fills the skies
Gospel: Luke 9. 28 – 36 (Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.
Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.
They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.
Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two man who stood with him.
Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’
Peter did not know what he said.
While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.
Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him!’
When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
And the disciples kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
(This is the Gospel of our Lord. Praise to you, O Christ)
Reflection
A young artist called Maya had always struggled to capture the true essence of the sunrise in her paintings. She would often climb the highest peak near her village, attempting to translate the vibrant colours and radiant light onto canvas, but it always fell short. One morning, as the first rays of dawn kissed the horizon, Maya was struck by a sudden, blinding light that enveloped her entire vision. She could see not just the colours, but the very energy and life emanating from the sun, the way it danced and pulsated, the way it seemed to hold the entire world in its embrace. When the light subsided, she was left speechless, her eyes filled with an understanding she had never known before.
The voice of God declaring “This is my Son, the Chosen One; listen to him” reminds us of Jesus’ baptism where God similarly declares Him as the beloved Son, and it is yet again a clear affirmation of Jesus’ special relationship with the Father and emphasises the importance of obeying His teachings.
This experience like the Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain, allowed Maya to finally paint a sunrise that captured the divine beauty and power of the moment, a masterpiece that reflected the glory she had witnessed on the mountain top, a sight that would forever change her art and her perspective.
Most of us, I suspect, at some point each day, look in a mirror. We check our hair, our shaving, our makeup, our teeth, our clothes. Mirrors show us what we look like. While it may be important to know what we look like, it’s much more important to know who we are. That’s what this holy Feast of the Transfiguration is about. The Transfiguration of Christ shows us who we are. It reveals our origin, our purpose, and the end to which we must aim.
Mirrors show external appearances. The Transfiguration, however, is a moment where Jesus’s true divine nature is revealed, with His face shining brightly and His clothes becoming dazzling white, signifying the majesty and power of God dwelling within Him. Jesus is, at this moment, actively seeking communion with the Father; He is praying and listening, being at one with His Father.
This holy Feast of the Transfiguration focuses on the revelation of Jesus’ identity, His divine glory, emphasising that despite what He looks like, His human form, Jesus is the Son of God, and that His coming suffering and death are part of God’s plan for salvation.
Jesus takes Peter, John, and James with Him and goes up a mountain to pray. While He is praying “the appearance of His face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.” Moses and Elijah are also there talking with Jesus.
The appearance of Moses and Elijah with Jesus represents the Law and the Prophets and further confirms Jesus’ identity as the fulfilment of the Old Testament and the Messiah prophesied through scripture. Their appearance confirms Jesus’ place within the larger narrative of God’s covenant and humanity.
The voice of God declaring “This is my Son, the Chosen One; listen to him” reminds us of Jesus’ baptism where God similarly declares Him as the beloved Son, and it is yet again a clear affirmation of Jesus’ special relationship with the Father and emphasises the importance of obeying His teachings.
The three disciples struggle between sleep and wakefulness. “Since they had stayed awake” they see Jesus’ glory. He reveals Himself to Peter, John and James and in so doing shows them the deepest reality of who He is and who they are.
The spiritual journey is always a battle between falling asleep and staying awake, between absence and presence, between darkness and light. Sleepiness is not simply a physical matter, it is a spiritual issue and condition. Spiritual sleep is a form of blindness. It blinds us to the beauty and holiness of the world, other people, and ourselves. Blindness to God’s presence in and the goodness of creation is what allows us to do violence to one another and ourselves.
Peter, John, and James experience the transfiguration of Christ because they stay awake despite how desperately they want to sleep. They see for the first time what has always been. They see the light of divinity fully manifest in a human being, something a mirror can never reveal.
Peter misunderstands, however. “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Humanity can never build a dwelling place for God. It is, rather, God who makes humanity the dwelling place of divinity and this is most profoundly revealed in the Transfiguration of Jesus.
The whole of creation participates in the glory of God. Humanity alone, however, is called to the Mount of Transfiguration. It is there Christ reveals who we are and who, by grace, we are to become.
