FREELTON STRABANE UNITED CHURCH
To Live Our Discipleship With Integrity And Grace
Horseshoe Falls Regional Council
Transfiguration
March 2 2025
Rev. Will Wheeler BA M. Div. E-mail: [email protected]
Organist : Joan Simpson
Gathering
Come out of the darkness, come out of the shadow
Come out of the endless night
All you who are poor now, All you who are broken all you who are bowed by fight
Come into the light of God’s sacred intention
Come under the shelter of his hand
Here you may find riches here you may find healing
Here now you may rise and stand
Call To worship
One: In the breathtaking mountaintop experience, glorious God,
All: you transform us.
One: In the wonderful experience of everyday life, personal God,
All: you transform us.
One: Through the overcoming of adversity, through quiet endurance, patient God,
All: you transform us.
One: Through a willingness to take a stand in spite of the fear we may feel,
All: you transform us.
How good, O God, to be here, where your glory shines and your bright vision of justice and peace surrounds us. Be with us here, in our worship and in all our days. We know how easily praise and singing give way to fear and silence. Be with us in this moment and send your spirit to once more to transform our lives and show us the road we are called to travel. Amen
One: Once more hear the story of our faith as told to us in 2nd Corinthians 3:12 - 4:2.
One This is our story.
All This is our story of faith. Amen.

One: God's light comes into the world in the word.
The word was God. Hear the good news.
Our Gospel is taken from Luke 9: 28-43.
This is the good news.
All: Praise be to God. Amen.
For the most part the manse is rather quiet. True I do listen to a lot of music at times and Miss Scarlett does like the occasional bark at another passing dog. There are almost moments of silence. There are eight working clocks who asked to be attended to each morning. There are moments when I sit and watch the morning light change I listen to the ticking. They all tick somewhat differently, and not in sync with each other. For some this would be a maddening experience but, for me it is very soothing. The sound of the clocks heralds the passage of time. Epiphany is ending today is Transfiguration. Lent is upon us. The sound of the clocks reminds tick out moments of change. What is transfiguration but a hard to spell word for change.
It is a moment. Today’s gospel captures a moment. It is a mystical experience, it is a moment of clarity, it is a moment of understanding. In our lives we may find that we have a moment of clarity or understanding a mountain top, a transfiguration moment. Not that we may necessarily see Jesus, Moses and Elijah. You might but not likely so then how do we know it’s the mountain top. Because we have just enough experience with God to know that we are there with God.
The mountain top moments in our lives can be those moments when we see with greater clarity the direction that we most go. The mountain top moment if that moment of change and discovery and transformation.
In his fanciful “Theological ABCs” book Whistling in the Dark, Frederick Buechner muses on the Transfiguration this way: [In the Transfiguration] it was the holiness of [Jesus] shining through his humanness, his face so afire with it that they were almost blinded. Even with us something like that happens once in a while. The face of a man walking his child in the park, of a woman picking peas in the garden, of sometimes even the unlikeliest person listening to a concert, or standing barefoot in the sand watching the waves roll in, Every once and so often, something so touching, so incandescent, so alive transfigures the human face that it’s almost beyond bearing
The Celtic peoples talk of "thin places" where the distance between heaven and earth seems thin. What have been the thin moments and thin places for you? What role have they played in shaping your witness in daily life?
In the Movie In the movie Chocolate The Count De Reynaud (the mayor of the city a very devout person finds himself at odds with the non-conformist chocolatier. The movie takes place in the season of lent and the Count’s self-denial is symbolic of the self-denial in his life until the moment at the very last of lent he tastes some the chocolate and in a moment he is transformed. He is transfigured and he sees his life differently He is "strangely released". For him, everything was changed.
What does it mean to be transfigured?
I would suggest that transfiguration doesn’t mean glowing in the dark, but seeing others (and ourselves) in a new way. Moments of understanding. Moments when we understand our own frailty moments of clear vision. Moments of seeing truths.
There is a story about a person climbing the slopes of Mount Fuji and when they had gained the summit it was still in fog.
At that moment the person claimed that they felt very alone but as the fog began to clear and the sun shone clear all the other people there let out a great yell. And the person was overcome with emotion in discovering that they were not all alone.
The mountain top is about discovering that we are not alone. When we feel that we are.
In that discovery we realize that God is there with us to help to see the direction we need to take or to help us see the progress that we have made. To give us the encouragement to continue the journey set before us.
But like Peter we discover that we cannot stay on the mountain, stay in the moment but are called to continue the journey. That there are just enough mountain peaks to get us through the lonesome valleys.
