How do I plan worship for Transfiguration Day?

Transfiguration Day is a remembrance of the stories that we read in Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9 where the glory of God in the human person of Jesus was revealed to Peter, James, and John. It is here in that glory that we can glimpse the glory that Jesus would eventually receive at his ascension into heaven and the completion of his rededemptive work on earth.

Transfiguredis a translation of the Greek metamorphoo, from which we derive the English metamorphosis. The word usually refers to a transformation from one state of being to another. As popularized by Franz Kafka's novel Metamorphosis, in which a man wakes up one day to discover he has turned into a giant bug, so most people think of a transfiguration as a change of state: You become something you had never been before. For Jesus, however, it was not a change of state so much as a change in appearance that revealed what he truly had been all along: the radiant Son of God. In all three gospel accounts, Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus, thus connecting the work of Christ to the law and the prophets (and thus to all of Scripture). Coming not long before Jesus' intense suffering and death, the transfiguration and the Father saying "[L]isten to him!" were a clear signal to the disciples that what Jesus had been teaching about the need to suffer and die was the truth. The shining appearance of Jesus, the presence of the two great figures of the Old Testament, and God's own words combined to give a giant stamp of approval on all Jesus was doing and saying as well as on all that was to come.

When is Transfiguration Day?

In some traditions, Transfiguration Sunday falls on the Sunday immediately prior to Ash Wednesday and is an event that marks the transition in Jesus' ministry in which he "set his face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51), where he would die.

For others, specifically some Catholic, Episcopal, and Anglican communities, the date for the Feast of the Transfiguration is August 6. This feast was made a universal feast to remember the 1456 siege of Belgrade but had already been celebrated since at least the ninth century.

What color could be used for Transfiguration Day?

White is used for Transfiguration Day, calling to mind the blinding brightness of Jesus' shining figure.

What associated objects or symbols could be used for Transfiguration Day?

• Light
• Three tents

What themes could be used for Transfiguration Day?

• Mountains and glory (See Mountains and glory)
• Law and prophets
• Christ's identity

Bible passage ideas for Transfiguration Day

The transfiguration narrative

There are a number of potential themes to consider when choosing this passage for a sermon. If Transfiguration is being celebrated on the Sunday that precedes Lent and the journey to the cross, this passage could look at the shift of Jesus' journey and ministry toward Jerusalem and the cross.

The Markan account of the transfiguration explores why Christ instructed the disciples to not tell anyone about it until after the resurrection and includes Christ's explanation of why Elijah had to come first.

The accounts in both Matthew and Mark offer an opportunity to explore Christ as the fulfillment of the Law and prophets as well as his identity as fully God. The text from Matthew prompts the reader to focus firmly on Jesus.

• Matthew 17:1–13
• Mark 9:2–12
• Luke 9:28–36

Mountains and glory

Throughout scripture are echoes of the glory that is witnessed on the mountain at the transfiguration.

• Exodus 24, Moses receives the law on Mount Sinai
• Exodus 34:29–35, Moses experiences God's glory on Mount Sinai
• 1 Kings 19:8–14, Elijah encounters God's presence on Mount Horeb
• 2 Kings 2:1–12, Elijah is taken up to heaven
• Psalm 2, "You are my son"
• Psalm 50:1–6, God shines from Zion
• Psalm 99, worship on God's holy mountain
• Psalm 125, God's presence is compared to the mountains surrounding Jerusalem
• Matthew 5, Jesus preaches on a mountain
• 2 Corinthians 3:7–18, God's glory transforms
• 1 John 3:2, we will see God revealed
• 2 Peter 1:16–18, Peter's eyewitness account of the transfiguration

Worship ideas for Transfiguration Day

"God, we trust that you will continue to inspire us and stay with us, on the mountain, and through the valleys." Words of Assurance from re:Worship

"Peter says that the transfiguration is like the gift of a small flashlight in the midst of a power outage, like a lantern in the deep darkness—useful in the meantime "until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts" (2 Peter 1:19)." Sermon Preparation or Illustration by Edwin Searcy from The Christian Century

"We, too, are to wear robes, robes that shine with Jesus' presence in our lives, robes discolored by blood and tears and diapers that need to be changed and chili that has dripped from its Styrofoam bowl on its way to the table in the shelter." Scripture Meditation or Sermon by Susan Gamelin from Day1

"O God, We open our eyes and we see Jesus, the months of ministry transfigured to a beam of light, the light of the world, your light." Prayer by William Loader from Discipleship Ministries

Find more worship ideas for Transfiguration Day from Zeteosearch.org.