Today is the Sunday next before Lent, the Sunday that draws to a close the Season of Epiphany. It is also known as Transfiguration Sunday. The Church’s Season of Epiphany is concerned with the theme of revelation, how the presence and power of God is made known through the person of Jesus.
At the beginning of the Epiphany Season the voice from heaven spoke to Jesus at his baptism, ‘You are my Son’. Now at the end of the Epiphany Season the same voice speaks at Jesus’ transfiguration, but now to those who are with him, ‘This is my Son’. This time the divine revelation clothes Jesus, appropriately, with robes of pure and dazzling white.
For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited you to reflect on the image of wearing white. In today’s picture from their book Journeys, Aled and Sian are meeting the choir in St Davids Cathedral. Today the members of the choir are wearing white robes.
Lord Jesus Christ,
your disciples saw your glory
on the mount of the transfiguration.
Open our eyes to the brightness of your glory,
that our lives may be transformed by your presence;
now and forever.
Amen. Next Sunday is the First Sunday of Lent when the Gospel reading focuses attention on Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness. Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan. Jesus was with the wild beasts, and angels waited on him. The image to help us prepare for next Sunday is stunt performers. You can find out more about that theme by looking at the Educational Resources and the Preparation Resources.
Prayer Requests
Would you like to submit a prayer request? You can do so through the prayer for Liverpool website.
Notice Sheet
Would you like to sign up to receive the Cathedral’s weekly notice sheet? You can do so here.
Exploring the Sunday Gospel – Second Sunday before Lent