Today is the Sunday next before Lent, the Sunday that brings to a close the season of Epiphany that is concerned with the theme of revelation, how the presence and power of God is made known through the person of Jesus. On the first Sunday after Epiphany, in Luke’s account of the baptism of Jesus, the voice from heaven spoke to Jesus, ‘You are my Son’. On the last Sunday after Epiphany the same voice at the transfiguration proclaims to everyone, ‘This is my Son’. This time the divine revelation enfolds Jesus, appropriately in a cloud. This cloud is an image for the divine glory.
For those of you who wanted to do some thinking and preparation for today’s service during the preceding week, I invited reflection on the image of white clouds. In today’s picture from his book, The Rainy Day, Teddy Horsley is gazing at the white clouds scudding across the blue sky.
Lord Jesus Christ,
your disciples saw your glory
on the mount of the transfiguration.
Open our hearts to the power of your glory,
and transform our lives by the power of your presence;
for you are our God.
Amen.
Next week, the First Sunday of Lent, the Gospel reading is Luke’s account of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness. The image to help us prepare for next week’s theme is celebrities. You can find out more about that theme by looking at the Educational Resources and the Preparation Resources.
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