After writing this liturgy this morning, I am more convinced than ever that we should never, ever celebrate the Transfiguration of Christ without communion. Doesn’t this ritual hit all of the high notes captured in the mystery of this story?
This particular liturgy could be adopted for any cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary. I don’t think it’s too closely tied to the particular telling in the Gospel of Luke. And yet, it was written with that particular gospel in mind. As I prepare to preach, I’m thinking a whole lot about what exactly Peter and James and John saw when they saw “his glory” as revealed in verse 32. I don’t want that to be that appearance too far from the transformation that we need each and every day.
*Affirmation of Faith 886
(We will be using the Affirmation of Faith from the New Zealand Prayer Book. It is number 886 in the back of The New Century Hymnal.)
*Communion Hymn 349 I Come with Joy
Invitation to the Feast of God (Responsive)
One: Peter and John and James went up
to the mountain to pray.
All: While they were praying, their whole world changed.
They saw glory like they had never seen before.
One: You and I came to this holy place to pray.
While we are praying, here at this table,
as we share in this feast God has prepared,
All: May we see glory like we have never seen before.
Blessing and Sharing the Bread and the Cup
And so, we come to see glory.
We come to marvel at how ordinary life can seem
when we are climbing over our everyday tasks
when we don’t expect anything new or different to surprise us.
We come to remember and believe that God is always leading us.
God is always bringing us into the light of love
just as God has done from the beginning of time.
God led our ancestors out of slavery into freedom
and never tired of sending prophets that could remind us all that glory is not far away. Though we have refused to see it,
ignoring our call to care for this world and every living thing on it,
God has never given up on us. God continues this work today.
God leads us to transformative moments in holy places,
high up on a mountain and gathered here at this table,
so that we might see glory again.
The ordinary will be made extraordinary.
The common will become holy.
The familiar will become fantastic.
We come to this table again because we know we need to change.
We need new eyes and new visions and so we pray that the Holy Spirit will open our eyes and our ears and even our tastebuds as we pray:
Holy Spirit, come into this bread and this cup.
Transform these ordinary objects
As you change our hearts
To shape and form your world
With the joy you promise.
Pour your grace upon us,
so we might always see your glory.
Transform us at this table, we pray.
In our hope of transformation, we remember how it first happened. Long, long ago before the terrible events that would follow had come to pass, Jesus our Christ gathered with his friends in an upper room…
(Use the words of institution from your own tradition.)
*Prayer of Thanksgiving (Unison)
Holy God, we have tasted the light of your love
and seen your glory at this table. Now,
transform us to find your glory
in everyone and everything. This we pray in
the light of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Cooking with Elsa 