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Serving God and Sharing Good News |
Weekly Bible Notes
Ordinary 18 - Year B Transfiguration
Liturgical Colour - Green
Introduction The Transfiguration
The church remembers on this Sunday an occasion when Jesus went up a mountain with his closest disciples Peter, John and James. It is called the Transfiguration because Jesus changed, his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning and the disciples saw Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. A cloud appeared and a voice saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." It is an extraordinary moment, but what does it mean?
The Transfiguration provides us with a glimpse of another world. It is an opportunity to remind ourselves that there is a reality beyond the world around around us which is greater than we can simply see and touch. There is potential and possibilities available to us through the presence of God, greater than most people could ever imagine.
The Transfiguration challenges us to think in a new way,
just as the disciples see Jesus in a new way. They
understand the presence of God in an amazing experience,
from now on everything will be different.
(For Ordinary 18 please see below)
Opening Verses of Scripture Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what
God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Collect Prayer for the Day
Father in heaven, whose Son Jesus Christ was wonderfully transfigured before
chosen witnesses upon the holy mountain, and spoke of the exodus he would
accomplish at Jerusalem: give us strength so to hear his voice and bear our
cross that in the world to come we may see him as he is; who is alive and
reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
First Bible Reading Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
9-10 "As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the
Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair
of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its
wheels were all ablaze.
A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon
thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated, and the books were opened.
11 "Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was
speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed
and thrown into the blazing fire.
12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed
to live for a period of time.)
13-14 "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
(Reader: This is the word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God)
Second Reading 2 Peter 1:16-19
We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
(Reader: This is the word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God)
Gospel Reading
Luke 9:28-36
About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendour, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.
(Reader: This is the word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God)
Post Communion Sentence
Holy God, we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ: may we who are partakers at his table reflect his life in word and deed, that all the world may know his power to change and save. This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Commentary
"for a brief moment the curtain . . . is drawn aside," and the disciples are
"allowed to see in Jesus something of the glory of God and God's kingdom, of
that other life to which human eyes are otherwise blind."
Eduard Schweitzer
Jesus had just spoken of death and suffering and the disciples were afraid. Then the disciples saw Moses and Elijah! They must have been even more terrified. The disciples feared over so much, they were paralysed with fear, we too can be fearful without need. There is much over which we can be afraid, this episode gave the disciples something which would give them strength in the days ahead. This was an opportunity upon which they could reflect. This moment was something which they could not hold onto in time, but they could hold it in their hearts and draw strength from it. It was a God - given encouragement. So it was to be, indeed Peter spoke about it later: we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty [2 Peter 1:16-18].
We have all had some experience of the wonder of God. Sometimes it comes to
us through the appreciation of nature, sometimes, indeed, on a mountain. But
we all have to come back down the mountain and get on with real life, and
most of our time is spent at the bottom of the mountain in the valleys of
life. The ministry of Jesus could not be conducted from the mountain top, it
was instead something carried out on the cross of suffering. But when the
disciples were tempted to give up and think that the Christian service to
which they were called was a hopeless cause, they were to look back and
remember Christ as they knew him in the Transfiguration, clothed in glory
Meditation
A meditation for August 6, the anniversary of the atomic bomb over
Hiroshima in 1945
Statue of Sadako holding a golden crane at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial War has lasting effects.
The gospel story of the transfiguration is about seeing in a new way. The disciples see Jesus in a new way. They understand the presence of God in an amazing experience. Everything now looks different. In the midst of our complex contemporary world, the gospel invites us to be free enough to see things in a new way. In the midst of war and violence, the gospel invites us to see the presence of God and God’s invitation to peace. In the midst of poverty and injustice, the gospel invites us to hear God's invitation to respect the dignity of every human person and the need for justice and peace for all.
In some way we (as individuals and as a world community) need a "transfiguration experience" to see things in a new way – from the point of view of Christ, from the point of view of the poor and powerless, from the point of view of other cultures. The Transfiguration is a sign of great hope. The disciples discover that it is possible to see the presence of God in Jesus. It is possible to see things in a new way.
Long after the aggression has ceased, negative effects remain. Japan is just one of numerous countries that continue to be plagued by the effects of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The story of Sadako Sasaki provides a starting point for this discussion on the need for peace. Sadako was a baby of two on August 6, 1945, unaware of the war that raged around her. On that day she lost more than her grandmother as an atomic bomb reduced the city of Hiroshima to a desert of destruction and radioactive wasteland. She survived the initial blast with seemingly no ill effects.
Ten years passed and Sadako grew strong and swift. It was as she was practicing for a competition that she crumpled to the track and was taken to the hospital. There her worst fears were confirmed. She had developed leukemia as a result of her exposure to radiation. During her long hospital stays, Sadako began to fold paper cranes. According to Japanese legend, if an individual folds 1000 paper cranes, a wish will be granted. (It was believed that Cranes lived for 1,000 years). With each crane she folded, the wish was the same-to get well. In October of 1955, Sasako folded her last crane-number 644,and she quietly became another of the many casualties of a war that had ended ten years earlier. Her classmates finished the remaining 366 cranes to honour Sadako's memory and to share in her wish that such bombs of destruction would never be used again. The cranes were buried with her.
