Diocese of St Albans



3923665-3086100000Sunday before Lent - Transfiguration 14th February 2021Welcome to Praying Together but SeparatelyHymn SuggestionsChrist whose Glory Fills the SkiesHail to the Lord’s AnointedHe is exalted (contemporary)Shine Jesus Shine (contemporary)There are a selection of hymns here from St Martin’s in the Field: Before GodMake sure you are sitting comfortably. I am in the presence of the Living God, Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. PreparationThis idea of a simple ‘conversational’ preparation will probably work best for an online Zoom service. You might screen share some images of mountains, e.g., the online congregation of any of them have ever been up a mountain. If some of them have they can share the name of it either out loud or by writing it in the chat. There are good things about mountains: the view, the exhilaration of the climb to the top, skiing back down!There are dangerous things about mountains: freak storms, clouds making it difficult to see where you are going, the potential of avalanches or rock slides. In Jesus’ day people weren’t too keen on mountains (no ne had invented snowboarding yet). They were, however, a useful place to hide – perhaps from an enemy. If you did climb a mountain to hide away, you would find yourself alone: and that is when a mountain can feel strange or lonely. It also feels like you are close to God, even though you are not closer to God there than anywhere else as God is everywhere. There is a mountain in our reading today. In our hearts, let’s draw closer to God. Prayer of PreparationAlmighty God,to whom all hearts are open,all desires known,and from whom no secrets are hidden:cleanse the thoughts of our heartsby the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,that we may perfectly love you,and worthily magnify your holy name;through Christ our Lord.Amen.Prayer of the DayHoly God,you know the disorder of our sinful lives:set straight our crooked hearts,and bend our wills to love your goodness and your gloryin Jesus Christ our Lord. AmenBible Reading: Mark 9.2-9Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,?and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one?on earth could bleach them.?And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus.?Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings,?one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’?He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.?Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved;?listen to him!’?Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.Some thoughts for further Reflection: This last Sunday before Lent is the time that the church celebrates the Transfiguration of Jesus. It is probably an event you know well, and if you don’t then the story looks pretty obvious – it is one of those, ‘does what it says on the tin’ Gospel stories. But even if we know roughly what happened, there remains the question of why? Was Jesus intending to show off by being revealed in his full glory? Did he want to baffle, to reassure, to cause alarm? The word transfigured is an interesting one. The Greek word is metamorpho, and it means to transform. The obvious illustration of this is when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. The word is a verb which means to change into another form. In the case of Jesus Christ, it means his outward appearance was changed to more accurately reflect the reality of the inside: Jesus appeared as he actually was. The transfiguration then is all about the fulfillment of the previous verse to our reading today. The first verse of chapter nine Jesus says to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.’Jesus’ transfiguration was not meant to baffle, or frighten, or show off. It was meant so that some of the disciples would see Jesus in his full glory, they see the kingdom of God with power. The Kingdom of God is simply the place where God rules - those disciples see heaven unveiled and revealed for them. When heaven appears then time becomes irrelevant and so the future and the past collide: Elijah, representing the prophets, and Moses, representing the Law, appear to meet with God again. This unveiling of Jesus, his being shown in his full glory, was a similar experience that Moses had on Mount Sinai. We can read about it in Exodus 34:29. It says, ‘Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.’Both of these experiences took place on a mountain, in both cases the glory and light of God shone in a way that is beyond explanation, in both cases you could see a physical difference, a real and literal metamorphosis.There are differences though in the experience. Moses had to wear a veil because the glory shone so bright; this wasn’t the case of Jesus and the disciples. In fact, in 2 Corinthians 3 Paul expressly tells us that our experience of meeting with God should be different from that of Moses, there should be no need for us to wear a veil. Verse 17 of 2 Corinthians chapter 3 says, Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.Whenever we meet with God it is the real thing. It is not a piece of chiseled stone in the same way that it was with Moses, it is the real presence of the Living God. Furthermore, we can have confidence to stand in the presence of the Living God with faces unveiled in complete freedom because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. We don’t get a representation of God - through the Spirit we get God himself: we share directly in the life of God, and it is this which leads us to freedom. It is the Spirit that transforms us. In Mark 9:5-6 we are told that Peter said to Jesus,‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.’ Peter wanted to take a picture of what had happened, something to mark the event and capture it in time for him and the others to remember and reflect upon. He wanted to build a memorial for the event instead of experiencing the event for himself there and then. My dad is a retired languages teacher and now a priest in Lincolnshire. We used to go on holiday a lot in France, and we spent most of our time off the beaten track in some amazing countryside. We were usually visiting the lesser known Chateaux, or driving through some beautiful passes. On these holidays we always used to make fun of dad because he had a catchphrase he would use as we drove around: he would pull the car over, stop the car, and then tell us, ‘We aren’t stopping’, before trying to take a photo of a sun setting behind some castle, or a river winding through the valley floor, or something like that. Days later, back in Lincolnshire with the photos developed (remember when you used to have to have photos developed?), we would flick through picture after picture of scenery, none of them displaying the true beauty of what we had seen, and all of them looking pretty much the same.As Peter is expressing his thought of building some kind of monument to what they have experienced, he, with the other disciples, Elijah and Moses, are immersed in a white light, a cloud of light, the presence of God, and they become afraid. It is almost as if God himself tries to show Peter that what he is saying is inappropriate, and that he should enjoy the experience of God, not try and save it or replicate it. Not make a photocopy of it, and then photocopy that photocopy, and then photocopy that one, until the experience fades. And sometimes we are guilty of the same. Sometimes we are knowingly guilty, sometimes we submit to the institution of the church that is guilty of this. Notice that I said the institution of the church and not the church. Sometimes we try and recreate a memory of an experience with God instead of desiring the presence of God today. Or sometimes we come to church and watch a priest in the hope that s/he will recreate an experience of God, or maybe experience God themselves so that the members of the church don’t have to. That cloud and presence of God which Peter, James, and John experienced is well within our grasp today, so we should find Jesus for ourselves. Harry SteeleOUR PRAYERS Blessed are you Lord God our Father.You have revealed your hidden gloryin the face of our Lord Jesus Christ;in Christ you have given us the hope of life eternal.Bless your Church, O Lord,with the radiance of your presence.In each place of worship may we bow before your glory.We ask you to transform with your brightnessall those places where worshipappears to be dull or lifeless.Fill all preachers and teacherswith a vision of your glory.SilenceGlorious God,give us a glimpse of your glory.Lord of light, transform the dark places of the worldby your presence.We remember all who live in slumsand shanty towns,all who live among war and dereliction.Let the radiance of your presencebring hope to their lives.SilenceGlorious God,give us a glimpse of your glory.Glorious God, fill our homes with your loveand our lives with your glory.Be with us and all our loved onesand deliver us from darkness.SilenceGlorious God,give us a glimpse of your glory.We remember all who suffer,all who are in hospital,all who are lonely and feel rejected,all whose lives are in a dark cloud.We think of those who are fearful of the futureand those whose lives are full of sadness.Lord, may the light of your love transform their lives.SilenceGlorious God,give us a glimpse of your glory.Give us a glimpse of your gloryand awareness of your gift of eternal life.As we rejoice in the fellowship of all your saints,grant to our loved ones departedthe joy and glory of your kingdom.SilenceMerciful Father,accept these prayersfor the sake of your Son,our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.A prayer concerning the CoronavirusGod of compassion,be close to those who are ill, afraid or in isolation.in their loneliness, be their consolation;in their anxiety, be their hope;in their darkness, be their light;through him who suffered alone on the cross,but reigns with you in glory,Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.An act of spiritual Communion (there is a video on YouTube of the Prayer of Spiritual Communion. It is a little American, but well shot, and may inspire worship and prayer. You can find it here: )My Jesus,?I believe that Youare present in the Most Holy Sacrament.?I love You above all things,?and I desire to receive You into my soul.?Since I cannot at this momentreceive You sacramentally,?come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.Amen.The Lord’s PrayerOur 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.087238To keep up to date with resources and dates from the Flourishing Churches team, please follow us on Facebook: St Albans Diocese Youth Service: Children’s Ministry St Albans Diocese: keep up to date with resources and dates from the Flourishing Churches team, please follow us on Facebook: St Albans Diocese Youth Service: Children’s Ministry St Albans Diocese: ................
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