The Feast of the Transfiguration invites us to wipe the sleep from our eyes, behold what we are, and become what we see.
While the transfiguration showcases Jesus’ glory, it is important to remember that this moment is just a glimpse into the future glory that will come after His suffering and death on the cross.
The Transfiguration is a powerful reminder that even in the darkest moments, Jesus is with us and will ultimately lead us to the light of His glory.
This event is a call to remain steadfast in our faith, knowing that Jesus is the Son of God and our hope for the future.
Amen
Let us declare our faith in God
We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high.
We believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen
Hymn: 357 Father hear the prayer we offer
Our Intercessions
Dear Lord, we are all companions on a spiritual journey and so as we travel together, let us pray together.
Loving God, bless and guide all priests and ministers as we enter the Lenten season of penitence and discipline. Help us to be alive to your Spirit who searches all our hearts and renews our lives as we offer our faith and obedience.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Creator God, we know that we are part of the problems that the world faces, and we know that wherever there is resentment between people there will be tension. We pray that those who lead us and the other nations of the world will always try to solve issues in a peaceful way, and intervene in the world’s conflicts with forethought and common sense.
We pray for King Charles and the royal family as they go about their duties.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Loving God, we live in a world of haves and have nots and this is not just in far away places but in our own communities. We pray for our families and communities and ask that we may have a spirit of generosity, respect, and understanding, at all time and may we always be there to help each other just as You love and help us.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Dear Lord, may we always remember that it is not what the mirror shows that is important, but who and what we are. So often we fall far short of what we should be and we ask your forgiveness for all the times we go astray. Be the Guiding Light in our darkness, giving us strength to walk in Your way no matter how challenging and hard that may be.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our pray
Loving Lord, we place into Your gentle hands all those who are sick, afraid, lonely, or troubled in any way. Ease their pain, and heal the damage done to them in body, mind, or spirit. Be with them and help them to know that they are surrounded with the prayers of the faithful. We especially remember at this time:
Ken and Reverend Diane, May, Susan, Lauren, Lynda, Terry and Dot, Margaret, Maureen, Pam and David, Sandra, Roger, Michael and Patricia, Daphne and Dave, Rob and Alison, Stella, Jeremy, Anita and Stephen, Callum and Elaine, Sue and Martin, Margaret and John, Dave and Jeanette, Carrie and John Paul, Barry and those who have no one to pray for them.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Merciful God, we bring before You all who have reached the end of their earthly journey, however long or short it may have been. Welcome them into Your eternal kingdom and grant them peace.
Be close to those they have left behind as they face the future without their loved ones.
We also remember those whose year’s mind occurs at this time.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Faithful God, in the week that lies before us may we reflect Your love in the way that we live our lives so that the world may see that we are Your followers and by our words and actions draw others into Your loving care.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Andrew, St Allen, St Clement and the Blessed Virgin Mary, we commend ourselves and all who strive for love and peace to your unfailing love.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.
We say together:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom
come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen
Transfiguration by Malcolm Guite
For that one moment, ‘in and out of time’,
On that one mountain where all moments meet,
The daily veil that covers the sublime
In darkling glass fell dazzled at his feet.
There were no angels full of eyes and wings
Just living glory full of truth and grace.
The Love that dances at the heart of things
Shone out upon us from a human face
And to that light the light in us leaped up,
We felt it quicken somewhere deep within,
A sudden blaze of long-extinguished hope
Trembled and tingled through the tender skin.
Nor can this blackened sky, this darkened scar
Eclipse that glimpse of how things really are.
The Peace
Jesus said: ‘Love one another. As I have loved you, so you are to love one another.’
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
Hymn: 408 Love Divine, all loves excelling
The Blessing
As we take our worship, praise, and prayer from this place and into our daily lives, may our lives be sustained through the love of our Heavenly Father. May we feel the presence of our Saviour walking beside us, and know the power of the Spirit in both our actions and our deeds.
Amen