God’s glory displayed (click here)

February 14, 2021

Preacher: Rev. Ena van Zoeren

Passage: 2 Kings 2: 1-12; Psalm 50: 1-6; Mark 9: 2-8; 2 Corinthians 4: 3-6

Service Type: Transfiguration Sunday

Welcome to worship at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Salmon Arm. We are delighted that you have joined us online.

Announcements:

Next week begins the Season of Lent. We thank Gloria for distributing packages of Lenten Resources among the congregation. As always we appreciate the ways Gloria keeps in touch and inspires us.
We also direct your attention to a resource called The Lenten Gardens. They will be found under the DEVOTIONS tab on the website. It will take you to a garden to explore, with Adult Studies, Children’s stories, crafts for all ages, music, recipes and so much more. The first link will be posted for Wednesday (Ash Wednesday). It will change weekly during Lent and daily during Holy Week.
For those of you looking for a downloadable book of Daily Meditations for Lent, check out this resource developed at St. Andrew’s Hall. You will find it at this link: St. Andrew’s Hall – 2021 Lenten Devotion
"Build on a Strong Foundation": Please join us for the World Day of Prayer on March 5, 2021. This is a prayer movement that invites us to enrich our faith experience with the experience of Christians from other countries and cultures and to bring hope to women touched by injustice. Service written by the World Day of Prayer Committee of Vanuatu. Please register for this zoom event as soon as possible to: lmfaust59@gmail.com. We look forward to having you join us.
Don't forget to support this month's Loonie Offering to "The Coldest Night of the Year". For more info see the "Recent Posts" to the right of your screen.
Thank you Rev. Ena for leading our worship today. May God bless us all to his service as we encounter him in this hour, together in Spirit.

INTROIT Light of the World

CALL TO WORSHIP

Holy God, mighty and immortal, you are beyond our knowing,
yet we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ,
whose compassion illumines the world.
Transform us into the likeness of the love of Christ,
who renewed our humanity so that we may share in his divinity,
Let us worship God together.

Hymn We have come at Christ’s own bidding

PRAYER OF INVOCATION

We worship you, O God, with songs of praise.

We worship you with words of prayer

and with ears that listen for you to speak your saving truth into our lives.

We worship you in the silent spaces where we struggle for hope and for courage.

We long for a glimpse of your glory:

the glory that shines in the darkness

the glory the darkness cannot overcome;

the glory that touches lives with a beauty so holy

that it heals the wounded soul;

the glory that gives strength to the weary.

We, worship you,

longing for your light to shine upon us.

Dazzle us with your holy love,

draw us into your purifying presence,

speak to us your transforming truth.

Then, grant us grace

to live every moment

changed by such glory—

daring to live with hope and courage and love

reflecting the life of Jesus,

through whom your glory shines

in the most unexpected ways. Amen.

UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Let us pray to God,

that he will bring to fruition all that he desires for his creation.

Lord Jesus Christ, God's glory and love shone through you that day on the mountain and you persisted in revealing that glory and love through your words and deeds; through your life of humble service. We hear again these wonderful words of God "You are my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!”

We confess our failure to listen to you because of the influence on our lives in so many ways. When this happens, our attitudes conceal rather than reveal your glory and your love.

If we conceal your love because our pursuit of other priorities prevents us from seeing and serving people in need:
forgive us, Lord.

If we conceal your glory because all we reflect is our own self-centredness:
forgive us, Lord

If we conceal your truth through our lack of credible witness:
forgive us, Lord.

If we conceal your justice through our failure to empower those who are powerless:
forgive us, Lord.

If we conceal your mercy because of our hard and unforgiving attitudes:
forgive us, Lord.

If we conceal your compassion because of our prejudice and intolerance:
forgive us, Lord.

Lord Jesus Christ, cleanse our lives of all shameful attitudes of mind and heart so that we reveal your glory in and through all we do and say and are. This we pray in your name and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Assurance of Pardon

It is our God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness" who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The good news is that we are not only enlightened and redeemed by our belief in Christ, we are cleansed and we are forgiven! Thanks be to God!

PASSING THE PEACE

The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. And also with you.

Share a sign of peace with those nearby, or ask the Spirit to bring his peace to another you may know, or to a world situation.

HYMN Speak O Lord

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Listen, hear and remember, these portions of the revelation of God’s word for us.

2 Kings 2: 1-12

When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.”

But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

3 The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”

“Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.”

4 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.”

And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.

