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Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

There is a phrase in the evening prayer service that goes like this…and for those who know it, please complete it for me. "In many and various ways, God spoke to His people of old by the prophets. Now in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son." But now in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.

In this morning's text, two great prophets, Moses and Elijah, are mentioned, whom God spoke to and gave them revelations, and they in turn spoke them to the people. But now in these last days that the Son has come and have been affirmed as such, He speaks only through the Son. There are no more special revelations. There is only the revelation of His Son.

This morning's is the text of the Transfiguration. It is the great epiphany of this epiphany season. Remember, the epiphany season began with the revelation that Christ was sent for the Gentiles, those who are not of Jewish descent, those who traveled, the wise men from the east, to come and visit and bow and worship the Lord. That was the first of all the epiphany signs. And then, throughout this season, every Sunday, there was always something about the reading of the Gospel that showed forth Christ as being the Son of God in the flesh.

Well this morning is the climax and the end of the epiphany season, and the only time in Scripture, the only time in Scripture other than at His baptism, that God speaks to the people through a voice that is recorded in the New Testament. In such a manner and in such a place ought we to say, "Wow! This must be important." And rightly so. It is.

But why? Let's look at the text. Now, the very beginning phrase of this reading from the Gospel of Luke begins with a very interesting phrase. "Now about eight days after these sayings…" It's the only place in the entire New Testament that that phrase "eight days" occurs, other than the Gospel of John, when Christ reveals Himself to Thomas the eighth day after the resurrection.

The eighth day always has throughout the Scriptures been very symbolic and very eye-pointing us toward the new creation. All male children, remember, eight days old, were to be circumcised, marking them as coming from people who are not of God to be people chosen by God, God's people.

If you notice this baptismal font, the shape of this baptismal font is in the shape of an octagon, an eight-sided shape. Is that coincidence? Is that artistic? By no means! It is a part of this continuation of what God has revealed that these eight days, the eighth day, the eighth of new creation, is to be continued, for we who have been called out of darkness have been called into light at our baptism. There we have been made alive who were dead. There we heard the voice of our Good Shepherd. We who were deaf now hear. We who were blind now see.

So it's very interesting that God through the Holy Spirit would inspire Luke to write this about the transfiguration. But it's not just about the transfiguration. Eight days prior to the transfiguration were some profound statements of our Lord. The eight days prior to this transfiguration moment, Jesus spoke to His disciples, these 12 apostles, very clearly telling them He would be rejected, suffer, and die for them. Now, if that did not click in their minds, He makes it very personal and exhorts them to take up their cross and follow Him.

That is the very important prelude to this morning's transfiguration. Those were the things about which Jesus spoke with the 12 before they went up on this mountain, which is no small thing either. God loves to be revealed on a mountaintop, when you consider all the things of the Old Testament, God speaking especially to the prophet Moses on a mountaintop. And then, not only that, but we'll see in the text then God uses His great theophany of a cloud to envelop them, just as He led the people of Israel out of the wilderness and through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud by day. Not needed, nor necessary, but God chooses to do so that we may find therein God being shown forth and believed for the sake of our faith!

So Jesus takes up to the mount of transfiguration the three apostles, Peter and the two brothers James and John…Peter, who denies Christ, James and John who argue and get their mother to ask Jesus that one of them can sit at Jesus' right hand and one at His left when He comes into glory. Three very proud men, and He takes them up on the mount with Him to pray.

But just like in the garden when Jesus said, "Come and pray with Me," and they kept falling asleep, so they fall asleep here. When Jesus was praying, it says in the text, His appearance was changed. That which looked as only flesh and of this world appeared heavenly and glory filled. It would be the great prelude to your and my glory that awaits us in heaven. It would be a prelude to the glory of Christ when He reveals Himself to His apostles and disciples following His resurrection in His glorified body. It is Him showing Himself, and you, this is what awaits us.

But first, it's the cross that is our life. Now, that doesn't stick anywhere in our craw that brings pleasure. It's bitter, and it bites! Disappointing. Why does it have to be this way? Why can't it be glory here all along and then glory in heaven all along? Because you and I are still damned sinners living in a sinful world among other sinners, and sin is painful, very painful as only you and I know in our own lives.

