Weekly Sermon: 02-15-2026 - Transfiguration

The Holy Gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord.

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and

led them up a high mountain by themselves.

And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun,

and his clothes became bright as light.

Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him.

Then Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here.

If you wish, I will set up three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.

And while he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them,

and a voice from the cloud said, This is my Son, the Beloved.

With him I am well pleased. Listen to him.

When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, Get up, and do not be afraid.

And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, Tell no one about

the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

You may be seated.

So, I want to start this off by saying,

Well, I used to be an outdoorsy person. I wouldn't describe myself like that today.

I'm a little bit of a couch potato, but the best way to probably describe me

is somebody who aspires to be an outdoorsy person.

So back in the fall, well, the weather was nice.

James and I decided that we were going to take this aspiration seriously,

and we were going to become hiking people.

And we spent a few Saturdays going out to different trails and walking them.

And it was nice. We enjoy each other's company.

And it became a really great way for James and I to spend time together.

And on one of those weekends, our plans totally were thrown away because everybody

decided that this was the perfect weekend to go to the trails and hike.

And the idea that we had was to go to one particular trail and it was full.

Cars were lined up behind the corner.

And so we decided to get on our phone and find another place to go and we did

and we chose the coolest name for a park I've ever heard called Dinosaur Valley.

We love dinosaurs and this was really cool.

So we drove an hour and a half out of our way in this crazy heat at that time

and we checked it out and it was amazing.

James and I had a good chat and good time with each other.

I got a little bit sunburned and James may or may not have been bitten by a lizard. We don't know.

And other than that, there was no complaints. And I think the best part of the

entire hike was when we got to an overlook and it was beautiful.

It was quiet and beside a few hikers that decided that they were going to join

us up at the overlook, there was no one else there.

And it was the kind of place where you can just sit and take everything in and

look out across the valley.

And truthfully, I think I would have stayed there a little longer.

But James needed to go back so he can stay close for work.

And our dog Boo was at home and we expect to be gone for four hours and we were

kind of leaning towards six.

So our dog was really sad we weren't there.

So we headed back down the mountain and we went back home.

And because of that experience, I think I understand Peter in this passage.

And while I didn't have some kind of divine revelation at the top of that overlook,

there's something about being on top of the mountain that allows you to see things more clearly.

And when Peter encounters Jesus transfigured before him,

where God's presence with him was undeniable,

his instinct is to make that moment

permanent to build a tent and to

mark that space and basically stay forever and i wouldn't blame peter because

when we're on the mountaintop and things seem clear faith seems easy when god's

voice is loud questions and fears begin to quiet down.

And when God feels close and his voice is loud, our instincts are to stay in

that moment, to build a tent, to make it permanent, and to never let it go.

But let's take a closer look at what's going on in this passage.

Just before that moment, Jesus has begun to speak openly about his mission,

about his suffering, his death and resurrection that is to come.

And then after that declaration, Jesus takes three of his disciples up the mountain.

In the scriptures, the mountain isn't just a setting. Often,

it's a location, a meaning.

Mountains are places where people expect to encounter God in their spaces of

revelation where heaven and earth seem to draw closer together.

And immediately upon reaching the top of this particular mountain,

disciples are not only met by Jesus, but by two other figures, Moses and Elijah.

And their appearance here, I don't think is random.

Both Moses and Elijah are figures who, in their own stories,

encounter God on a mountain and then ascend back into the world to carry forth

the work that God had given them.

As you remember, Moses ascends Mount Sinai, encounters God, receives the law,

and then comes back down the mountain to give that law to the people of Israel.

And then Elijah, where, if you remember, he ascends up the mountain and encounters God in silence.

And from there, Elijah is sent back down to prepare for what God is calling him to do next.

In both of these stories, there is a powerful encounter with God in a moment of revelation.

And while these moments are often described as turning points in life of Israel,

they are not moments where God changes course.

Instead, God reveals the next part of the plan.

That has been unfolding all along, which is to draw creation deeper into relationship with God.

And that matters for how we read the transfiguration, because when Jesus is

transfigured, his appearance is transformed, his face is shining like the sun,

and his clothes are dazzling with light.

We hear the voice declare, this is my son, the beloved, and with him,

I am well pleased. Listen to him. Nothing.

We know that nothing about God's purpose is new here.

In fact, This revelation, this is my son, the beloved, with him I am well pleased,

is something we hear earlier in Matthew's gospel, back in chapter 3, at Jesus' baptism.

And so in this moment of revealing on top of the mountain, God's plan does not change.

