The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Introit
The lightnings lightened the world:
the earth trembled and shook.
Psalm. How amiable are Thy tabernacles,
O Lord of hosts: my soul longeth,
yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord.
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Collect
O God, who in the glorious transfiguration of Thine only-begotten Son hast confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of the fathers, and who, in the voice that came from the bright cloud, didst in a wonderful manner foreshow the adoption of sons, mercifully vouchsafe to make us coheirs with the King of His glory and bring us to the enjoyment of the same; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth, etc.
The Gradual
Thou art fairer than the children of men:
grace is poured into Thy lips.
V. The Lord said unto my Lord,
Sit Thou at My right hand:
until I make, Thine enemies Thy footstool.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. Sing unto the Lord, bless His name;
show forth His salvation from day to day:
Declare His glory among all people. Hallelujah!
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #354 In the Cross of Christ
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #354 In the Cross of Christ
Prayers and Announcements
- For those suffering from the difficulties of the lockdowns, job threats, anxiety, and depression.
- Doctor's care - Pastor Shrader, Chris Shrader, Pastor K, Dr. Lito Cruz.
- Our elected President and his supporters, our military justice system.
KJV 2 Peter 1
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
KJV Matthew 17
1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
Two Views of the Transfiguration
KJV Matthew 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart.
Doubtless someone could line up 14 different interpretations of the Transfiguration of Christ. Academics have a way of piling up categories, histories, theories, and conclusions. But it really comes down to this - Either Jesus was and is the Son of God, with two natures, human and divine, or He was just another teacher from that era.
The scholars at Tuebingen could not accept the Gospel of John being true history, and they piled up a mountain of self-serving evidence to prove this. Such theories become self-perpetuating, because someone can say, "According to the Tuebingen scholars, John's Gospel was written centuries later and is mostly derived from Greek thought, not the life of Jesus."
Halle University, which was formed to teach Biblical knowledge, quickly became rationalistic, too, so there got to be various centers of doubt, which worked their way to the US. Studying in Europe was a good way to get promoted - and it is still is - so the rationalism was gradually introduced to the established mainline denominations and their schools. One example was Walther Rauschenbusch, who had a rationalistic explanation for everything Christ did. He message was social activism and Jesus was portrayed as a social activist, not the Savior.
That social activist view of Jesus has to deny the most basic presentations of the Savior in the Gospels and Epistles. Clearly Jesus was training His disciples step by step, so they could learn the meaning of the Gospel and His two natures, divine and human. The Transfiguration was a foreshadowing of His glory in His Resurrection and Ascension. To understand His message and His sacrifice, they had to know His divinity and the meaning of His death.
The event was overwhelming that they did not know exactly what to make of it.
The disciples began, after the Resurrection and Ascension, with only a few groups of believers. They were outnumbered by Roman, Greek, and Egyptian priests by an overwhelming number - plus their monuments and temples. Christianity was a speck in the ancient world of paganism and fertility.
One of the best arguments for the truth of Jesus' Gospel is the simple fact that this tiny, weak, poor minority spread across the ancient world beyond all expectation.
The Bible is one such example. Starting with a minority (Hebrew, Greek) they translated it into dozens of languages, a costly and time-consuming labor. Although the heretics tried to promote their corrupted texts in the first two centuries, they were shut down by the Majority Text and its versions. The Christian Church knew which Scriptures were accurate and they became the overwhelming majority. As someone has said, 5,000 Majority (KJV texts) and 5 corrupted or fake ones (Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, etc).
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
Peter wanted to make a shrine, but this was not to be the anchor of Christianity. Many religions set up special areas to honor their history, but Christianity preserved the Word rather than future shrines. People like to go to the Holy Land to tour those areas where Jesus walked and taught, but the most powerful message is not one of location and history but of the salvation message.
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.
The first voice from heaven, at His baptism, said, "This my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." The second epiphany was the command - "Listen to Him." This is a strong message about Jesus Himself being the Gospel, the actual focus of the message - not historical marker.
This revelation was powerful, miraculous, something we should dwell on and use as comfort. Jesus is the Redeemer, coming to us as a man but also as the Son of God. There are no limits to what the Son of God can do. When we have doubts, we only need to look at the metamorphosis of Jesus. That power is always present and available.
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