Worship Resources for
the Center for Faith and Giving
Epiphany +6
Exodus 24:12-18
Psalm 2 or Psalm 99
2 Peter 1:16-21
Matthew 17:1-9
“The Transfiguration is a foretaste of the glory of Resurrection, a revelation of Jesus’ divinity that has been hidden, yet is no less real. The Transfiguration does not erase Jesus’ humanity but demonstrates the union of full humanity and full divinity in the person of Jesus.”
From UMC Discipleship
Call to Worship (inspired by Psalm 99)
One: Let’s stand to honor the Lord our God!
Many: With joy we come to lift our voices to praise God.
One: Lover of justice, we worship you!
Many: Forgiving God, you are holy.
One: You answer us when we call,
Many: so we’re here to worship the Lord our God!
(Consider singing Chalice Hymnal #63, “O Lord, Our God, How Majestic is your Name.”)
Opening Prayer
Mighty God, we’re gathered and online, focused on you as Lord of our lives.
Thank you for the good gift of this day,
for the joy of coming together in community to praise your name.
Thank you for the opportunity we have to bring our tithes, our gifts, and our offerings
to strengthen this congregation and support the ministries to which you call us.
Thank you for your love, made known to us even in the midst of challenges and tribulations.
Thank you for raising us up and offering us this new day!
Call to us in this hour, and inspire us to answer
as faithful followers of your beloved son, Jesus, the Christ. AMEN
Moment for Stewardship
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s Gospels, we hear the story of Jesus’ “transfiguration” and the appearance of Moses and Elijah. Faced with this extraordinary experience, and nearly overwhelmed by the recognition of Jesus, Moses and Elijah together on the mountain, Peter spoke up to offer what he could: to build three tents.
While most of us rarely, if ever, have the experience of standing in the presence of Jesus, sometimes we, too, can be filled up with the desire to offer what we have as a gift for this One, the Beloved Son of God.
Can you remember moments when you were nearly overwhelmed with your sense of connection to the holy?(Describe your own experience or use a story of someone in the congregation or someone of whom you are aware, with their permission, of course!)
Bringing this moment into our awareness today, I invite you to respond with the gifts you are willing and able to offer.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Ever Giving God,
as we remember Peter on the Mount of Transfiguration,
and recall __________ (refer back to the example you used in the invitation),
help us celebrate our own offering of what we’ve freely given.
Receive these gifts and help us use them to extend your Realm on earth,
even as you know it to be in heaven. AMEN
Invitation to Communion
We come to the Lord’s Table on this Transfiguration Sunday eager to share in the gifts offered here in bread and cup. As Peter, James and John experienced on the mountain-top so long ago, Jesus is changed right before their eyes. In something of the same reality, when we focus in on the elements prepared for us we recognize how Jesus is:
changed from the man standing on the mountain,
changed from the teacher/healer/leader sharing his last supper with his disciples,
changed to One represented in these symbols of his body and blood.
All are invited to participate in this feast. May these gifts become nourishment and encouragement for us to walk once more the 40 days to Jerusalem, to Calvary, to the despair of the tomb and the glory of resurrection.