Jesus does not change. What changes here is the disciples' clarity.

And on the mountain, the disciples are not given a new mission.

They are redirected more clearly into God's mission and that has always been

at work trying to be carried out.

And the experience for them is so overwhelming, so holy, that their instinct

is to stay and build a tent.

But if this mountaintop moment isn't about a new plan, then what is being revealed?

And what becomes clear in Matthew's gospel and the rest of scripture is God's

vision from the world from the very beginning.

God's desire has always been relationship to draw us close and to restore what is broken.

In other words, God wants to pull all of creation towards wholeness.

Moses and Elijah are not there to introduce something new, but to bear witness.

And the law and the prophets converge in Jesus.

And when the voice says, this is my son, my beloved, God is affirming that the

way Jesus has been moving throughout the world to bring us closer to God.

And the mercies he shows, the people he draws near to, the love that extends

beyond boundaries is the way God has always intended to move in the world.

And if that is God's vision and a story written thousands of years ago,

then it's worth pausing to ask what this vision may look like today,

because while we live in a world that feels like it's being increasingly divided,

despite having more connections with each other than ever before,

and where we live in a world where fear and distrust shape our relationships,

and where battle lines are drawn quickly and compassion feels like it's a condition.

This is a world which is very good at deciding who belongs and who does not belong.

It is easy to be pessimistic about everything.

But the thought that keeps returning to me in prayer is this,

that the table was never exclusive.

God's love, despite all these things going on in our world, has never been meant for justices like few.

It is open to all who are drawn towards Jesus, regardless of the color of the

skin, who they love, or how the world labels them.

And there are no exceptions to this rule.

God's open table is not something new, but it is something God is revealing

more clearly in our time.

God is redirecting us just as God has redirected people before,

back towards the heart of the plan that has always been unfolding.

And I was reminded of this just a few weeks ago during the ice storm.

James and I were serving some of our unhoused neighbors up at Fair Park.

And one day after visiting a member at the hospital, I had, I was still wearing

my clerical collar and I decided just to go in and keep working.

And near the end of the day, one of our unhoused neighbors came up to me and

said, Hey, you're a pastor. And I said, okay.

And then he pauses for a little bit and says, but you're a woman.

I was like, okay, well, that's really affirming. Thank you.

But what followed is an amazing conversation.

I talked about the Lutheran church and how we affirm all people for ministry.

And when we finished talking, we both smiled, looked at each other and agreed

with the statement of, isn't God doing amazing things?

In this sentence, God is doing amazing things, has stayed with me.

God is doing amazing things. God is in changing course, mind you,

but is continuing to widen what has always been true.

There was a time when people were kept for ministry because of who they were.

But here we are. God is doing amazing things.

There was a time when ideas like war, racism, and sexism, and domination was

part of the natural cycle of life.

And yet here we are collectively disgusted by these ideas.

Because here God is doing amazing things in the world.

And while all this may be true to us as humanity, what seems new to us is often God's vision.

In what seems new to us in God's vision is often just revelation catching up

with God's long-standing grace.

The mountain shows us who God is and what God is doing.

And as I speak those words about God doing amazing things, about how the table

was open for everyone, that God's love is for everyone, no exceptions,

I feel drawn to sit there and build a tent on that thought.

To be on top of that mountain and meditate there forever.

But the scripture here doesn't stop there.

Because the problem is that Peter wants to honor the moment.

It's that we want to build a tent and make it permanent.

Instead, as an alternative and kind of a teaching moment,

the disciples are generally redirected instead to listen to Jesus,

descend down the mountain and walk with Jesus as his revelations are fulfilled

and to not speak of this revelation until after it's all been done.

Because coming down to Mount and walking in Jesus is where faith becomes embodied.

And as I've been sitting with this text the last couple of weeks,

one moment keeps coming back to me, which was last week when we had our annual meeting.

And as the council and Pastor Linda laid before us some of our goals for this

next year, which include to lift up, line up, line up, liven up.

And then there's this BHAG, Big Hairy Audacious Goal, of doubling our average

attendance from 100 to 200.

And for some of us, that seems really exciting. And for others,

it may feel overwhelming. And that's okay.

But I think if there's ever a community that feels deeply aligned with God's

vision for the world, it's this community here at St.

Luke's. because our mission is simple and bold to love, serve, and welcome all.

We have it literally ran on a wall and a mural right outside the doors out there.

Now imagine that mission if it doubled its impact.

It would change how we do church, because this time next year at our annual

meeting, we'll be talking about expanding the nursery because it's too full.

