Theological Status: FAITHFUL (Sound)
Biblical Parallel(Archetype): Philadelphia
❓ What do these grades mean?
🔍 Biblical Discernment: The 7 Church Parallels
The Cold Orthodox Parallel
Ephesus
Teaching that upholds doctrinal precision yet parallels the loss of the "first love"—the vital, motivating power of the Gospel (Rev 2:4).
The Compromised Parallel
Pergamum
Teaching that parallels churches tolerating the "doctrine of Balaam" through cultural accommodation (Rev 2:14), characterized by weak boundaries, sloppy theology, and worldly compromise.
🧐 Overview
Theological Verdict & Summary
Sermon Summary: How do we carry the clarity of God's presence into the fog of daily life? This sermon explores the Transfiguration not as an escape from reality, but as a divine map for navigating suffering and service.
Pastoral Analysis: Pastor Hockett delivers a theologically sound and pastorally sensitive message. The sermon effectively bridges the gap between high theology and practical living, encouraging the congregation to use moments of spiritual clarity to fuel active love in the world. No doctrinal errors were detected, and the Gospel engine remains intact.
Biblical Parallel (Archetype): Philadelphia — This sermon demonstrates faithful exposition and theological soundness, characterized by a clear focus on Christ and a robust application of the Gospel. It avoids the errors of legalism or therapeutic deism, instead offering a balanced view of discipleship that embraces both spiritual elevation and earthly service.
Big Idea: The Transfiguration serves as a 'mountaintop map' that invites believers to listen to Jesus' voice amidst worldly noise, not to escape life's challenges, but to gain the courage and clarity to follow Him back into the valley of suffering and service. [00:22:04 ▶️ 📄]
🎨 The Visual Metaphor
The indecipherable runes symbolize the mysterious, divine guidance received during spiritual highs, which believers must trust as they descend. This physical artifact represents the courage and clarity carried from mountaintop revelations to endure the valley of daily life.
📖 How they Handle Scripture & Jesus
- Primary Text: Matthew 17:1-9
- Usage Classification: Expository-Application
- Text-to-Talk Ratio: High
- Pulpit Decorum: ✅ PASS - The language is respectful, pastoral, and free of coarse terms or pejoratives.
✝️ Christological Focus: Direct Imitation and Dependence
"Jesus is presented as the one to be heard and followed, with the congregation called to embody His virtues in the world."
Scripture Saturation: Verses Read: 9 | Referenced: 2 | Alluded: 0
Passages Read Aloud:
-
Matthew 17:1-9
[00:19:49 ▶️ 📄]
"Six days later Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And when he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he was speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, This is my son, the beloved, and with him I am well pleased. Listen to him. Then when the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, Get up and do not be afraid. And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, Tell no one about this vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
Key References: Matthew 3 (Jesus' baptism), Romans 5:8 (Christ died for us while we were yet sinners)
🎙️ Sermon Content & Delivery
Word Count: 1,681 words
📌 Key Topics Addressed
-
The Transfiguration
[00:24:36 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor analyzes the biblical account of Jesus' transfiguration, noting the glory revealed and the voice from heaven, interpreting it as a moment of divine confirmation before the journey to the cross. -
Listening to Jesus vs. Worldly Voices
[00:23:03 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor contrasts the command to 'listen to him' with the 'noise and pressure' of modern cultural voices (media, politics, social media) that clamor for attention and allegiance. -
Mountaintop vs. Valley
[00:25:23 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor uses the metaphor of the mountain (spiritual clarity/presence) versus the valley (daily life/suffering) to explain that spiritual experiences are meant to equip believers for engagement in the world, not escape it. -
Lent and Discipleship
[00:33:17 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor connects the sermon's theme to the upcoming season of Lent, inviting the congregation to quiet other voices to hear Jesus' invitation to 'follow me' and take up their cross.
🖼️ Illustrations & Stories
-
Sermon Illustration
[00:29:52 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor describes the experience of 'mountaintop moments' as rare, fleeting instances where the fog lifts, God's presence is clear, and the landscape of love is visible, which believers can carry like a map back down into the difficulties of daily life. -
Sermon Illustration
[00:34:09 ▶️ 📄]
> The pastor shares that many clergy colleagues keep notebooks or files of 'mountaintop moments'—profound experiences of Christ's presence—to revisit when they are overwhelmed or lost in the 'fog' of life.
🚀 Calls to Action (Application)
-
Pastoral Charge
[00:33:25 ▶️ 📄]
> Attend Ash Wednesday services to begin the season of Lent.
