Friends,

See you in worship for Transfiguration Sunday, the last Sunday of the Epiphany church season!  The Transfiguration is the event in which Jesus shone on the mountaintop in radiant glory to three of his disciples—and is perhaps the granddaddy of all epiphanies!  You will hear all about the Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-9 as well as explore a related theme in Psalm 2 this week as we talk about “The View from the Mountaintop,” or the long view that God has (and offers to us).  So often we get caught up in the brokenness of this world and miss the larger picture, the second sight and deeper look that offers us the good and abiding news that we call the Gospel.  The end of Psalm 2 calls people “happy” who take refuge in God rather than put trust in the powers of the world.

Transfiguration Sunday is our bridge to the church season of Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday (this year 2/26/20).  The UCC Book of Worship defines Lent as “a penitential season of self-examination, prayer, and fasting that precedes the observance of the Triduum (Maundy Thursday evening, Good Friday, and the Vigil of Easter, which begins on Saturday night)” (Book of Worship, pp. 21-22). Lent is the season in which we reflect on the life, suffering, and death of Jesus, and what his giving of himself on the cross means for our lives.  Some follow a Lenten devotional guide. Some participate in intentional prayer and study. Others give up something or add to their lives an extra something, which benefits others.  Each Lenten season I spend daily time reading a morning devotional.  Perhaps you would like to do the same.  You can sign up for ones to be delivered to your email in-box each morning.  A few good suggestions are the UCC Daily Devotional accessed here:  https://www.ucc.org/daily_devotional or Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditations accessed here: https://cac.org/sign-up/.  With either you will be blessed!  See you in church!

Peace,

Co-Pastor Sandi