Last Sunday after the Epiphany

The Transfiguration of Our Lord February 14, 2021

Today’s Theme for Worship: At the transfiguration, God revealed Jesus in all his glory, with Moses and Elijah present.

Hymn: 79 How Lovely Shines the Morning Star

1 How lovely shines the Morning Star! The nations see and hail afar

The light in Judah shining.

O David’s Son of Jacob’s race, My Bridegroom and my King of grace,

For you my heart is pining.

Lowly, Holy, Great and glorious, O victorious Prince of graces,

Filling all the heav’nly places.

2 O highest joy by mortals won, True Son of God and Mary’s Son,

The highborn King of ages!

In your blest body let me be, E’en as the branch is in the tree,

Your life my life supplying.

Sighing, Crying For the savor Of your favor

Resting never Till I rest in you forever.

3 O mighty Father, in your Son You loved me ere you had begun

This ancient world’s foundation.

Your Son has made a friend of me, And when in spirit him I see,

I joy in tribulation.

What bliss Is this! He is living, To me giving

Life forever; Nothing me from him can sever.

4 Oh, joy to know that you, my Friend, Are Lord, beginning without end,

The first and last, eternal!

And you at length-O glorious grace-Will take me to that holy place,

The home of joys supernal.

Amen, Amen! Come and meet me, Quickly greet me! With deep yearning,

Lord, I look for your returning.

5 Lift up the voice and strike the string, Let all glad sounds of music ring

In God’s high praises blended.

Christ will be with me all the way, Today, tomorrow, ev’ry day

Till trav’ling days are ended.

Sing out, Ring out Triumph glorious, O victorious Chosen nation;

Praise the God of your salvation.

Text: Philipp Nicolai, 1556-1608, abr., adapt.; tr. The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis, 1941, alt.

P: The grace of our Lord + Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.

C: And also with you.

Confession of Sins

P: We have come into the presence of God, who created us to love and serve him as his dear children. But we have disobeyed him and deserve only his wrath and punishment. Therefore, let us confess our sins to him and plead for his mercy.

C: Merciful Father in heaven, I am altogether sinful from birth. In countless ways I have sinned against you and do not deserve to be called your child. But trusting in Jesus, my Savior, I pray: have mercy on me according to your unfailing love. Cleanse me from my sin, and take away my guilt.

P: God, our heavenly Father, has forgiven all your sins. By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, he has removed your guilt forever. You are his own dear child. May God give you strength to live according to his will.

C: Amen.

P: In the peace of forgiveness, let us praise the Lord.

♬ Oh Taste And See

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

Bless-ed are they who take re-fuge in him.

Your Word, O Lord, is e-ter-nal;

it stands firm in the heav-ens.

Your faith-ful-ness con-tin-ues for-ev-er.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.

Bless-ed are they who take re-fuge in him.

Prayer of the Day

P: Let us Pray.

Lord God, before the suffering and death of your one and only Son, you revealed his glory on the holy mountain. Grant that we who bear his cross on earth may behold by faith the light of his heavenly glory and so be changed into his likeness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. C: ♬ Amen.

First Lesson: 2 Kings 2:1-12b

Elijah goes to heaven in a fiery chariot and whirlwind.

When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah was traveling with Elisha from Gilgal. ²Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.”

But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

³The sons of the prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord is taking your master away from you?”

Then he said, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁴Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here because the Lord has sent me to Jericho.”

But he said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.

⁵Then the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord is taking your master away from you?”

He said, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁶Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here because the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”

But he said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.

⁷Then fifty men from the sons of the prophets came and stood and watched them from a distance, while the two of them were standing at the Jordan. ⁸Elijah took his cloak, folded it together, and struck the water. The water divided to the right and to the left. Then the two of them crossed on dry land.

⁹When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask me for whatever I can do for you before I am taken from you.”

Then Elisha said, “Let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.”

¹⁰He said, “You have asked for a difficult thing. If you see me being taken from you, it will surely be yours. But if not, then it will not.”

¹¹While they were walking and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire, and horses of fire came and separated them. So Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. ¹²Elisha was watching and crying out, “My father! My father! Israel’s chariot and its charioteers!” Then he did not see him anymore.

Psalm of the Day – Psalm 148

Refrain

Forever let us sing the goodness of the Lord.

Praise the LORD from the heavens,*

praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels,*

praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon,*

praise him, all you shining stars.

Refrain

Forever let us sing the goodness of the Lord.

Praise the LORD from the earth,*

lightning and hail, stormy winds that do his bidding,

you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,*

wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,

kings of the earth and all rulers on earth,*

young men and maidens, old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the LORD,*

for his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son*

and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning,*

is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Refrain

Forever let us sing the goodness of the Lord.

Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2
More glorious than the law is the gospel, which proclaims the way of salvation as free grace, given through the redeeming work of Jesus Christ!