🧭 Biblical Alignment Dashboard
Overall Verdict: Sound & Commendable
| Category | Status | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Gospel Presentation | ✅ PASS | The sermon correctly identifies that the mountaintop experience is not an end in itself but a resource for following Jesus into the valley. It emphasizes grace and divine presence without implying that human effort earns salvation. |
| Soteriology | ✅ PASS | The sermon aligns with orthodox soteriology by framing the Christian life as a response to grace ('cease striving') rather than a means to earn it. |
| Bibliology | ✅ PASS | The text is treated with respect, and the application flows naturally from the biblical narrative of the Transfiguration. |
| Hermeneutic | ✅ PASS | The interpretation of the Transfiguration as a 'map' for discipleship is a sound hermeneutical move that connects the event to the believer's ongoing journey. |
| Theology Proper | ✅ PASS | God is portrayed as present and active, with Jesus as the central figure to be listened to and followed. |
| Sacramentology | ✅ PASS | No errors detected in sacramental theology; the focus remains on spiritual disciplines and active service consistent with UMC tradition. |
| Confessional Depth | ❌ FAIL | The sermon is accessible and practical, focusing on application. While it lacks dense academic jargon, it maintains theological integrity. |
⚙️ The Gospel Engine (Confessional Distinctives)
✅ The Law And Wrath:
"We have broken your law. We have rebelled against your love." [00:18:01 ▶️ 📄]
✅ Total Depravity And Inability:
"Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will." [00:14:13 ▶️ 📄]
❌ Active Obedience Of Christ: Not observed in the sermon.
✅ The Cross And Atonement:
"Christ died for us while we were yet sinners." [00:18:30 ▶️ 📄]
✅ Commendations
Theological Insight | The Mountaintop as a Map
The metaphor of the Transfiguration as a 'map' rather than an escape is a powerful and orthodox theological insight that reframes spiritual experiences as resources for service.
Pastoral Application | Embracing the Valley
The call to 'follow Him back into the valley of suffering and service' is a deeply pastoral and biblically grounded application that counters the temptation to seek only comfort.
Liturgical Integration | Lenten Discipline
Effectively connecting the sermon to the upcoming season of Lent provides a practical framework for the congregation to engage with the message.
🛡️ Verified Orthodox Mechanics
✅ The deity and glory of Christ
✅ The necessity of listening to Jesus
✅ The call to active love and service
📜 Full Sermon Transcript (Audit)
Use the 📄 icons next to quotes above to automatically jump to their location in this raw transcript.
[00:13:41] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:13:41] Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let us pray. Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name.
[00:14:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:14:13] our Lord. Amen. Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our
[00:18:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:18:01] whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will. We have broken your law. We have rebelled against your love. We have not loved our neighbors and we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we
[00:18:23] pray, free us for joyful obedience through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[00:18:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:18:30] Hear the good news. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. That proves
[00:19:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:19:38] God's love toward us. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
[00:19:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:19:49] Glory to God. Amen. Please stand as you are able. The scripture is from the gospel according to Matthew chapter 17 beginning with the first verse. Six days later Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them
[00:20:22] up a high mountain by themselves. And when he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus,
[00:20:46] Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he was speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed
[00:21:03] them, and from the cloud a voice said, This is my son, the beloved, and with him I am well pleased.
[00:21:14] Listen to him. Then when the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.
[00:21:22] But Jesus came and touched them, saying, Get up and do not be afraid.
[00:21:30] And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
[00:21:37] As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, Tell no one about this vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.
[00:21:49] This is the gospel of our Lord.
[00:21:52] Praise to you, O Christ.
[00:22:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:22:04] Good morning.
[00:22:06] It's good to see you all this rainy final Sunday of the season of Epiphany.
[00:22:14] And there are those words in the Gospel that, at least for me, kind of lingered this week, echoed a bit.
[00:22:21] This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to Him.
[00:22:25] And with that, Matthew, very intentionally I think, takes us back to Jesus' baptism.
[00:22:35] Reminding us that the one transfigured on the mountain, the one whose glory is revealed there, is the very same one who stepped into the water with us.
[00:22:48] Assuming our full humanity, becoming like us in every way, elevating our humanity to the gates of heaven.
[00:22:57] So once again, the invitation to listen to Jesus.
[00:23:03] You know, this invitation comes to us, at least, in a world that is filled with voices speaking to us, clamoring for our attention, voices that tell us what to think, who we should fear, who we should blame, voices that tell us what is important, to whom belongs
[00:23:30] our allegiance, voices that tell us how the world is supposed to work.
[00:23:37] We hear them on television, talk shows, online and podcasts, social media, books, by countless people who promise answers and solutions, often insisting that if only people would listen to them, the world would be set right.
[00:23:58] Jesus also lived in a world that demanded attention.
[00:24:01] The Roman Empire expected loyalty and obedience.
[00:24:05] Caesar claimed authority.
[00:24:07] Power spoke loudly.