The children told Sadako's story to the world by sharing the letters they had exchanged during her hospital stay. Shocked by her death, her classmates put out a national call to "build a monument to mourn all the children who died from the atomic bombing." With the support of students in more than 3,100 schools around Japan and in nine other countries, including England, the Society was able to build this bronze statue that stands nine metres high. In 1958, a monument was erected in Hiroshima's Peace Park to honour Sadako and all of the children who died because of the bombs. This monument has become an international symbol of peace. Every year thousands of children visit the memorial bringing chains of folded cranes to lay at the base. Each crane is a prayer for peace-prayers and wishes that number in the millions. On the top of the three-legged pedestal stands the bronze figure of a girl holding up a gold-coloured "folded" crane. On opposite sides of the pedestal are suspended boy and girl figures symbolizing a bright future and hope. On the stone underneath the pedestal is inscribed, 'This is our cry. This is our prayer. For building peace in this world.'
The monument was created by Kazuo Kikuchi, then a professor of Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music.
Helpful links
http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/kids/
How to make a paper crane Click here
For August 6 ' In the face of the man-made calamity that every war is, one must affirm and reaffirm, again and again, that the waging of war is not inevitable or unchangeable. Humanity is not destined to self-destruction. Clashes of ideologies, aspirations and needs can and must be settled and resolved by means other than war and violence. Pope John Paul II, Appeal for Peace, Hiroshima, Japan.
Hymns
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Rejoice the Lord is king 575 Mission Praise (Tune Gopsal)
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Christ triumphant 77 Mission Praise
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Come Praise the name of Jesus (Tune Morning Light 721 Hymns and Psalms) See below for words
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Love divine 449 Mission Praise (Tune Blaenwern)
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Holy Christ in light transfigured (Tune Ode to Joy 600 Mission Praise) See below for words
Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead
Prayer is a plant, the seed of which is sown in the heart of every Christian,
if it is well cultivated and nourished it will produce fruit, but if it is neglected, it will wither and die
This is our cry,
This is our prayer,
peace in the world.
Engraved on the peace memorial Hiroshima park
"In the face of the man-made calamity that every war is, one
must affirm and reaffirm, again and again, that the waging of war is not
inevitable or unchangeable. Humanity is not destined to self-destruction.
Clashes of ideologies, aspirations and needs can and must be settled and
resolved by means other than war and violence." Pope John Paul II, Appeal for
Peace, Hiroshima, Japan.
A Prayer for the World
Let the rain come and wash away
the ancient grudges, the bitter hatreds
held and nurtured over generations.
Let the rain wash away the memory
of the hurt, the neglect.
Then let the sun come out and
fill the sky with rainbows.
Let the warmth of the sun heal us
wherever we are broken.
Let it burn away the fog so that
we can see each other clearly.
So that we can see beyond labels,
beyond accents, gender or skin colour.
Let the warmth and brightness
of the sun melt our selfishness.
So that we can share the joys and
feel the sorrows of our neighbours.
And let the light of the sun
be so strong that we will see all
people as our neighbours.
Let the earth, nourished by rain,
bring forth flowers
to surround us with beauty.
And let the mountains teach our hearts
to reach upward to heaven.
Amen.
---Rabbi Harold S. Kushner
----Social Justice Resources Diocese of Oakland
mdoyle@oakdiocese.org
Response: God of Peace, lead us on the way of peace.
As we remember the atomic bombs dropped on the people of Japan 61 years ago, we
pray that these weapons will never be used again.
As we hear of the recent fighting in and around Lebanon and Israel, we pray that
the Holy Spirit will lead our world on a new way to peace.
As war continues in Iraq and Afghanistan, we pray for divine help to show us how
to build peace.
As we experience the proliferation of weapons of all sorts all over our world,
we pray that we can finally use our resources for the good of people and not for
destruction.
As we see economic injustice all around us, we pray that the spirit will lead us
to do what leads to justice for all.
As we recall the Transfiguration experience, we pray that we will all see in it
a new way and allow our new vision to transform our actions into the way of
peace and justice for all.
Additional Material
Introduction
Jesus seems to be making a very simplistic statement in the reading today, 'he who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall not thirst.' What about the millions of people who have no water, or adequate food? Jesus is not speaking about physical food and water, rather he is asserting himself as the spiritual answer to the hunger and thirst of the human spirit.
It might seems as if there are just too many problems to deal with all at once, in truth we all live very complex and over indulgent lives. What is really important in our daily living, what are our basic needs when all of the frivolous stuff is removed? The Lord's prayer is helpful, Jesus encourages his disciples to pray for daily bread, not cars or homes or even the bread for tomorrow, just bread enough for today. If we can reassess our lives and get our priorities right, then we will never hunger or thirst again.
