Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today we celebrate the end of the Epiphany Season with the Sunday of the Transfiguration. We hear the amazing truth of our Lord TRANSFIGURING before his closest disciples, as well as Moses and Elijah. This is truly a great ending to the study that we have been following. As we began the "Kingdom of Heaven" Series with the Baptism of Our Lord Sunday and the words of God saying to HIS SON: "This is my son, whom I love, with whom I am well pleased!" we hear the book end to this amazing ministry of Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration. We hear in Matthew 17: After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You wish, I will put up three shelters—one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” He said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
This Sunday we close the series with the words of God again, as the cloud envelopes them, he says: "This is my son, whom I love, with whom I am well pleased! Listen to him!" What do we hear in these proclamations of God the father, exactly the same, but with these very important words added: "Listen to HIM!" The exhortation is what we take away as we have studied who we are as Kingdom People, Children of the KING, A Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation, A people belonging to GOD! We know we belong, we know we have been called, we know we have the authority over demons, disease, death and nature because Jesus does, we know we have authority and are SENT to be his apostles, as well as disciples! We know that the Lord wants us to do even greater things than he did (John 14) we know that we live out the Authority and Power as we share the secrets of the kingdom (Matthew 13). It is in the final words of Matthew 7 that make the words of God on the Mt. of Transfiguration so important. The truth of the Trinity at the Baptism of our Lord, the ripping of the heavens in Mark's account, the picture here on the mount of the discussion of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem and the CROSS in Luke's account, harken back to Jesus' words at the end of his Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 7: 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.
"Listen to HIM!" is what Jesus is referring to when he states that we are wise when we hear his words and put them into practice. Last Sunday we heard in Matthew 13: 10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” 11 He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’[Isaiah 6:9-10]
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
May we be amazed by the story of our LORD "turning inside out" on the Mt of Transfiguration and may we like Peter want to stay there but my prayer is that we will hear and see, listen and understand....
The KINGDOM is HERE and NEAR may we walk in Christ's Authority and Power as we live out the truth of who we are and what we are called to do! I hope we walk in the Power of the Holy Spirit and maybe we will be blessed as Elisha, when he saw Elijah taken up in the chariot, to be given a double portion (2 Kings 2) so that we can really do what the Lord asks of us trusting is HIS POWER! It is a great reminder that we are called to be "R12" Followers of Jesus who do as St. Paul says in Romans 12: 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
What a great way to go into the Lenten Season of prayer and reflection. This year we are doing 40 Days of Prayer and the gift of the LORD'S PRAYER which will be our Sermon Series, as well as the evening services on Wednesdays @ 7:01pm studying the Feasts of the BIBLE by a Messianic Jewish Rabbi. The Children will be having a study on the Animals of Lent. Every Wednesday we will have a pot-blessed dinner at 6:15. This WEEK: We are going to be having a pancake lunch and supper on FAT, (SHROVE) Tuesday for the Students. We are also going to have Pancakes and sausage for the meal from 5:30-6:40 on Ash Wednesday with the Service starting at 6:45pm ending at 8. We will have an Ash Wednesday Lunch Hour Service from 12:10-12:50.
May we continue to live in this Covenant with our Lord and in His Kingdom Power even as we enter this Lenten Season!
Love in Christ our Transfigured, Crucified and Risen Savior and LORD,
Pastor Bryan
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