We'll be figuring out how to handle doubling attendance at VBS,

and we might even have enough volunteers to do more days.

I'm excited because we might have a youth group. We have a couple right now,

but what if we were to double that?

That would be amazing and beautiful, and I can't wait to see what God does with that ministry.

And we would have twice as many people available to do ministries we already

do so well. We would have more volunteers for our Saturday breakfast.

We would have more volunteers for our Dover Elementary outreach, and so much more.

We would have to expand the pantry outside because more people know of this

amazing mission here at St. Luke's.

And I don't know why this is the number that's been given to the leadership.

And I'm just here imagining what that would look like, throwing out some thoughts.

I don't know and it's not my place to know just as it's not the disciples place

to know on top of the mountain as they're coming down.

But I do know this, just like the disciples on the mountain,

we are not asked to just sit there and stay in glory, to stay there with that thought.

We are told, just as the disciples are, to listen to Jesus, to come down the

mountain, and to walk with Jesus into the God's mission that has always been present in the world.

And so, what does that look like for us as a church as we go forward with this new goal and mission?

Maybe it means inviting new people into the life of this amazing mission at St. Luke's.

Weekend invitation is one of the best methods to bring people in.

It's one of the best ways churches grow.

So think about an elevator speech as you meet new people.

What is it about this place that keeps you coming back to St. Luke's?

And invite other people to be a part of our amazing mission.

Maybe you might When you see new people come in Invite them out to lunch Or

invite them out to play golf with you Or coffee Or laser tag Laser tag is cool y'all Let's do laser tag,

But retention matters And people want to stay Where they feel like they belong,

When they have friends When they feel like they're being seen when they feel

like they're not just another number in a mass of people.

So when someone new walks through our doors, talk to them, learn their name,

and see about ways that you can become their new friend.

And I don't know where this vision will take all of us.

But consider what ministries you might also join to make this church run more smoothly.

There are plenty of opportunities to teach.

There are opportunities to build, to fix, and to help things move more smoothly.

And there are countless ways for you to serve your neighbor.

You can talk with me, a council member, Pastor Linda, or any of our leadership

here at church, because we have so many.

And you can find about ways that you can have your gifts fit into the ministry of this church.

And while we're talking about this, and this is pretty big for me,

I brought forth in front of pastor and council about this idea called Mission Sunday.

And they seem on board, which is basically an idea where we take the mission

that we already do so well at St.

Luke's and to integrate it directly with Sunday worship and what we do afterwards.

We can help make prayer bears. We can do mission bags.

Or my big own, big hairy audacious goal of sending a group out into community

to tackle some hands-on project.

This would all be part of our Sunday morning worship.

And it's an idea I think a lot of people are excited for.

And we can't do it alone, though. And it takes a lot of work from a lot of people.

So this idea sparks something in you. Come talk to me.

And I'd love to talk to you about it because it's something I'm really excited about.

And there are so many ways that we can use your talents and gifts to see this come off.

So hopefully, you know, you all get to hear more things about this in the future.

But these are just a few examples here that of what I think coming down the

mountain looks like for us here at St. Luke's.

But I want you to take some time, whether it's some of these examples or something

else, to see where God is calling you to do this next year moving forward.

And And we together, if we all listen to God's call in our own heart,

we have this amazing opportunity to expand St.

Luke's impact on sharing God's love with our community. And I think that's beautiful

and I think that is amazing.

So please be in prayer this next week as you consider what God is calling you

to do as we come down the mountain. but I.

Let's not stay on top of the mountain. Let's continue to listen to Jesus and

walk back down with him and see what kind of homes to lead us into,

what new areas and neighborhoods that leads us into.

And I'm excited to see God's vision for the world grow.

And I'm excited to see our part of God's mission that's always been there in the world grow as well.

So remember that the glory that we

glimpse is not meant to be preserved but embodied God's

vision has not changed and Christ's mission has also not changed but we are

invited this next year and again and again every year moving forward to step

into the vision God has for the world for Richardson and for St.

Luke's so as we go from this place hold this question gently what does coming

back down from the mountain look like for me?

And consider who might God be calling you to love and to serve and to welcome this year.

And trust that you do not have to do this walk alone, just as disciples did

not have to walk down the mountain alone.

And the same Christ who was revealed in light walks with us into what comes next.

And that is more than enough.

Oh, and peace to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly,

shining the light of Christ as you love, serve, and welcome all.

Thanks be to God, and we will. If you were inspired by this week's podcast.