Romans 8:35,37
Who shall be able to separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or
hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in
all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Amen
Collects
Lord and giver of life, you alone nourish and sustain your people, through Christ, the bread of life. Feed our hunger and quench our thirst, that we may no longer work for what fails to satisfy, but do what your require, in obedience and faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Methodist Worship
Almighty God, your Son has opened for us a new and living way into your presence. Give us new hearts and constant wills to worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Methodist Worship
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: graft in our hearts the love of your name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of your great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Common Worship
Generous God, you give us gifts and make them grow: though our faith is small as mustard seed, make it grow to your glory and the flourishing of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty Lord and everlasting God, we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern both our hearts and bodies in the ways of your laws and the works of your commandments; that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever, we may be preserved in body and soul; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Lord God, your Son left the riches of heaven and became poor for our sake: when we prosper save us from pride, when we are needy save us from despair, that we may trust in you alone; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15
2-4 The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.
On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days." So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?" Moses also said, "You will know that it was the LORD when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the LORD."
9-15 Then Moses told Aaron, "Say to the entire Israelite community,
'Come before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.'" While Aaron was
speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert,
and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud. The LORD said to
Moses, "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At
twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with
bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'" That evening quail
came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew
around the camp. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground
appeared on the desert floor.
When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?" For they
did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread the LORD has
given you to eat.
Ephesians 4:1-16
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the
calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient,
bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the
Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-- just as
you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in
all.
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is
why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and
gave gifts to men." (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also
descended to the lower, earthly regions ? He who descended is the very one
who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole
universe.) It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some
to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's
people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God
and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and
blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and
craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth
in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is,
Christ.
From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting
ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
John 6:24-35
Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: `He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' " Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
Commentary
I AM
If belief in God meant that we all got better houses, nicer jobs, pleasant
children and fat salaries, then we would have full churches every Sunday.
Jesus knew this and tried to encourage those who listened to him to look
beyond the meeting of their physical needs. Jesus brought spiritual gifts
and he tried to enable people to lift their eyes, raise their sights, and to
see beyond the physical realm. He asked people to join him on a spiritual
journey:
"Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for
eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you" (v. 27).
Jesus is not saying that physical needs are unimportant, indeed he spoke of
food, drink, and clothing, assuring his listeners that "your heavenly Father
knows that you need all these things," (Matt. 6:32-33). Much of his earthly
ministry focused on healing people's physical ills. But now he calls the
crowd to acknowledge their need for "food that endures for eternal life,"
promising that he will give them that food.
Jesus directs the crowd away from the law and toward himself, thereby
providing an achievable alternative to the task of law-keeping. This was a
massive change, for centuries, the Jews observed the Mosaic, God-given law.
They were told this was the way to please God and to assure their own
salvation. Now this thirty-something-Jesus, the son of a an undistinguished
father and an even less distinguished town is suggesting that they abandon
their long-held allegiance to the law to stake their lives on him. Perhaps
understandably the people want signs. Moses' gift of manna authenticated his
status as prophet. If Jesus expects this crowd to accept him as a Moses-like
prophet, he must give them a Moses-like sign. They have seen false prophets
come and go, and want rock-solid proof that Jesus is not one of them. Jesus
has just fed the multitudes with a few loaves and fishes but Moses fed the
whole nation every day for forty years. Jesus gave the crowd ordinary bread;
Moses gave Israel bread from heaven. The crowd has seen Jesus perform a
miracle, but now they raise the bar to demand that he match Moses' miracle.
Perhaps there is a lesson here for us. We, too, see wonderful things happen
in our presence every day, but we fail to really see them. Having grown
accustomed to them, we take them for granted. As Martin Luther observed,
"God's wonderful works which happen daily are lightly esteemed, not because
they are of no import but because they happen so constantly and without
interruption. Man is used to the miracle that God rules the world and
upholds all creation, and because things daily run their appointed course,
it seems insignificant, and no man thinks it worth his while to meditate
upon it and to regard it as God's wonderful work, and yet it is a greater
wonder than that Christ fed five thousand men with five loaves and made wine
from water."
Instead of more miracles, Jesus said to them, "I am (Greek: ego eimi) the
bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever
believes in me will never be thirsty. "I am the bread of life." is the first
of seven "I AM" (ego eimi) sayings in this Gospel that remind us of the
burning bush story. When Moses asked God his name, God replied, "Thus you
shall say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you' " (Exod. 3:14). "I
am," of course, can be simple self-identification, but in John's Gospel it
clearly means more. The seven "I AM" sayings are as follows:
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I am the bread of life,
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the light of the world (8:12)
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The gate for the sheep (10:7)
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the good shepherd (10:11, 14)
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The resurrection and the life (11:20)
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The way, and the truth, and the life (14:6)
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The true vine (15:1).
The 'I am' sayings form the distinctive core of Jesus' self-revelation in the John’s Gospel. Through these common symbols, Jesus declares that people's religious needs and human longings are met in him.
Commentary