Moses and Elijah are speaking with Him in this glorified state, and they're talking about His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. His departure meaning His death. His death meaning His sacrifice for you…about the suffering of damnation, of abandonment on the cross. How interesting we would read this three days before we begin this season of Lent, as we make our way to Good Friday and the cross, and the great glory of Easter morn, to sing that this is a feast again, and to sing alleluias again. How interesting indeed.

Peter and those who were with him, Luke reports, were heavy with sleep, as if a cloud of doom and gloom was upon them. And then, they became fully awake, seeing things as those who were once blind now see. And Peter, being the brash Peter: "Let's set up shop here. Let's stay on this mountaintop. Let's enjoy this glory. You've changed, and that means if we hang out with You, we're going to change. This is all good. Let's not leave here and go down to the plain where there could be difficult times awaiting us, about which You just spoke eight days earlier. Let's just keep it here and not rock the boat."

And is that not how you and I speak whenever something comes upon us that we don't like, whether brought upon us by our own sinful flesh, whether brought upon us by someone whom we don't like, whether brought upon us by God sifting us which we know not which of which of those are? How it makes us uncomfortable to be put out. We don't like that. We want things smooth, swimmingly, going wonderfully, and not difficultly.

We may think we don't expect anything from God. We may think we don't expect anything from life or other people, but let us be wronged and we know we did expect something other than that wrong. We know we should not deserve that which is happening to us, or else we wouldn't be offended, we wouldn't be hurt, and we wouldn't be sad. That says we're very self-centered. We're very desirous of ease, and it's very hard and sometimes downright scary to bear the cross which eight days prior to this did Christ remind them to take up their cross and follow Him.

The cloud came and enveloped them. They were afraid because they knew the cloud meant God. Though they had been in the presence of God in Christ Jesus, this theophany is a little bit different. For whatever reason, they are fearful. They know this is the Holy One of Israel. And this Holy One of Israel speaks to them and affirms this One, the Son, as the chosen One, just as He did at His baptism when He began His ministry…that is Jesus. And having affirmed Him, He says something very profound. "Listen to Him."

But the listening to Him doesn't come just once when it's easy for you and me to do. It doesn't just come when life is going difficultly and we clamor back to God and say, "Lord, help me!" What He says that is lost in the English translation is "Continually keep hearing Him. Don't stop hearing Him. Be ever hearing of Him who speaks to you."

But do not look for Him to speak to you as He did to Moses and Elijah here on this mount as He did to them in the past. He speaks to you through the means He has chosen. He speaks to you through two sinful men whose wives and family know how sinful we are. He speaks to us reading words to you to hear. He spoke to you and began this whole journey of yours, bearing the Cross of Christ at your baptism where you hearkened unto the voice of your Shepherd. And He speaks to you in a very transfiguration-like manner when He brings to you His flesh and blood in and with the bread and wine…the same flesh and blood that was transfigured on the mountain, the same flesh and blood that was crucified for us. Here He has said, "Listen to Me. Ever always keep on listening to Me."

When you consider the things in our life that we say aren't important, or we wish not to admit that they're important, those are the very things when they are changed for us, removed from us, that we squeal the loudest. Not necessarily outwardly, for we wish not to look as if we're pagan sinners, but we scream it inwardly because we are still sinners. And if we didn't scream those thoughts or feelings, we wouldn't care. We would be in heaven, and it would not matter. But we're sinners, and we live among sinners whose actions and words aren't always what we desire to receive, be they said in love or be they said otherwise. And living among such sinful people do we need to keep hearing the One who has been proclaimed as the Son.

Now in three days, we enter into the season of Lent…our journey to the Cross of Calvary and to the empty tomb outside the city of Jerusalem, where there is life. And it's a practice. It is a practice of your and my life in this world, living out this faith that we had had called alive by our baptism. It's an ever hearing and waiting for the Master to give us His words of affirmation as His children, of confidence in His forgiveness.

It is a hearing of the Master who proclaims us His sons and His daughters and does not turn His back on us, preparing us to see Him turn His back on the only One He meant to turn His back on, His own Son, the chosen One, the One unto whom we are to listen, that we may never have to ever face the back of God, but always His face whose countenance, as is proclaimed from there, rests upon you in joy and in peace.

How interesting indeed that we bring our season of epiphany to a close, and we begin our road to Calvary's Cross with these words, "Listen to Him. Keep on listening to Him."

In His name, who speaks to us now in these last days through these means, and these means alone, Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and your minds on Christ Jesus to life everlasting, Amen.