[00:24:08] and into all that noise all that pressure and distraction came that single voice this is my son listen to him give him your attention the gospel reading today gives us matthew's account of the transfiguration it's a one of the most mysterious stories in the life
[00:24:36] of jesus he jesus of course takes peter james and john up the mountain and there before their eyes he's changed transfigured his face shines like the sun his clothes become dazzling white moses and elijah join him the law and the prophets standing with him in shrouded in glory the
[00:25:02] cloud descends a voice speaks it's an overwhelming moment a beautiful awe-inspiring moment and a terrifying one peter wants to stay there he doesn't know what to make of it and who could blame him who wouldn't want to remain on the mountaintop wrapped in the presence of god
[00:25:23] far above the chaos and the noise and the voices the distractions of the world but jesus about something else touches the disciples urges them on refocuses their attention back down the mountain probably reluctantly they go toward jerusalem toward the people
[00:25:53] toward suffering and ultimately toward the cross for peter james and john and for us the transfiguration isn't a detour or a distraction from from life in the real world as we might say it it it can be if we allow it like a map for when the way forward becomes hard
[00:26:14] to see, a reminder, a signpost. We're told to listen to Jesus on the mountain so that when the visibility of our lives goes to zero, we can still trust that the voice that guided us into the light
[00:26:30] is with us even in moments of darkness and challenge. It's a peculiar story, this one, and it can be hard to know what to do with it. Maybe we have questions about it. Did it really
[00:26:45] happen? Is Matthew reporting an actual event, or is it simply a story told to make a point?
[00:26:53] And either way, what does it mean? What does it have to do with us? At the least, however, some days I can relate to Peter and wish we could just stay on the mountain. Seems nice up there,
[00:27:09] enveloped by the presence of God, where we can hear God's voice clearly, distinctly, over all the other voices. So I get Peter's impulse. We need stories like this. Moments of clarity and encounter. When God seems very near, close as our breath, and the way more certain.
[00:27:29] We need moments when the world feels bigger than our schedules and our responsibilities. Moments when we sense that there is something more significant going on. When the veil seems thin and we feel God's presence more intensely. Maybe we come to worship longing for that,
[00:27:50] even if we don't name it out loud. Maybe we want our vision expanded. We want hope to interrupt our routine. We want a glimpse of something holy, to believe that life does have meaning and purpose and beauty we carry doubts perhaps maybe we wonder but deep down don't we
[00:28:16] don't we long to be on the mountain with Jesus to be elevated lifted even briefly for a moment above the fog above the mess and pain above the division and disappointment and all the voices
[00:28:37] demanding our attention, and to hear there clearly and unmistakably God's voice speaking even to us, inviting us closer to Jesus. Now, the transfiguration of Jesus is a unique moment in the gospel, and while I don't want to equate it with other experiences, transfiguration-like
[00:29:08] moments do happen quietly sometimes unexpectedly we do catch glimpses of of god's presence and glory breaking into the ordinariness of life in the gift of creation in marriages that endure and children and grandchildren and the lives of faithful people who who shape a community
[00:29:34] over a lifetime and even in moments of worship and prayer when when we're reminded of why we believe we we can i think as one writer suggests think of these moments like small bright peaks on the
[00:29:52] mountain where the air is clear and the landscape of god's love is laid out before us easy for us to see right in front of us moments that can be like a map we carry with us for the journey back
[00:30:07] down the mountain the journey ahead back to life because when the fog of a long illness sets in or the confusion of a professional setback confounds us or the exhaustion of parenting or or caregiving
[00:30:23] makes us lose our way or even if the light of our faith grows dim with doubt we can reach for those moments go back to the moments when we heard the voice clearly when we stood in the light
[00:30:39] and we can let that mountaintop map experience guide us through the difficulty and then the uncertainty guide us in the way that christ would have us go these transfiguration like moments don't remove us from this world they're not an escape rather they remind us of what the world
[00:31:03] can be like when when love and grace and mercy and faith take hold of us they give us the courage to do what the disciples did to follow jesus to follow jesus back to where life is lived even
[00:31:18] to the cross and the gospel is clear the mountain is not the destination it's not the goal the transfiguration comes just before Jesus begins his ministry and his journey toward the cross.
[00:31:32] So to listen to Jesus is not only to stand in the light, it's to follow him back into the valley.
[00:31:40] We can't stay there. It's what he told Peter. We don't get to build shelters and remain protected from the world's brokenness and pain or from the needs of our neighbors. Following Jesus isn't about escaping the world. It's about inhabiting it in a different way because we've been in the presence
[00:31:58] of God's beloved. It's about being the love and the mercy and the justice and hope of God for everyone we meet, especially for those for whom God's presence does not seem near.
[00:32:15] Friends, when we listen to Jesus, we will always hear him say to us, follow me, take up your cross give your life away don't be afraid these mountaintop moments moments of listening change how we see everything else we can begin to see suffering more clearly we can
[00:32:37] feel injustice more more deeply we recognize the cost of love and still we are called to follow trusting that Christ goes ahead of us and is always with us.
[00:32:52] Not only on the mountain, but back in the valleys, in the towns and the villages, in the homes where people live.
[00:33:04] We can do the thing Jesus did.
[00:33:07] We can move toward proximity with the needs of our neighbors because we know Christ is already there.
[00:33:17] And this is where Lent comes in.
[00:33:19] It, of course, begins this week on Ash Wednesday after you've had pancakes on Tuesday.
