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| JESUS MAFA. Transfiguration, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=48307 [retrieved January 28, 2014]. |
It is Transfiguration
Sunday so it is all about the
gospel story. All the other texts relate
to it.
Matthew 17:1-9
* The only definition of transfiguration
in the dictionary is a reference to this story about Jesus. The word is long, odd and seldom used
today. It would be possible, even wise,
to explore this story without even using the word. If you do use it, display it on a poster
before reading the gospel story, enjoy saying it aloud together and briefly
explain how the word is used in your tradition.
* Willliam Willimon suggests that this story is meant to be savored as
presented rather than to be explained.
He insists that there are moments when we experience God’s presence in
amazing ways. These do not happen often,
but are very special and often shape lives.
So let the children hear the story literally and encourage them to
expect to have such moments a couple of times in their whole lives. If you have stories of experiencing God’s
presence in amazing ways to tell, tell them.
* Before reading the story tell worshipers that it is about that
something that was absolutely amazing to see.
Instruct them to close their eyes while you read and try to
see with their imaginations what the story describes. In an informal setting, ask after the
reading, “what did you see?” In a more
formal setting go to the next activity encouraging children (or all worshipers)
to get what they saw on paper.
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| Angelico, fra, ca. 1400-1455. Transfiguration, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=47774 [retrieved January 28, 2014]. Original source: http://www.yorckproject.de. |
“Immortal,
Invisible, God Only Wise” is
filled with impossibly complex words that describe all the ways God is more
than we can understand. Introduce it
walking through the words in the first verse then inviting everyone to sing it
enjoying all the words we can hardly know and the
bigger-than-anyone-can-understand God they describe.
Immortal
(God is forever, God never dies),
Invisible (we can’t see God), God
only wise.
In
light inaccessible (God is so brightly
amazing that we can’t see God) hid from our eyes….
“Fairest
Lord, Jesus,” on the other hand,
is filled with concrete images and simple words to praise Jesus who is still
more than we can fully understand. The
final line links to the transfiguration saying “Jesus shines brighter; Jesus
shines purer than all the angels heaven can boast.” Point to it before the singing.
If
you are going to bury the Alleluia next Sunday, sing “Come
Christians Join to Sing” praising Jesus with repeated Alleluias. Even non-reading children can join in on the
Alleluias. Present the Alleluia poster,
explain what you will do with it next week, and display the poster throughout
the service. Include lots of Alleluias
in the rest of today’s liturgy. See Burying the Alleluia for Lent.
* Create
a responsive confession of faith
with a worship leader saying each phrase of the Apostle’s Creed about
Jesus. After each phrase the
congregation responds, “God said, ‘This is my beloved Son.” We will listen to Jesus.”
* There are lots of examples of transfigurations in children’s literature. Cinderella is seen for the person she really
is with the help of her fairy godmother.
Simba seeing his reflection in a pond realizes that he really is
father’s son and is meant to be the Lion King.
There are others. Probably the
best for preaching today is Fiona’s transfiguration in Shrek. In a whirl of light and special effects the
beautiful princess becomes an large, loving ogre. Similarly, in a flash of light, Jesus who has
been revealed to be the son of God “sets his face toward Jerusalem” claiming
his task of suffering love.
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| See comments about copyrights at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Princess_Fiona.jpg |
Just in
case you need the details: Fiona was under a spell in which she was a
princess by day and an ogre by night.
Love’s first kiss was to allow her to take “loves true form”. She very much expected to end up a beautiful
princess married to her prince charming.
But the prince who came for her (Lord Farquar) was far from charming and
the ogre Shrek, who actually rescued her mainly to force Lord Farquar to give
him back his swamp home, was loving and kind.
At her forced wedding to Lord Farquar just before the kiss, Shrek
appears to claim her for himself. The
sun sets during the confrontation turning her into an ogre who Lord Farquar
finds hideous. After a tussle in which a
dragon ate Lord Farquar, Shrek proclaims his love for Fiona. With their kiss she rises into the air with
all sorts of lighting effects. When she
comes back, she is an ogre. At first she
is dismayed, but Shrek assures her that she is beautiful to him and is indeed
in “love’s true form.” They head off to
happy a life in the swamp.
* WARNING: It is tempting to compare transforming heroes such as Superman
and Spiderwoman to Jesus. Each
of these characters have super powers that are not obvious in their “everyday”
persona. They use these unique powers to
do what normal humans cannot do. In his
transfiguration it is obvious that Jesus could call on some very spectacular
powers, but he does not. Instead, he
offers himself in self-sacrificing love.
Unless you are steeped in the details of the lives and powers of the
superheroes, I’d not attempt this comparison.
Defending their heroes/ines child fans will talk you into inescapable
corners and mire you there in complex details.
LISTEN TO HIM
* Use
this text to introduce all the listening to stories about Jesus that will be
done during Lent. Retell the story briefly until you get to
Peter saying, “Lord, this is so cool.
We’ll build three little churches here” and God interrupting him
abruptly saying “No, no, no, Peter!
Don’t mess around building stuff.
You’re missing what is important.
This is my beloved Son (maybe pointing to Jesus), right here with
you. LISTEN TO HIM!” Then, explain that listening to stories about
Jesus is going to be the whole congregation’s discipline to get ourselves ready
for Easter. We are going to listen to
stories about Jesus in worship and at home.
If Bible story books are to be given out, you might make them available
today or simply tell about them today and give them out at Ash Wednesday and on
the first Sunday of Lent (next Sunday).
Go to Observing Lent and Celebrating Easter in Year A (2014) for more details on this plan for Lent.
Exodus 24:12-18
Tell this story of another
amazing story of God’s presence simply as another example. Note that such stories of “not everyday
events” do not happen often in the Bible, but they do happen every once in a
great while there and in our lives today.
Psalm 99 (rather than Psalm 2)
* Choose Psalm 99 for a simpler
psalm praising God who is the most powerful and just being in the whole
universe. Follow the script below to
invite worshipers of all ages to praise God in response to a leader. If the leader reads with exuberance,
worshipers will follow. Practicing the
first two statements and responses for good volume and feel also help the
reading of the entire psalm.
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Psalm
99
Leader: The Lord is king;
All:
and the people tremble.
Leader: He is
enthroned above the winged creatures
All:
and the earth shakes.
Leader:
The Lord is mighty in Zion;
he is supreme
over all the nations.
All: Everyone will praise his great and
majestic name.
Holy is he!
Leader: Mighty king, you love what is right;
you have
established justice in Israel;
you have brought
righteousness and fairness.
All:
Praise the Lord our God;
worship before
his throne!
Holy is he!
Leader: Moses
and Aaron were his priests,
and Samuel was
one who prayed to him;
they called to
the Lord, and he answered them.
He spoke to them from the pillar of
cloud;
they obeyed the laws and commands that he gave them.
O Lord, our God, you answered you people:
they obeyed the laws and commands that he gave them.
O Lord, our God, you answered you people:
you showed them
that you are a God who forgives,
even though you punished
them for their sins.
All:
Praise the Lord our God,
and worship at
his sacred hill!
The Lord our God is holy.
TEV
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2 Peter 1:16-21
This story simply proves that
the disciples did as Jesus told them.
After the resurrection they told everyone they met what they had seen
and heard with Jesus. Use their account
of doing so to challenge worshipers of all ages to join them today.
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