Above: Icon of the Transfiguration of Jesus
Image in the Public Domain
Mystery and Transfiguration
FEBRUARY 19, 2023
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According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
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Exodus 24:12, 15-18
Psalm 2:6-13
2 Peter 1:16-19 (20-21)
Matthew 17:1-9
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Almighty God, on the mountain you showed your glory
in the transfiguration of your Son.
Give us the vision to see beyond the turmoil of our world
and to behold the king in all his glory;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 17
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O God, in the transfiguration of your Son you confirmed
the mysteries of faith by the witness of Moses and Elijah,
and in the voice from the bright cloud
you foreshadowed our adoption as your children.
Make us with the king heirs of your glory,
and bring us to enjoy its fullness,
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 17
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O God, in the glorious transfiguration of your only-begotten Son
once confirmed the mysteries of the faith
by the testimony of the ancient fathers,
and in the voice that came from the bright cloud
you wondrously foreshadowed our adoption by grace.
Therefore, mercifully make us coheirs with our King of his glory,
and bring us to the fullness of our inheritance in heaven;
through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 31
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In the Gospel of Matthew, the account of the Transfiguration of Jesus comes between two predictions of the crucifixion and resurrection. The plain textual context tells us to interpret the Transfiguration accordingly. Jesus was on a mission that would cost him dearly yet end in vindication.
The accounts of the Transfiguration also include a nod to the Shekinah (the Divine Presence), from the Hebrew Bible. This is the cloud that enveloped Moses atop Mount Sinai and filled the First Temple. This poetic image appeals to me. The awe and wonder of God remain intact. God is other yet near and accessible. The people of God are God’s adopted children (“sons,” literally, in the Greek of Pauline epistles) and heirs.
God, of course, was nearest and most accessible in the Incarnation. God in the flesh, walking, speaking, and dining with people was remarkably accessible. Yet the Incarnation defied comprehension.
The Incarnation defies my understanding. So be it.
Mystery, in antiquity, indicated something one could know only by living into it and by doing. Mystery, in antiquity, was not a matter of an something unknown one could solve, given reasoning and enough information. Mystery, in antiquity, was not the same as mystery in an Agatha Christie novel.
Despite this ancient understanding of mystery, I suspect that St. Mary of Nazareth never understood her eldest son as well as God understood her.
Understanding is not always necessary. We mere mortals can, objectively, explain and understand much. I affirm history and science, which rely on evidence. I detest anti-intellectual and anti-scientific attitudes. (I am a left-of-center Episcopalian.) Yet, regarding God–Jesus, in particular–evidence can take us only so far. After the Incarnation (which I do not attempt to explain), evidence takes me to the foot of the cross of Jesus. Then the understanding that comes from faith takes over. I understand partially. Understanding is not necessary in certain situations. Yet trusting in God is always essential.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JANUARY 28, 2022 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT ALBERT THE GREAT AND HIS PUPIL, SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS; ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGIANS
THE FEAST OF SAINT ANDREI RUBLEV, RUSSIAN ORTHODOX ICON WRITER
THE FEAST OF DANIEL J. SIMUNDSON, U.S. LUTHERAN MINISTER AND BIBLICAL SCHOLAR
THE FEAST OF HENRY AUGUSTINE COLLINS, ANGLICAN THEN ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF JOSEPH BARNBY, ANGLICAN CHURCH MUSICIAN AND COMPOSER
THE FEAST OF SOMERSET CORRY LOWRY, ANGLICAN PRIEST AND HYMN WRITER
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Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
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ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS 
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