[00:33:25] So I invite you to come do that.
[00:33:28] Lent, a season of listening, a season of quieting the other voices for a moment so that we can hear Jesus again for 40 days.
[00:33:37] We're invited to pray and reflect and confess and worship and pay attention to focus our hearts and our lives on Christ's voice so we can hear his invitation clearly.
[00:33:49] Follow me.
[00:33:49] I'm so I'm grateful for those rare mountaintop moments when the fog finally lifts I have clergy colleagues who will tell you that many of them have a notebook or a folder or a file where they've
[00:34:09] jotted down those moments over the years when they experience the presence of Christ in a profound way and they go back to them I'm grateful for them even if they're fleeting and infrequent they change us. We stand in the light of God's presence and for a moment everything is clear
[00:34:29] and we don't stay there. We carry the light with us back down the mountain into our neighborhoods, into our relationships. We carry a simple radical truth to a weary world. God is not distant or
[00:34:46] indifferent. In Jesus, the God of the mountaintop has come close. His presence reaches into our joys and our deepest hurts and follows us wherever we long for renewal and healing, reminding us that God is not up there. God is right here, as close as our breath, offering freedom and hope and life
[00:35:18] and love. Listen to Jesus, friends. Listen to him. Amen. Please stand. Where the Spirit of the Lord
[00:35:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:35:48] it is, there is one true church, apostolic and universal, whose holy faith let us now declare. We believe in God the Father, infinite in wisdom, power, and love, whose mercy is over all his works, and whose will is ever directed to his children's good. We believe
[00:36:11] in Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, the gift of the Father's unfailing grace, the ground of our hope, and the promise of our deliverance from sin and death. We believe in the Holy Spirit as the divine presence in our lives, whereby we are kept in perpetual
[00:36:34] remembrance of the truth of Christ and find strength and help in time of need.
[00:36:41] We believe that this faith should manifest itself in the service of love as set forth in the example of our blessed Lord to the end that the kingdom of God may come upon the earth.
[00:36:57] Amen.
[00:36:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:36:58] Let's join our hearts in prayer to God.
[00:37:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:37:57] Gracious and loving God, we give you thanks that you are near to us.
[00:38:04] Thank you for being closer than our breath Thank you for being steadier than our fears Lord, we come to you just as we are Grateful, tired, hopeful, unsure You know the weight we carry And the prayers we cannot quite put into words
[00:38:35] Lord, in your mercy Forgive us when we try to carry everything on our own.
[00:38:44] God, forgive us when fear has a way of shaping us more than our faith.
[00:38:52] Lord, we ask that whatever is anxious within us, that you would quiet that.
[00:38:59] God, and that you would strengthen in us what feels weak.
[00:39:04] Remind us that your grace comes before our striving, and that your grace is that which holds us even now.
[00:39:15] May we all relax into your grace.
[00:39:21] Lord, in your mercy, we ask that you would shape your church, Davidson United Methodist, into the likeness of Christ.
[00:39:35] Make us people of humility.
[00:39:38] Make us people of courage.
[00:39:40] God, help us to love And love in a way that doesn't keep score Help us to empty ourselves of pride So that we may be filled with your spirit And reflect your life-changing goodness in the world
[00:40:00] Lord, in your mercy We lift to you all who are hurting today In body and spirit Lord, the sick The grieving the lonely, those who are overwhelmed, Lord, those who are waiting on answers or a phone call, Lord, those carrying silent burdens. Lord, you know them. You know our every
[00:40:37] need. Be our comfort, be our healing, and be our peace, Lord, in your mercy. We pray for our children and our youth, guard their hearts in a loud and confusing world with mixed messages.
[00:41:01] Lord, give our children and youth the courage to follow you and help us, the adults in their lives, model a faith that is steady, a faith that is authentic, that's honest, a faith that's full of
[00:41:17] love so they may see Christ clearly in us. Lord, in your mercy. We pray for our community and for this world you love, for leaders and neighbors, for places marked by division and pain. Make us
[00:41:36] instruments of your mercy and send us out to live what we pray. Lord, in your mercy. God, and we know that you hear us when we pray. So we take this time now in faith to lift aloud to you those praises
[00:41:55] and those concerns we carry. Lord, we pray for Lord in your mercy. And now trusting in your mercy and not in our own strength, we pray the prayer Jesus taught us, saying, Our Father, who art in
[00:42:22] heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:42:31] 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,
[00:42:46] and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Well, good morning to you and welcome to Davidson United Methodist Church. We're certainly glad that you're here with us. If this is your first time worshiping with us, we'd like to extend a special welcome to you and let you know that we
[00:43:05] have a gift for you out in our gathering space, which is just beyond the sanctuary doors. There's a number of things going on this week that I'd like to draw your attention to. The first of which
[00:43:16] is our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner. So on Tuesday night, please join us from 5 to 7 for a Lenten devotion and a time to eat pancakes together. We'd love to see you there. And then
[00:43:31] Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, when we begin our Lenten journey. And we will have an Ash Wednesday service at 12.15, and we'll also have one at 7 p.m. And we'd love for you to make time in your
[00:43:44] week to join us for that as well. Additionally, I'd like to let you know that on Friday, we have our chili cook-off and a bingo night. All are invited to come and participate. You can register
[00:43:57] through Realm, and there's a QR code on the back of your bulletin that has access to a lot of different events that you can register for, but we would like to invite you to be a part of the
[00:44:07] chili cook-off. You're welcome to enter a chili. You're welcome to not, and come and enjoy the Chili's that have been entered and place your vote and play bingo with us. This event is open to all
[00:44:19] and it's hosted by the United Women in Faith. So we hope to see you there. There's so many wonderful opportunities here at DMC, but I wanted to take a moment to tell you a quick story.