5 The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”

“Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.”

6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”

And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on.

7 Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”

“Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.

10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”

11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.

Psalm 50: 1-6

The Mighty One, God, the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
3 Our God comes
and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages.
4 He summons the heavens above,
and the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me this consecrated people,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
for he is a God of justice.

Mark 9: 2-8

2 After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4: 3-6

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

SERMON: God’s glory displayed

This week we mark the transition from one Season of the year into another. The light and splendour and grandeur of Epiphany is seen for the last time as Jesus gathers on the mountain with Elijah and Moses, and then, as Peter attempts to memorialize the event, it disappears from sight.

For Jesus and the disciples this marks the beginning of the difficult journey to the cross. It marks the start of a dark time, when it can be hard to see the hand of God, never mind what God intends. It is a time when it can seem as if God’s power has been eclipsed by the powers of Rome, the powers of privilege, and seemingly, the powers evil.

This mountain top encounter is a reminder to look for God’s presence everywhere. In the light as well as in the cloud. In the joy as well as in the sorrow. In the days when following God is easy and the days when it is difficult to faithfully put one foot in front of the other.

The other Scriptures we read this day remind us that God has remained faithful to his people during pestilence, disease, invasion, and exile. He has provided for them during drought and flood. Most importantly God has been among his people even in a famine of spiritual leadership. When no one in authority speaks for God, God’s voice can be heard in other places.

Surely this is the case in the life of Jesus, especially in this journey to the cross. We are reminded of this truth in the lives of those with whom Jesus meets.

Moses, of humble birth, raised in a palace, and yet, not accepted by either his birth community or his adoptive community. When in anger he tries to do the right thing, the rejection from both communities causes him to flee into exile.

In exile God finds him, trains him and sends him back to be the leader his people need to escape the oppression of Egypt.

We are reminded that God alone is the salvation of his people.

Surely Scripture teaches us that saviours come in unlikely people and through unlikely acts.

This is also true for Elijah.

Elijah is a symbol that true power from God is found in out of the way places and unexpected people—like a humble prophet living on the outskirts of society.

Elijah spoke for God in a time when the country was overcome with an internal threat as seen in the bloody successions in the Northern provinces that destabilized the entire region. At the same time the Southern provinces were under threat from external powers, specifically Aram and Egypt and Assyria.

In both the kingdoms of Israel, we see the human powers working the diplomatic channels to build political alliances in order to ensure peace.

In the midst of all that comes Elijah, standing tall, speaking without fear, and pointing out that these alliances are weak and would lead to disaster. Elijah stands and points to God as the only power and proves this as he leads the army that triumphs over the army of Aram.

We are reminded that God alone is the security of Israel.

Just as we are reminded that in Jesus alone, God is our freedom and our security.

The other commonality in each of these three men, is that God will be found working in his faithful people to be a decisive role in the outcome of human history. Yet God does not use those who are rich and powerful. Rather, he uses those who are vulnerable.

Widows and orphans.

Hungry prophets.

Exiles.

The meek and the lowly.

These are those who know they have no power in themselves. They have no outward perception of power because of birth or office. They have power because they humbly give themselves to speaking for God, and God honours that faithfulness by working his power through them.

Some commentators point out that in the de-stability of Egypt, the divided kingdoms and Israel in Roman occupation we can catch glimpses of our own anxious world.

The evening news is full of that truth. Military coups. Earthquakes. Collapsing glaciers. Unstable democracies. Hostility between nations. Hostility within nations. A global pandemic, seemingly out of control, in which it seems like everyone is out for themselves and the poor are overlooked.

And who have we looked to for answers?

Government. Big business.

Politicians have guided us according to what they wanted, and not as the world needed. Restrictions have been ignored by many, even those in the church who profess that we live to love and care for our neighbours.

Is it any wonder that we are weary, we are worn, we are hopeless.

So even in our day the message of Moses, Elijah and Jesus are hard to hear. Political power cannot save us. Human power is an illusion.

Each of the texts we read today call the people of God back to daring belief and costly living. All of us are called to trust in a mysterious but resolute God, who calls the weary and heavy laden to come to him, promising that he will give them rest.

These accounts are not a roadmap on how to live in trust—there is no such roadmap. But the stories of these leaders do point out that a life of vulnerability is a life of power through God. We just need to re-evaluate what we think power is.

In Moses, Elijah and Jesus we see that the acts that many consider to be weak are indeed our source of strength. When we engage in prayer and prophecy, we make room for God; in our lives and in our world.

