Bishop Eric Menees
O God, who before the
passion of thy only-begotten Son didst reveal his glory upon the holy mount:
Grant unto us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be
strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to
glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
It is hard to believe that Epiphany has almost passed and
that we are hard on the heels of the Season of Lent - a season marked with
drama, sacrifice and passion. As we enter this incredible and beautiful drama,
it seems that the scene is set with type of a prologue - the Transfiguration of
our Lord. Drawn from the 17th Chapter of Matthew, we journey with Peter, James,
and John up the mountain to pray with Jesus. There, he is transfigured before
our eyes, as St. Matthew says:
"...his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as
light." (Mt. 17:2) In this glimpse of Jesus on the mount, we are
blessed to see, with the disciples, a fuller revelation of Jesus’ divine
nature. We, like the disciples, cannot see God face to face, for we would be
overwhelmed by his grandeur and grace. I think of Moses in the book of Exodus,
whom God allowed to see him for a split second - and even then it was only his
back as he passed by. (Exodus 33:18 ff)
On the mount with Peter, James, and John, not only do we see
a fraction of Jesus' divinity, but we are also blessed to see Moses and Elijah
standing along side of Jesus - representing the fact that Jesus was and is the
fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets!
Unlike the three disciples, we are not only free to proclaim
what we have seen on the Mount of Transfiguration, but we are required to
proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ by telling the world that he was not
simply a "good man" or a "moral teacher," but rather God
Incarnate!
Equally, the collect
reminds us that we are not yet in the promised land - until Jesus returns
again, we are required to pick up our cross and follow him. We can do so
because we know in the depth of our being who Jesus is, what he has done, and
what lies ahead in Glory.
Note: The "Notes to the church" articles are
written by Bishop Menees for the Diocese of San Joaquin. I have posted them on
Soundings with his permission for a wider audience. This is also the case for
his "Why I am an Anglican" series. Dale+
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