[00:44:33] This week on Wednesday, we had youth Bible study. And at the end of youth Bible study every Wednesday, I will ask one of our youth to pray and we've had one student in particular who really loves to
[00:44:47] close us in prayer and doesn't mind doing that and on Wednesday that student was not there and so I looked around he wasn't there and I thought oh I wish he was here to close us in prayer and
[00:45:00] then I said I'm going to call him I told the youth I said I'm going to call him and see if he answers his phone and we can see if he'll close us in prayer. I called that student. Hello? Hey, we're
[00:45:11] just finishing Bible study and we miss you, but you know, we're wondering if you would close us in prayer. Oh yeah, sure. Okay. All right. I've got you on speakerphone. Okay. Everybody, thank you God for letting us gather here and study your word. He closes us in this most beautiful prayer.
[00:45:28] We get off the phone, fast forward into the week and I'm talking with his mom and she says, Meredith, we were boarding a plane. He was sitting in his seat on the plane as people
[00:45:41] were boarding, coming past, and people paused and were just astonished that this young person is praying. And a lot of people were looking at us going, you know, this is great. This is amazing.
[00:45:55] And I said to the mom, I said, you know, in all of my years of ministry, I think he's my first student that I could call and say, will you pray? And the pastor answers the phone and prays.
[00:46:06] So God really works through people of all ages here at DVMC. And there are faith-forming moments, right, that take place within our youth who are then passing their faith on or living out their faith. So whether you give your tithes and offerings by dropping it in the plate as it goes
[00:46:25] by, whether you give online, thank you. Thank you for partnering with God and making a difference in a teenager's life, in adults' lives, and thank you so much for being a part of this church.
[00:46:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:46:40] Gracious God, your generosity overflows. Accept these are gifts so that with your blessing,
[00:54:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:54:36] we may use them to proclaim Christ in our community and beyond. Amen.
[00:54:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:54:42] Grateful for those moments of encounter when Christ's presence and voice seem near, close to us.
[00:57:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:57:56] Moments like worship.
[00:57:57] I pray that this has been that in some way for you today.
[00:58:00] And that having been in God's presence, having been invited to pay closer attention to Jesus, that we might depart this place and do what the closing hymn says, fix our eyes there.
[00:58:15] Not to the mountaintop, but to the people.
[00:58:17] to those whom Christ loves and for whom Christ came and lived and died and was raised that all our neighbors might thrive and have life and life abundant.
[00:58:32] So as we go to be that church this week, let's do so remembering our mission that we will be the body of Christ in our community through worship, education, fellowship, and service.
[00:58:44] Go in peace.
[00:13:41] Blessed be God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let us pray. Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name.
[00:14:13] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:14:13] our Lord. Amen. Merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our
[00:18:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:18:01] whole heart. We have failed to be an obedient church. We have not done your will. We have broken your law. We have rebelled against your love. We have not loved our neighbors and we have not heard the cry of the needy. Forgive us, we
[00:18:23] pray, free us for joyful obedience through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[00:18:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:18:30] Hear the good news. Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. That proves
[00:19:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:19:38] God's love toward us. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
[00:19:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:19:49] Glory to God. Amen. Please stand as you are able. The scripture is from the gospel according to Matthew chapter 17 beginning with the first verse. Six days later Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them
[00:20:22] up a high mountain by themselves. And when he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus,
[00:20:46] Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he was speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed
[00:21:03] them, and from the cloud a voice said, This is my son, the beloved, and with him I am well pleased.
[00:21:14] Listen to him. Then when the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.
[00:21:22] But Jesus came and touched them, saying, Get up and do not be afraid.
[00:21:30] And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
[00:21:37] As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, Tell no one about this vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.
[00:21:49] This is the gospel of our Lord.
[00:21:52] Praise to you, O Christ.
[00:22:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:22:04] Good morning.
[00:22:06] It's good to see you all this rainy final Sunday of the season of Epiphany.
[00:22:14] And there are those words in the Gospel that, at least for me, kind of lingered this week, echoed a bit.
[00:22:21] This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to Him.
