Seeing the Shore: Courage from the Transfiguration

First Lutheran Church gathers on the festival of the Transfiguration to celebrate Jesus’ momentary reveal of heavenly glory and to prepare for the season of Lent. The service opens with practical announcements—pancake supper on Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday worship times, and a shifted Bible study schedule—and moves through confession, absolution, and prayer that call the community to honest self-examination and renewed commitment to justice, mercy, and humility. The Gospel reading from Matthew 17 recounts Jesus leading Peter, James, and John up a high mountain where his face shone like the sun, his clothes became dazzling, and Moses and Elijah appeared; a bright cloud declared, “This is my Son, the beloved. Listen to him.”

Reflection draws a direct line from that mountaintop vision to the cross and the resurrection. The Transfiguration functions as a glimpse of the final shore—a preview of resurrection glory offered to encourage endurance through suffering. An extended illustration of swimmer Florence Chadwick captures the point: when the shore appears, exhaustion yields to renewed effort; when the shore remains unseen, despair can overtake even the strongest. The appearance of Moses and Elijah signals continuity with Israel’s story and confirms that life beyond death and divine vindication remain real promises.

The homily insists that the mountaintop and the cross belong together. Mount Tabor’s brightness and Mount Calvary’s shame together reveal who Jesus is—both Son of God and suffering servant—and show that glory does not cancel the necessity of sacrifice. The Transfiguration offers hope, but that hope requires movement: the disciples descend the mountain, follow Jesus to Jerusalem, and witness the unfolding of redemption through trial, death, and resurrection.

Worship continues with the Apostles’ Creed, intercessory prayers for the church and world, and the Eucharist as a tangible foretaste of the promised fullness. Communion receives this vision into the life of the community, charging the faithful to “do justice, love mercy” and to live toward the shore that Christ has reached. The final blessing sends the congregation into mission, strengthened by a glimpse of glory and steeled for the Lenten journey that leads through the cross to the resurrection.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Glory reveals the promised shore The Transfiguration offers a concrete preview of the elder promise that death and decay will not have the last word. That glimpse functions like a distant shoreline: it reorients effort, anchors hope, and redefines present struggle as meaningful labor bound for arrival. Christians can use that vision to measure present sacrifices against the scale of eternity, refusing to collapse under immediate discouragement. [34:19]
• 2. Suffering and glory belong together Mountaintop brightness and Calvary’s shame form a single narrative arc that refuses any tidy separation between triumph and trial. True discipleship encounters both affirmation and alienation; glory only makes sense when it is linked to costly obedience. Allowing both realities to shape expectation prevents escapist spirituality and cultivates a faith that endures hardship for redemption’s sake. [43:41]
• 3. Lent sharpens faithful endurance The liturgical move from Transfiguration into Lent frames repentance as purposeful training rather than mere self-denial. Ashes and disciplines expose what hinders life with God while pointing toward a resolute aim: deeper conformity to Christ’s way. Approached this way, Lenten practices become tools for persevering toward the shore rather than exercises in guilt management. [46:06]
• 4. Live toward the final shore Daily ministry and moral effort gain clarity when oriented to the resurrection horizon rather than instant reward. The Transfiguration invites continual recalibration: remain active in service, knowing each act participates in the movement from suffering to vindication. Such posture transforms ordinary choices into pilgrim steps that press toward communal and cosmic renewal. [47:42]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [10:13] - Announcements & Pancake Supper
• [21:29] - Confession & Forgiveness
• [27:45] - Collect and Prayer
• [33:48] - Gospel Acclamation
• [34:19] - Transfiguration Reading (Matthew 17)
• [38:32] - "Seeing the Shore" Illustration
• [43:41] - Mount Tabor and Calvary Compared
• [60:19] - Communion, Blessing, and Sending

Bible reading: Matthew 17:1-9 (ESV)
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, 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 white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

Observation questions

1. What details does Matthew use to describe the change in Jesus’ appearance during the Transfiguration?
2. Who appeared and began talking with Jesus, and why might their specific identities be significant? [41:18]
3. What was Peter’s immediate reaction to this event, and what did he want to do? [42:41]
4. How did the voice from the cloud identify Jesus, and what was the one command given to the disciples?

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone about the vision until after he was raised from the dead. Why was it important for them to keep this experience to themselves at that time?
2. The event takes place six days after Jesus first told his disciples he must suffer and die in Jerusalem [39:47]. How does the timing connect the vision of glory with the prediction of suffering?
3. The story of the swimmer Florence Chadwick was used as an illustration [38:32]. In what ways does the Transfiguration function like "seeing the shore" for a weary swimmer?
4. The sermon contrasted the mountain of Transfiguration (Mount Tabor) with the mountain of Crucifixion (Mount Calvary) [43:41]. How do these two mountains, taken together, provide a complete picture of who Jesus is?

Application questions

1. Glory reveals the promised shore, acting as an anchor for hope that redefines present struggle as meaningful labor bound for arrival [34:19]. When you feel overwhelmed by the "fog" of life's difficulties, what specific promises from God help you to keep "swimming"?
2. Suffering and glory belong together, forming a single narrative arc that refuses to separate triumph from trial [43:41]. Can you recall a time when a period of difficulty or sacrifice made a subsequent joy or victory more meaningful? How does that experience shape the way you view current challenges?
3. The season of Lent is framed as purposeful training to sharpen faithful endurance, not just self-denial [46:06]. As we enter this season, what is one specific practice or discipline you could take on (or let go of) that would help you focus more on "deeper conformity to Christ’s way"?
4. We are called to live toward the final shore, allowing the hope of resurrection to transform our daily acts of service into "pilgrim steps" [47:42]. What is one ordinary, seemingly small act of love or justice you can do this week that gains new meaning when seen as a step toward God's ultimate renewal?
5. The disciples had to come down from the mountain and follow Jesus to Jerusalem [42:41]. What is the "mountain top" experience or spiritual high you'd rather stay in, and what is the difficult "Jerusalem" task God might be calling you to walk into this week?