The Transfiguration of the Lord

 

Today is the observance of The Transfiguration of Jesus.  That is true for United Methodists and some other Methodist groups; it is also the day on which the several Lutheran groups in the United States mark the event.  American Presbyterians have also included the celebration in their liturgical calendars since their acceptance of the Consultation on Church Union (COCU)  lectionary (now the “New Revised Common Lectionary”) which COCU first published in 1974. In the liturgical calendar of these groups the feast occurs on the last Sunday after The Epiphany.  To put it another way, the Transfiguration takes place on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday.

Most of the rest of the Christian Church observes The Transfiguration on August 6.  Through the ages the church looked upon this event as a minor feast, when it raised it up at all.

Much of the Eastern Church counts The Transfiguration as a Trinitarian Feast, as it recognizes all three persons of the Holy Trinity as taking part (the Son experiences transfiguration; the Father speaks; and the Holy Spirit is present in the form of the cloud).

The Anglican and Episcopal Churches have had a sort of love/hate relationship with the feast.  At times in the churches’ history these communions omitted the recognition altogether.  Recent Books of Common Prayer include the day and locate it on August 6.

The August 6 date that many worldwide denominations select for this recognition usually marks a relationship to an important occurrence in the secular calendar.  For instance, it was on August 6, 1456 that news that the Kingdom of Hungary had repulsed an Ottoman invasion of the Balkans by breaking the Siege of Belgrade. In thanksgiving the Pope declared that the minor observance of The Transfiguration on that date become a major feast.

In placing the feast at the end of the Season After The Epiphany, churches that observe this date bookend Ordinary Time with two theophanies: The Baptism of the Lord and The Transfiguration.  Placing these two events in these spots provides emphasis to the revelatory nature of this season.

I wouldn't want to paint this day as a mere historical curiosity.  The devotional value of this day is unlimited.  It is one of the few instances in the New Testament where the voice of God is recorded.  The presence of the figures of Moses (Giver of the Law) and Elijah (arguably the most well-known of the prophets) symbolically validate the work of Jesus.  The cloud is representative of the presence of God (as seen in the Exodus story and other places).  The seeing but not appreciating response of the disciples carries out one of the themes of this liturgical season.  

This day effectively brings us to the close of the Season After The Epiphany, though strictly speaking tomorrow and Tuesday belong to this portion of the cycle.  I believe that concluding Ordinary Time with this feast helps the time go out with a bang.  It is a kind of exclamation point in a wondrous season.

The peace of the Lord be with you.