[00:22:25] And with that, Matthew, very intentionally I think, takes us back to Jesus' baptism.
[00:22:35] Reminding us that the one transfigured on the mountain, the one whose glory is revealed there, is the very same one who stepped into the water with us.
[00:22:48] Assuming our full humanity, becoming like us in every way, elevating our humanity to the gates of heaven.
[00:22:57] So once again, the invitation to listen to Jesus.
[00:23:03] You know, this invitation comes to us, at least, in a world that is filled with voices speaking to us, clamoring for our attention, voices that tell us what to think, who we should fear, who we should blame, voices that tell us what is important, to whom belongs
[00:23:30] our allegiance, voices that tell us how the world is supposed to work.
[00:23:37] We hear them on television, talk shows, online and podcasts, social media, books, by countless people who promise answers and solutions, often insisting that if only people would listen to them, the world would be set right.
[00:23:58] Jesus also lived in a world that demanded attention.
[00:24:01] The Roman Empire expected loyalty and obedience.
[00:24:05] Caesar claimed authority.
[00:24:07] Power spoke loudly.
[00:24:08] and into all that noise all that pressure and distraction came that single voice this is my son listen to him give him your attention the gospel reading today gives us matthew's account of the transfiguration it's a one of the most mysterious stories in the life
[00:24:36] of jesus he jesus of course takes peter james and john up the mountain and there before their eyes he's changed transfigured his face shines like the sun his clothes become dazzling white moses and elijah join him the law and the prophets standing with him in shrouded in glory the
[00:25:02] cloud descends a voice speaks it's an overwhelming moment a beautiful awe-inspiring moment and a terrifying one peter wants to stay there he doesn't know what to make of it and who could blame him who wouldn't want to remain on the mountaintop wrapped in the presence of god
[00:25:23] far above the chaos and the noise and the voices the distractions of the world but jesus about something else touches the disciples urges them on refocuses their attention back down the mountain probably reluctantly they go toward jerusalem toward the people
[00:25:53] toward suffering and ultimately toward the cross for peter james and john and for us the transfiguration isn't a detour or a distraction from from life in the real world as we might say it it it can be if we allow it like a map for when the way forward becomes hard
[00:26:14] to see, a reminder, a signpost. We're told to listen to Jesus on the mountain so that when the visibility of our lives goes to zero, we can still trust that the voice that guided us into the light
[00:26:30] is with us even in moments of darkness and challenge. It's a peculiar story, this one, and it can be hard to know what to do with it. Maybe we have questions about it. Did it really
[00:26:45] happen? Is Matthew reporting an actual event, or is it simply a story told to make a point?
[00:26:53] And either way, what does it mean? What does it have to do with us? At the least, however, some days I can relate to Peter and wish we could just stay on the mountain. Seems nice up there,
[00:27:09] enveloped by the presence of God, where we can hear God's voice clearly, distinctly, over all the other voices. So I get Peter's impulse. We need stories like this. Moments of clarity and encounter. When God seems very near, close as our breath, and the way more certain.
[00:27:29] We need moments when the world feels bigger than our schedules and our responsibilities. Moments when we sense that there is something more significant going on. When the veil seems thin and we feel God's presence more intensely. Maybe we come to worship longing for that,
[00:27:50] even if we don't name it out loud. Maybe we want our vision expanded. We want hope to interrupt our routine. We want a glimpse of something holy, to believe that life does have meaning and purpose and beauty we carry doubts perhaps maybe we wonder but deep down don't we
[00:28:16] don't we long to be on the mountain with Jesus to be elevated lifted even briefly for a moment above the fog above the mess and pain above the division and disappointment and all the voices
[00:28:37] demanding our attention, and to hear there clearly and unmistakably God's voice speaking even to us, inviting us closer to Jesus. Now, the transfiguration of Jesus is a unique moment in the gospel, and while I don't want to equate it with other experiences, transfiguration-like
[00:29:08] moments do happen quietly sometimes unexpectedly we do catch glimpses of of god's presence and glory breaking into the ordinariness of life in the gift of creation in marriages that endure and children and grandchildren and the lives of faithful people who who shape a community
[00:29:34] over a lifetime and even in moments of worship and prayer when when we're reminded of why we believe we we can i think as one writer suggests think of these moments like small bright peaks on the
[00:29:52] mountain where the air is clear and the landscape of god's love is laid out before us easy for us to see right in front of us moments that can be like a map we carry with us for the journey back
[00:30:07] down the mountain the journey ahead back to life because when the fog of a long illness sets in or the confusion of a professional setback confounds us or the exhaustion of parenting or or caregiving
[00:30:23] makes us lose our way or even if the light of our faith grows dim with doubt we can reach for those moments go back to the moments when we heard the voice clearly when we stood in the light
[00:30:39] and we can let that mountaintop map experience guide us through the difficulty and then the uncertainty guide us in the way that christ would have us go these transfiguration like moments don't remove us from this world they're not an escape rather they remind us of what the world
[00:31:03] can be like when when love and grace and mercy and faith take hold of us they give us the courage to do what the disciples did to follow jesus to follow jesus back to where life is lived even
[00:31:18] to the cross and the gospel is clear the mountain is not the destination it's not the goal the transfiguration comes just before Jesus begins his ministry and his journey toward the cross.