We must come down off the mountain.
There was the man who was asked how he felt about the beautiful mountains and he said, "Well they're alright but they do sort of obstruct the view".
Discerning what we have encountered is not an obstruction but a part of the journey. Living with those moments of encounter with the divine cause change.
Alphonse Karr wrote “The more things change, the more they are the same.” As one commentator states. " he encapsulates a profound truth about the nature of existence The suggests that despite significant changes, the fundamental nature of things remains constant. This proverb, highlights the irony that even amidst turmoil, deeper realities often remain unchanged.
Taken at its face value the phrase is somewhat defeated attitude but when you consider the deeper meanings it becomes a rather reassuring statement. Nothing is static all things change. Even our understanding of God changes. Yet, beyond the apparent changes in our lives there are those fundamental ideas and beliefs that are a constant. As Paul says “when I was a child I thought like a child” We have long ago (for the most part) put away childish things.
In India, the traditional greeting is Namaste. (greeting each other in position of prayer) The God in me greets the God in you. In our tradition the passing of the peace of God is much the same thing: with new eyes opened I recognize the God in you.
The gospel today helps reminds us to see not only in each other but in those moments which move us toward change.
The world as we know it is being transformed and we could lose ourselves in changes, but despite the changes there are those fundamental understandings that will stay the same. The presence of God in our lives, the divine spark that exists within us will always be the same. God’s love is constant. Jesus appears on the mountain with Moses and Elisha a glimpse of the continuity of God’s love. The clocks in the Manse tick out the hours, the light changes from morning to noon and then to night only to repeat again. Change will happen. This is a truth. But the constant the same is that love of God.
Gathering in this space is a moment to remember that constant love of God, that divine core in us.
Gathering in this space can be a vehicle for us for a short time to still ourselves to to shut out the cacophony of the world around. Seeking in this time to discern our role in the service of God, seeking out a response to the one who stands before is in joy, sorrow trial and tribulation, a response to the one who holds his hand out to us, Jesus, the Son of God, the chosen , our hope in life in death in life beyond death, we are not alone thanks be to God.
Prayers of the people
Hear our prayer we humbly offer
Grant to us your peace O God
Hear our prayer we humbly offer
Grant to us your peace O God.
Prayer
God of the journey, in our quest in our longing to understand
We come to know that amidst turmoil, the uncertainty of our world with all of its challenges there are deeper realities remain unchanged. We own that nothing is static that all things change. Yet, beyond the apparent changes in our lives that under scoring reality still of your presence and love in our lives is that constant unchanging reality. Surround us in this sacred space to once more and allow us to set aside the outside world and seek the divine that is with in each of us. To see how we are often transformed and blessed with those mountain top Moments.
We own that we may not stay here or on the mountain but are called to be in the world. A world that needs your presence your healing touch and the guidance of your Holy Spirit and Wisdom of your Son. Set your Spirit free within our world and loosen the scales that blind eyes to the needs of the world.
We here your call to walk with those whom we know and we hold there names up to you in prayer.
May we recognize the divine in each other and also with ourselves. May we see you in those moments which move us toward change. Give us wisdom to move forward to where you would have us go. We offer our own personal prayers to you spoken in the silence of our hearts knowing that in your way and time they shall be answered. Through Jesus Christ we pray Amen
Offering
We give thee but thy own. The work of the Church continues and there are three ways you can continue to support that work. Consider using PAR, use the donate button on our Web Site or drop your gift at the Manse. Let us make our offering and give thanks.
One: Praise God who from all Blessing flow
Prayer May our offerings provide places where the voice of Jesus may be heard. May they empower those who let down the nets at Christ's command to bring others into discipleship. Send us and our gifts on your mission, O God, and equip us by your grace to make a difference as apostles of your good news.
Sending Forth and Blessing.
One We have this ministry
All:that we are called to be part of.
One: We are called to
All: go beyond the walls of this place with the story of God’s love.
One: We are called to gather again to
All: celebrate the times and places we have met God in the week that is before us.
One: We are called to
All: take time for self, so that we can better see God at work in our
Blessing
One: May God the one who brings us comfort surround you, May Christ our Joy walk with you. May the Continued presence of The Holy Spirit illuminate our path and keep us safe until we can gather again in community. Amen
VU 4
God of all places present unseen
Voice in our silence song in our mist
Send us your people knowing and sure
Called to spread the word.
amen amen amen
Yesterdaywe honour our heritage.
Todaywe know that we are not alone,that we live in God's world.
Tomorrowwith God,we will discoverthe undiscovered country.
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