This Sunday we celebrate the transfiguration of Jesus as found in Matthew 16:21-17:8.

Transfiguration Sunday marks the end of Epiphany, the season in which we discern how to make Jesus real for the world. It is our task to make the love of Jesus manifest around us.

In the first part of our story for Sunday, Jesus has been showing his disciples the inevitable, that he must go to Jerusalem and endure much suffering before he will rise again. Six days after this teaching he takes Peter, James, and John and goes up a mountain. While there his disciples notice that Jesus face shone like the sun and his clothes were a dazzling white. Elijah and Moses are standing there with him and his followers are overwhelmed.

What an amazing place to be in and a moment to be a part of. A natural response is to desire to stay there and Peter tells Jesus of their willingness to stay in the holy moment forever. God interrupts with a similar message to that of the day of Jesus’ baptism, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” So, we will celebrate this transformation as this moment compels us to keeping moving forward on our journey of revelation as his followers.