[00:31:32] So to listen to Jesus is not only to stand in the light, it's to follow him back into the valley.
[00:31:40] We can't stay there. It's what he told Peter. We don't get to build shelters and remain protected from the world's brokenness and pain or from the needs of our neighbors. Following Jesus isn't about escaping the world. It's about inhabiting it in a different way because we've been in the presence
[00:31:58] of God's beloved. It's about being the love and the mercy and the justice and hope of God for everyone we meet, especially for those for whom God's presence does not seem near.
[00:32:15] Friends, when we listen to Jesus, we will always hear him say to us, follow me, take up your cross give your life away don't be afraid these mountaintop moments moments of listening change how we see everything else we can begin to see suffering more clearly we can
[00:32:37] feel injustice more more deeply we recognize the cost of love and still we are called to follow trusting that Christ goes ahead of us and is always with us.
[00:32:52] Not only on the mountain, but back in the valleys, in the towns and the villages, in the homes where people live.
[00:33:04] We can do the thing Jesus did.
[00:33:07] We can move toward proximity with the needs of our neighbors because we know Christ is already there.
[00:33:17] And this is where Lent comes in.
[00:33:19] It, of course, begins this week on Ash Wednesday after you've had pancakes on Tuesday.
[00:33:25] So I invite you to come do that.
[00:33:28] Lent, a season of listening, a season of quieting the other voices for a moment so that we can hear Jesus again for 40 days.
[00:33:37] We're invited to pray and reflect and confess and worship and pay attention to focus our hearts and our lives on Christ's voice so we can hear his invitation clearly.
[00:33:49] Follow me.
[00:33:49] I'm so I'm grateful for those rare mountaintop moments when the fog finally lifts I have clergy colleagues who will tell you that many of them have a notebook or a folder or a file where they've
[00:34:09] jotted down those moments over the years when they experience the presence of Christ in a profound way and they go back to them I'm grateful for them even if they're fleeting and infrequent they change us. We stand in the light of God's presence and for a moment everything is clear
[00:34:29] and we don't stay there. We carry the light with us back down the mountain into our neighborhoods, into our relationships. We carry a simple radical truth to a weary world. God is not distant or
[00:34:46] indifferent. In Jesus, the God of the mountaintop has come close. His presence reaches into our joys and our deepest hurts and follows us wherever we long for renewal and healing, reminding us that God is not up there. God is right here, as close as our breath, offering freedom and hope and life
[00:35:18] and love. Listen to Jesus, friends. Listen to him. Amen. Please stand. Where the Spirit of the Lord
[00:35:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:35:48] it is, there is one true church, apostolic and universal, whose holy faith let us now declare. We believe in God the Father, infinite in wisdom, power, and love, whose mercy is over all his works, and whose will is ever directed to his children's good. We believe
[00:36:11] in Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, the gift of the Father's unfailing grace, the ground of our hope, and the promise of our deliverance from sin and death. We believe in the Holy Spirit as the divine presence in our lives, whereby we are kept in perpetual
[00:36:34] remembrance of the truth of Christ and find strength and help in time of need.
[00:36:41] We believe that this faith should manifest itself in the service of love as set forth in the example of our blessed Lord to the end that the kingdom of God may come upon the earth.
[00:36:57] Amen.
[00:36:58] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:36:58] Let's join our hearts in prayer to God.
[00:37:57] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:37:57] Gracious and loving God, we give you thanks that you are near to us.
[00:38:04] Thank you for being closer than our breath Thank you for being steadier than our fears Lord, we come to you just as we are Grateful, tired, hopeful, unsure You know the weight we carry And the prayers we cannot quite put into words
[00:38:35] Lord, in your mercy Forgive us when we try to carry everything on our own.
[00:38:44] God, forgive us when fear has a way of shaping us more than our faith.
[00:38:52] Lord, we ask that whatever is anxious within us, that you would quiet that.
[00:38:59] God, and that you would strengthen in us what feels weak.
[00:39:04] Remind us that your grace comes before our striving, and that your grace is that which holds us even now.
[00:39:15] May we all relax into your grace.
[00:39:21] Lord, in your mercy, we ask that you would shape your church, Davidson United Methodist, into the likeness of Christ.
[00:39:35] Make us people of humility.
[00:39:38] Make us people of courage.
[00:39:40] God, help us to love And love in a way that doesn't keep score Help us to empty ourselves of pride So that we may be filled with your spirit And reflect your life-changing goodness in the world
[00:40:00] Lord, in your mercy We lift to you all who are hurting today In body and spirit Lord, the sick The grieving the lonely, those who are overwhelmed, Lord, those who are waiting on answers or a phone call, Lord, those carrying silent burdens. Lord, you know them. You know our every
[00:40:37] need. Be our comfort, be our healing, and be our peace, Lord, in your mercy. We pray for our children and our youth, guard their hearts in a loud and confusing world with mixed messages.
