The Transfiguration of Our Lord
In Lutheran congregations that use the historic lectionary, this Sunday is the observation of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, because it is the last Sunday in the Epiphany season. On the three following Sundays we will be observing “pre-Lent,” more on that later this week. At the end of this post, you can read details about the how/why Transfiguration came to be observed at this time in the Epiphany season. Because this observance was not in place during Luther’s lifetime or territory, nor Bach’s a couple hundred years later, I’m afraid I do not have a Luther sermon or Bach Cantata to share with you this day. But I know you will appreciate the sermon for Transfiguration I am able to share here.
The Appointed Readings for Today
The Introit: Ps. 84:1–2a, 4, 10–11; antiphon: Ps. 77:18
The Old Testament Lesson: Ex. 34:29–35
The Psalter: Psalm 2 (antiphon v. 7)
The Epistle Lesson: 2 Peter 1:16–21
The Gospel Lesson: Matt. 17:1–9
The Gradual: Ps. 45:2a, 110:1
The Verse: Ps. 96:2–3
On this day the appointed readings from Scriptures focus our hearts and minds on the great miracle of our Lord’s transfiguration, when he allowed his disciples a glimpse of the glory that is His eternally as the Second Person of the Most Holy and Blessed Trinity, the Son of God. This glimpse of glory was important, for from the mount of Transfiguration, they went back down and our Lord set His face toward Jerusalem, where He would offer, and be offered up, as the atoning sacrifice for the of the world. The Lord appeared to Moses in the light of the burning bush (Ex. 3:1–14). Later Moses’ face would shine with the light of God’s glory when he came down from Mount Sinai (Ex. 34:29–35). At the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah appeared with the One who is the Light of Light Himself (Matt. 17:1–9). Jesus’ glory as God shines with brilliant splendor in and through His human nature. By this epiphany, our Lord confirmed the prophetic word (2 Pet. 1:16–21), revealing that He is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. He manifested His majesty as the eternal Son of the Father, and He wonderfully foreshowed our adoption as sons (Collect). We who have been baptized into Christ’s body are given a glimpse of the glory that we will share with Him in the resurrection on the Last Day. Source for some of these notes: LCMS Commission on Worship.





A disciple and companion of St. Paul to whom the great saint addressed one of his letters. Paul referred to Titus as “my true child in our common faith”. Not mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, he was noted in Galatians where Paul writes of journeying to Jerusalem with Barnabas, accompanied by Titus. He was then dispatched to Corinth, Greece, where he successfully reconciled the Christian community there with Paul, its founder. Titus was later left on the island of Crete to help organize the Church, although he soon went to Dalmatia, Croatia. According to Eusebius of Caesarea in the Ecclesiastical History, he served as the first bishop of Crete. He was buried in Cortyna (Gortyna), Crete; his head was later translated to Venice during the invasion of Crete by the Saracens in 832 and was enshrined in St. Mark’s, Venice, Italy. Here is where Titus is mentioned in the New Testament:


My name is Paul Timothy McCain. Many people always assume my parents named me Paul after my father, who is also named Paul, but I came to learn the reasons for my name were much deeper than that. My father, Paul, wanted his son, Paul, to have the kind of father/son relationship that St. Timothy had with St. Paul, as summed up in these verses, from 2 Timothy 3: “Timothy, my son, you have observed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions, my sufferings, what befell me at Antioch, at lconion, and at Lystra, what persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”



Today we commemorate and thank God for Sarah. She was the wife (and half-sister) of the Hebrew patriarch Abraham (Gen. 11:29; 20:12). In obedience to divine command (Gen. 12:1), she made the long and arduous journey west, along with her husband and his relatives, from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran and then finally to the land of Canaan. She remained childless until old age. Then, in keeping with God’s long-standing promise, she gave birth to a son and heir of the covenant (Gen. 21: 1-3). She is remembered and honored as the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac, the second of the three patriarchs. She is also favorably noted for her hospitality to strangers (Gen. 18:1-8). Following her death at the age of 127, she was laid to rest in the Cave of Machpelah (Gen. 49:13), where her husband was later buried.


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