Transfiguration of Our + Lord
January 25th, A+D 2026
Our Savior’s and Our Redeemer Lutheran Churches
Glory to Share – God’s Glorious Love for Human Life.
Matthew 17:1-9, 2nd Peter 1:16 – 21
Glory.
There are just four NFL teams left, vying to win Super Bowl LX, the
Seattle Seahawks, L.A. Rams, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots. Will the three teams who are not crowned
champion in a couple weeks still get to glory in the fact they did better than almost
all the other NFL teams? Not
really. To the victor go the spoils, in
sports for sure. The champions usually
say some nice words about the rivals they defeated, but all the focus is on
their victory celebration, their storied place in history. Scenes from the losers’ locker room are
typically only shown on T.V. if there are outbursts of raw emotion, lockers
being punched or grown men reduced to tears, which serve, by contrast, to
heighten the glory of the victors.
Glory.
Earthly glory in our popular culture is very much a winner-take-all
affair, or at least, that’s how we portray it in the media, and around the
table or through our screens, when sports fans or political junkies gather to
talk about their favorites. And here’s
the weird thing: our ideas about earthly glory are both in-line with
the truth about heavenly glory, and they also contradict God’s
glorious ways. Understanding the complex
truth about God, His glory, and how we relate to it is challenging. Understanding God’s way of glory is both
frightening, and comforting.
January
22nd was last Thursday. Christians
in the United States continue to focus on the Sanctity of Human Life on the
Sunday closest to this date of the now-reversed Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision,
which in 1973 legalized abortion throughout our land. The fight for life is not over. It will not be over until Jesus returns
visibly, to end all injustice, wipe away all our tears, and usher His children
into eternal life.
Glory.
On this combined Transfiguration and Life Sunday, we can consider glory,
and grow in our understanding and commitment to God’s love for life. Because an important feature of God’s love
for life is His desire to share His glory with every human being. Only God is truly glorious, and from eternity
He has always wanted to share His glory, with you, and with every other person
ever conceived.
Glory. Heavenly glory is winner-take-all, and God is
the winner. Soli Deo Gloria, to God
alone be glory, is true. Anyone who, like
Satan, proudly rejects this Truth will be cast into the outer darkness,
forever. God alone is glorious in
Himself, and His unveiled glory is confusing and frightening. At the Transfiguration, Jesus let a portion
of His divine glory show through His human body, and Peter, James and John were
scared witless. Peter’s proposal, that
he and the Sons of Thunder should make three tents, one each for Jesus, Moses
and Elijah, reflects Peter’s frightened befuddlement. The light of heaven is shining forth from
Jesus’ physical body, and Peter thinks He needs a tent to hang out in? The three disciples’ fear turned into terror
when a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said,
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.
Glory.
Why is even a limited revelation of God’s glory so frightening to
behold? Because in His glory, every
aspect of the Lord’s being and character are fully visible. God’s glory is not merely a brighter and more
intense light than any of us have ever seen.
It is that, and much more. God’s
glory reveals the Almighty. All power,
all the energy of the entire universe, flows from God’s glory.
During the liberation of Kuwait, I had the
opportunity to walk towards one of the burning oil wells the Iraqi’s lit off as
they withdrew before the advancing Marines.
I estimated that I still about 100 yards away when I was forced to stop,
because the heat was too intense to go closer.
It was really hot. But, compared
to the unveiled glory of God, that burning oil well would be like a single
candle or a burning match.
Glory.
God’s glory also reveals His omniscience, His perfect knowledge of every
thing and of every person. The majesty
of God sees right through you and me, and that is a problem, because God in His
glory also reveals His purity, His sinlessness, His perfect holiness, which
will destroy and cast out every being tainted with sin.
Glory. God’s glory is way too much for us sinners to
handle. And yet, we are created by God
with an innate desire for His glory. Even someone who has never heard that there
is a God, if such a person exists, is still wired to seek glory. Usually we substitute a pale, contrived
version of glory, and pour our energy into pursuing these fake copies. And yet, we are created with a
desire, and a need, for true glory.
This is because all life flows from the
Glory of God. There is no life without God. In mercy and hope, then, so that human life
might continue, the Lord has put up protective barriers, clouds and curtains
and other veils, to shield us from His glory, and so keep mankind alive until
salvation is complete. And so we see
that God in His glory also reveals His mercy, His love. Despite our rebellion against Him, the Lord
still wants to share His glory with us.
With all people.
Because God loves human life. We
are, despite our sinfulness, His favorites.
Glory.
The whole arc of God’s Word to us is a narrative of this mystery, this
tension, that God in His glorious holiness hates sin, and yet still seeks to
have people with Him in the fullness of His glory, forever. The man and the woman in the Garden, before
the Fall into sin, basked in a glorious paradise, and were growing toward the
fullness of glory the LORD had planned for them. But they made the first cursed exchange,
trading the glory of God for the serpent’s lie, who said there was greater
glory to be found in knowing good and evil, greater than trusting in the LORD
of Glory. The rest of the Bible, indeed,
the rest of history reveals God’s plan and work to bring us sinners safely back
into His glory.
Glory.
The life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth is the high point of the arc
of God’s Word, and also its low point.
The mercy and mystery of God’s glory-restoration plan is revealed in the
humble Teacher from Nazareth who visibly walked the dusty paths of Judea 2,000
years ago.