[00:41:01] Lord, give our children and youth the courage to follow you and help us, the adults in their lives, model a faith that is steady, a faith that is authentic, that's honest, a faith that's full of
[00:41:17] love so they may see Christ clearly in us. Lord, in your mercy. We pray for our community and for this world you love, for leaders and neighbors, for places marked by division and pain. Make us
[00:41:36] instruments of your mercy and send us out to live what we pray. Lord, in your mercy. God, and we know that you hear us when we pray. So we take this time now in faith to lift aloud to you those praises
[00:41:55] and those concerns we carry. Lord, we pray for Lord in your mercy. And now trusting in your mercy and not in our own strength, we pray the prayer Jesus taught us, saying, Our Father, who art in
[00:42:22] heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:42:31] 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,
[00:42:46] and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Well, good morning to you and welcome to Davidson United Methodist Church. We're certainly glad that you're here with us. If this is your first time worshiping with us, we'd like to extend a special welcome to you and let you know that we
[00:43:05] have a gift for you out in our gathering space, which is just beyond the sanctuary doors. There's a number of things going on this week that I'd like to draw your attention to. The first of which
[00:43:16] is our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner. So on Tuesday night, please join us from 5 to 7 for a Lenten devotion and a time to eat pancakes together. We'd love to see you there. And then
[00:43:31] Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, when we begin our Lenten journey. And we will have an Ash Wednesday service at 12.15, and we'll also have one at 7 p.m. And we'd love for you to make time in your
[00:43:44] week to join us for that as well. Additionally, I'd like to let you know that on Friday, we have our chili cook-off and a bingo night. All are invited to come and participate. You can register
[00:43:57] through Realm, and there's a QR code on the back of your bulletin that has access to a lot of different events that you can register for, but we would like to invite you to be a part of the
[00:44:07] chili cook-off. You're welcome to enter a chili. You're welcome to not, and come and enjoy the Chili's that have been entered and place your vote and play bingo with us. This event is open to all
[00:44:19] and it's hosted by the United Women in Faith. So we hope to see you there. There's so many wonderful opportunities here at DMC, but I wanted to take a moment to tell you a quick story.
[00:44:33] This week on Wednesday, we had youth Bible study. And at the end of youth Bible study every Wednesday, I will ask one of our youth to pray and we've had one student in particular who really loves to
[00:44:47] close us in prayer and doesn't mind doing that and on Wednesday that student was not there and so I looked around he wasn't there and I thought oh I wish he was here to close us in prayer and
[00:45:00] then I said I'm going to call him I told the youth I said I'm going to call him and see if he answers his phone and we can see if he'll close us in prayer. I called that student. Hello? Hey, we're
[00:45:11] just finishing Bible study and we miss you, but you know, we're wondering if you would close us in prayer. Oh yeah, sure. Okay. All right. I've got you on speakerphone. Okay. Everybody, thank you God for letting us gather here and study your word. He closes us in this most beautiful prayer.
[00:45:28] We get off the phone, fast forward into the week and I'm talking with his mom and she says, Meredith, we were boarding a plane. He was sitting in his seat on the plane as people
[00:45:41] were boarding, coming past, and people paused and were just astonished that this young person is praying. And a lot of people were looking at us going, you know, this is great. This is amazing.
[00:45:55] And I said to the mom, I said, you know, in all of my years of ministry, I think he's my first student that I could call and say, will you pray? And the pastor answers the phone and prays.
[00:46:06] So God really works through people of all ages here at DVMC. And there are faith-forming moments, right, that take place within our youth who are then passing their faith on or living out their faith. So whether you give your tithes and offerings by dropping it in the plate as it goes
[00:46:25] by, whether you give online, thank you. Thank you for partnering with God and making a difference in a teenager's life, in adults' lives, and thank you so much for being a part of this church.
[00:46:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:46:40] Gracious God, your generosity overflows. Accept these are gifts so that with your blessing,
[00:54:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:54:36] we may use them to proclaim Christ in our community and beyond. Amen.
[00:54:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:54:42] Grateful for those moments of encounter when Christ's presence and voice seem near, close to us.
[00:57:56] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:57:56] Moments like worship.
[00:57:57] I pray that this has been that in some way for you today.
[00:58:00] And that having been in God's presence, having been invited to pay closer attention to Jesus, that we might depart this place and do what the closing hymn says, fix our eyes there.
[00:58:15] Not to the mountaintop, but to the people.
[00:58:17] to those whom Christ loves and for whom Christ came and lived and died and was raised that all our neighbors might thrive and have life and life abundant.
[00:58:32] So as we go to be that church this week, let's do so remembering our mission that we will be the body of Christ in our community through worship, education, fellowship, and service.
[00:58:44] Go in peace.