There is a saying in AA. “Let go and let God”.

If we are honest when we look at our lives, we will see how often we have tried to “control” our situations. We work harder to keep things from falling apart. We exert pressure on family and friends to do what we think is the right thing. We direct people to do things in our way, which is, of course, the best way.

And there are times, even when we pray and give our situation to God, that we wrestle the situation out of God’s hands and go back to trying to control it all ourselves.

Moses, Elijah and Jesus show us that it is only by letting go of our own power that God can come in and begin to set things to right, and insert hopefulness and newness into the chaos that surrounds us.

And lest we think that we need the strength of these leaders to make it all possible, God points out that they are not the ones with the power—he is. Moses leads the people out of Egypt, but not into the promised land.

Elijah departs from the earth in a whirlwind and his successor has twice the power from God than he ever had.

Jesus dies on a cross, uttering these most powerful words “it is finished”.

What is finished?

Their work on God’s behalf is finished, and God has triumphed.

What begins?

God opening a whole new way of moving forward in faith. A way in which we have to learn to trust the new voices that speak for God, but; more importantly, to trust that God works in us and through us, just as he did through Moses, Elijah and Jesus.

We are encouraged to look around our communities of faith and realize that in this place, filled with faithful people, God has and is calling forth prophets. In us and the people with whom we worship God is forming a community that sustains and sharpens our faith, and calls us forth to a new trust, a new walk and a new faith.

These accounts of God’s past divine acts are a reminder that God continues to act in our present day.

Today we are reminded that whenever we worship, no matter where we are worshiping from, that we are united in calling upon heaven and earth to be witnesses to the faithfulness of the gathered people.

The journey through our present day and age is full of danger. The journey through COVID is full of danger. The journey of Lent is filled with danger.

But more importantly each of these journeys are filled with God’s presence, God’s wisdom and God’s guidance. And in that journey we will be changed. Just as importantly, at the end of the journey everything will be changed. We don’t go back to who we were.

NO> We go forward to who we are called to be. The dangerous journey teaches us how to trust God and gives us the opportunities to feed our faith so that it grows in strength. And then we are called to move forward into the new thing. This is the promise of Pentecost.

But for now, we enter the journey of Lent. The dangerous journey teaches us how to dim our own light of privilege and self importance and to make room for the light of God to shine.

Yes, Jesus shone on the mountain top with the glorious light of God all around him, but he shone much brighter on the cross. The only difference is that the light was not so glaringly obvious, except through the eyes of faith.

The same thing is true for us. It is how we live in the difficult days that allow the light of God to shine in us, even if in that moment no one can see it. God’s light is like that. Not recognized in the moment and yet yielding its fruit in the right season.

There is something compelling about that.

We saw it in Moses. We saw it in Elijah and we see it in Jesus. We see it in the accounts of the disciples and countless people of faith through the generations.

AND, with the eyes of faith we see it in each other, and it is seen by those around us, even if they don’t recognize what they see in the moment.

Which leads us back to the abiding lesson about who is in control. Often, we want to make people see, and we try to control things so that they do. That is not trusting God.

Faith means that we allow God’s light shining in and through us to work its power in God’s time and God’s way. We trust that God’s word never returns to him void. It grows where it is sown. Maybe not right now. Maybe not in 5 or 10 years, but it will grow where it is sown.

Glory be to God, who speaks to us from the mountain top and from the darkest days of our journey. AND IN EVERYTHING GOD’S GLORY IS DISPLAYED.

Amen

HYMN: O Worship the King

OFFERING

Today we remember the gift of Jesus Christ given to us, giving thanks to God, for the many ways in which we to bring our offering into the storehouse. Please check the front page of the website for ways in which you can contribute. Thank you.

OFFERTORY PRAYER

O God of the covenant, the cloud of your splendor and the fire of your love
revealed your Son on the mountain heights. Transform our lives in his image, write your law of love on our hearts, and make us prophets of your glory, that we may lead others into your presence.

May this prayer be fulfilled in all that we lay before you now. Our offerings and tithes, our gifts and talents, and our lives in service. May your blessing fall on all we do and say until Jesus comes again in Glory. Amen.

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION

OUR PRAYERS FOR THE COMMUNITY

It is a strange time of year, O God. We linger between the seasons of Epiphany and Lent. We are between the joy of your appearing and the horror of your undoing at the hands of those who would not or could not embrace your way of life.