¹²Therefore, since we have this kind of hope, we act with great boldness. ¹³We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face, so that the Israelites could not continue to look at the end of the radiance, as it was fading away. ¹⁴In spite of this, their minds were hardened. Yes, up to the present day, the same veil remains when the Old Testament is read. It has not been removed because it is taken away only in Christ. ¹⁵Instead, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts. ¹⁶But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸But all of us who reflect the Lord’s glory with an unveiled face are being transformed into his own image, from one degree of glory to another. This too is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

^4:1Therefore, since we have this ministry as a result of the mercy shown us, we are not discouraged. ²On the contrary, we have renounced shameful, underhanded methods. We do not operate in a deceitful way, and we do not distort the word of God. Instead, by proclaiming the truth clearly, we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.

Verse:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

These words are written that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Gospel: Mark 9:2-9

The appearance of Moses and Elijah with Christ gave Peter, James and John a foretaste of heaven.

²After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him and led them up a high mountain where they were alone by themselves. There he was transfigured in front of them. ³His clothes became radiant, dazzling white, whiter than anyone on earth could bleach them. ⁴And Elijah appeared to them together with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus.

⁵Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶He did not know what to say because they were terrified.

⁷A cloud appeared and overshadowed them, and a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.”

⁸Suddenly when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus alone.

⁹As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

C: ♬ Praise be to you, O Christ!

Hymn of the Day: 97 Down from the Mount of Glory

1 Down from the mount of glory Came Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Recall the wondrous story, Rich gem in sacred Word.

Again your faith will view him In double glory here;

The greater homage due him Will in your life appear.

2 Transfigured, Christ, the lowly, Stood radiant in the light,

Light found in Godhead solely, For human eyes too bright.

Then came a voice from heaven, Confirmed what here we see;

The words “my Son” were given To seal his deity.

3 Yet mark this glory hidden! See him the mount descend

And, by the Father bidden, His willing footsteps bend

To seek humiliation In deepest depths of woe,

To suffer degradation No mind can probe or know.

4 Strange how his journey ended! In love that is his fame

Our Lord again ascended A mount-the hill of shame.

Upon the cross he proffered Himself to agony;

His holy soul he offered To set the guilty free.

5 Then hail the double glory Of Jesus Christ, our Lord,

And let the wondrous story Full peace and joy afford!

The holy mount acclaims him The majesty divine;

Mount Calvary proclaims him Redeemer-yours and mine.

Used by permission.

Sermon

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Offering Prayer

Electronic Giving! You can give your offerings from your smartphone with the GivePlusChurch app, which can be downloaded for free at Google Play or the App Store. You can also give at holytrinitylutheranwyoming.com by clicking the Offerings link at the top of the page or scan the QR code below. If you have any questions about any of these options, please contact Dave Conrad at dconrad765@gmail.com or 616-406-7172

Prayer of the Church

Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Hymn: 95 How Good, Lord, to Be Here

1 How good, Lord, to be here!

Your glory fills the night;

Your face and garments, like the sun,

Shine with unborrowed light.

2 How good, Lord, to be here

Your beauty to behold,

Where Moses and Elijah stand,

Your messengers of old.

3 Fulfiller of the past,

Promise of things to be,

We hail your body glorified

And our redemption see.

4 Before we taste of death,

We see your kingdom come;

We long to hold the vision bright

And make this hill our home.

5 How good, Lord, to be here!

Yet we may not remain;

But since you bid us leave the mount,

Come with us to the plain.

Text: Joseph A. Robinson, 1858-1933, alt.

Prayer and Blessing

P: O Lord God, our heavenly Father, pour out the Holy Spirit on your faithful people. Keep us strong in your grace and truth, protect and comfort us in all temptation, and bestow on us your saving peace, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

P: Almighty God, we thank you for teaching us the things you want us to believe and do. Help us by your Holy Spirit to keep your Word in pure hearts that we may be strengthened in faith, guided in holiness, and comforted in life and in death, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C: ♬ A-men.

P: Brothers and sisters, go in peace. Live in harmony with one another. Serve the Lord with gladness.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

The Lord look on you with favor and + give you peace.

C: ♬ A-men, A-men, A-men

Closing Hymn: 280 Thy Strong Word

1 Thy strong word did cleave the darkness; At thy speaking it was done.

For created light we thank thee While thine ordered seasons run.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise to thee who light dost send!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia without end!

2 Lo, on those who dwelt in darkness, Dark as night and deep as death,

Broke the light of thy salvation, Breathed thine own life-giving breath.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise to thee who light dost send!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia without end!

3 Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous; Bright with thine own holiness,

Glorious now, we press toward glory, And our lives our hope confess.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise to thee who light dost send!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia without end!

4 From the cross thy wisdom shining Breaketh forth in conqu’ring might;

From the cross forever beameth All thy bright redeeming light.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise to thee who light dost send!

Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia without end!

5 Give us lips to sing thy glory, Tongues thy mercy to proclaim,

Throats to shout the hope that fills us, Mouths to speak thy holy name.

Alleluia! Alleluia! May the light which thou dost send

Fill our songs with alleluias, Alleluias without end!

6 God the Father, light-creator, To thee laud and honor be.

To thee, Light from Light begotten, Praise be sung eternally.

Holy Spirit, light-revealer, Glory, glory be to thee.

Mortals, angels, now and ever Praise the holy Trinity!