Powerful, wise and holy, God’s eternal Son revealed
to Peter, James and John that the glory of heaven was hidden inside
His physical body. Amazing, frightening,
awesome Good News! And yet, Jesus strictly
charges these three not to share this Good News “until the Son of Man is
raised from the dead.”
Glory.
As we discussed last week from Matthew chapter 16, the understanding and
presuppositions of Peter and the Twelve had already been dealt a blow when
Jesus predicted His suffering and death at the hands of the Jewish priests and
scribes. Just before, Peter had been enjoying
the high praise he received after he confessed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son
of God. Glorious!
But, when Peter then rejected the Word of
the Cross, “this will never happen to you. Lord,” Jesus then rebuked Peter,
calling him ‘Satan.’ Jesus warned that
anyone who denied the Cross, anyone who refused to pick up their own cross and
follow Him, would be cut off from God.
Glory.
Now, in chapter 17, up on the mountaintop, fully convinced that all the
glory of heaven dwelled withing the flesh of Jesus, Peter, James and John are
again forced to balance this wonderful knowledge with the promise of Jesus that
He was going to be killed. For, “as
they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Tell no one the
vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead."”
Jesus’ command helps us see that the purpose
of bringing these three up on the Mount of Transfiguration was to make sure
that they would rightly understand Who would be hanging on that
Roman cross outside Jerusalem. Because,
contrary to appearances and despite what we naturally expect, the greatest
glory ever revealed in this sin-stained creation was the death of the Man who
is also God.
Glory.
The true glory of God is revealed in the scandalous, heart-breaking
death of Jesus. You see, God’s glory, His
great desire, is to show mercy. God is
love, and so the highest act of love is His majesty, is His
greatest glory. And this is love, not
that we loved God, but that He loved us, and gave His life as a ransom for
many. Whoever loves his life in this
world will lose it, but whoever loses his life for the sake of this Gospel will
preserve his life forever.
Glory. Jesus hated His life in this world, even allowing it to be taken from Him. Jesus was willing to die, in love and obedience to His Father, and in love and mercy toward you. He has laid down His life, and taken it up again, so that, by His forgiveness, He can share His glorious resurrected life with sinners, like you and me. This is the Glory of the Cross. This is the glory that the Father wants to share with all people, no matter where they are in life.
An infant, developing in the womb? A target for God’s merciful glory. A baby, being washed with water and the
Word? The highest public display of
heavenly glory in this world, glory hidden under a simple and common rite. A family, doing their best to look like they
have it all together, but in reality wrestling with all kinds of challenges? Our imperfect families are God’s plan-A
location for sharing His glory with sinners.
An old man, a poor man, a scruffy guy who might make you cross the
street or hold tight to your possessions?
He may frighten you and me. But
he is no less a soul that God wants to bless, by uniting him with His glorious
Son.
Glory.
What does God’s Cross-shaped glory mean for us? For our lives? Everything, really, but for this morning,
let’s just talk about a few things. First
of all, even though our Synod is named Missouri, we know that “show me” is not
the way for Christians to live. St.
Peter in his second letter wrote about that glorious moment, when, with James
and John, he saw Jesus transfigured, shining bright like the sun, Moses and
Elijah by His side. Glorious. Nevertheless, Peter is clear: Marveling about
what Peter saw is not the best way to stay connected to God.
The world works that way: talk
is cheap, seeing is believing. But, in
the glorious plan of God for our salvation, heavenly power and glory are often
hidden under humble things, like mere words.
Peter recalls the Transfiguration, but then proclaims that we have
something even better, more sure, “the
prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining
in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,
[20] knowing this first of all, that no prophecy
of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. [21] For no prophecy was ever produced by the
will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy
Spirit.
Glory.
From God’s Word we learn that in this life we will always desire
glory. We have two desires for glory,
actually. We have the righteous desire
to bask in God’s merciful glory. And, sadly,
the unrighteous, sinful desire to find glory in ourselves and our
accomplishments still clings to us. Both
of these desires for glory will be a part of who we are as Christians, as sinner-saints,
as long as we live in this fallen world.
So, when glorious good things come your way,
put God’s Wisdom to work. Remember from
Whom and how God’s true glory comes to us: from Christ Jesus and through the
proclamation of His Truth. Be wise as
you deal with the glorious things of this world, like wealth, beauty, success,
intelligence, or popularity. Receive
them and share them as good gifts from God.
But do not let them infatuate you; do not make them into idols. Do not let them get between you and the
Source of all glory, which is Christ, crucified and resurrected, for you.
Glory.
If earthly glory leads you astray, repent. Turn from the ways of men and see the Way of
God, revealed in the face of Christ. Repent,
and remember, God’s glory is hidden under seemingly unglorious things, like a
Cross, and an old book.
Glory.
God wants to share the glory of Christ Jesus with everyone. This is another way to say, God believes in
the sanctity of every human life. And
so, we too love life. We, as redeemed
children of God, love babies, and families, (warts and all). We love the elderly, and the down and
out. No one is outside God’s desire to
share His glory, and so we seek to extend His sharing, through acts of mercy,
and most of all, through speaking the Good News of Jesus.
Glory.
True glory only comes one way, the Way of Jesus, who came down from the shining
mountaintop to enter the dark valley of death that would lead Him to
Calvary. And because He was glorified on
that Cross, we, in and through Christ, look forward to the glory of heaven, in
the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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