Transfiguration of Our Lord Worship Order of Service | 2-11-24
St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
Transfiguration of Our Lord
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
02-11-2024 10:00AM Hybrid Worship
+ GATHERING +
THE GREETING, CONFESSION, AND FORGIVENESS:
L The grace of (+) Jesus Christ, the mercy of the Holy One, and the Spirit of the living God be with you all.
My friends, our God – majestic, mighty, and merciful – has come to us in glory.
Now let us come before God – as individuals and as a community – in humility and honesty. O God…
C You have called us to bear Christ’s name and spirit and mission, but we have made you look bad.
We confess that sometimes we have been ashamed of the Gospel.
We confess that sometimes we have been a shame to the Gospel.
We do not always follow faithfully, and sometimes we don’t even try.
We do not always love fervently, and sometimes we don’t really care.
Transform us on the inside so that we look, speak, act, and interact better on the outside.
We ask to be forgiven. We want to change. Help us to know and glow with the mind of Christ. Amen.
L Jesus Christ is a forgiving, loving, and life-giving presence.
If you are willing, he is shining upon you with his mercy and within you with his grace.
Today he offers you a new way to live, a new direction to go.
It demands your humility, your obedience, and your courage.
But there is no better life than this life in Christ! You are (+) forgiven! So live that way.
Hallelujah and Amen!
OPENING SONG: “MINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE GLORY” Brown #297
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY:
God of both the mountains and the valleys, grant us a vision, refresh our souls, and transform us with the shining presence of Jesus. Then give us the courage and conviction to be led by Jesus on the way to the cross as we follow Him in service. Let the world see Jesus shining through our lives!
Lord, keep me thirsty in my heart and busy in my witness. So be it, Amen!
+ THE HOLY WORD +
FIRST READING: 2 Kings 2:1-12
[When ministry responsibility is passed on from one to another.]
2:1 Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.
2:2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
2:3 The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”
2:4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho.
2:5 The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”
2:6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.
2:7 Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.
2:8 Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
2:9 When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.”
2:10 He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.”
2:11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.
2:12 Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
A POEM Stephanie Fluellen
SECOND READING: 2 Corinthians 9:16-23
[Seeing and being the Light of Christ in a world of spiritual darkness.]
4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
4:5 For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake.
4:6 For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR
A READING Kennedy or Ariana
GOSPEL VERSE:
“Always remember Jesus, Jesus.
Always remember Jesus, Jesus.
Always keep Him on your mind.”
THE GOSPEL: Mark 9:2-9
[A sustaining vision of glory before the pain of the cross.]
9:2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them,
9:3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.
9:4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
9:5 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
9:6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.
9:7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”
9:8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
9:9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
THE SERMON: Pastor Gwen or Pastor Neil
SONG RESPONSE: “LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING”, verse 2 Brown #296
A CREEDAL STATEMENT FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH (together):
We believe that God has been present with us in our past. In the challenges and triumphs of our individual and collective narratives, God has been there, God has seen us through, and God has done some mighty good things. God calls us to retell both the pleasant and the unpleasant, our whole story, lest we forget whose we are and where we have come from and how we got through.
We believe that God is present with us here and now as we seek to hold onto our identity as God’s children and our purpose as God’s anointed. We are called to be bearers of light, makers of justice and peace, and heralds of the good news to all the world. No matter this world’s many trials, tribulations, and temptations, we will not give in, we will not give up, we will not worry about failure. We are somebody,
created by God, saved by Jesus, and guided by the Spirit… with something to share, special gifts for service, compassion to offer, a story to live. We don’t believe God brought us this far just to leave us.
We believe that God will be with us as we go forward to shape our story in the days ahead. We will seek to stay in the path of faithful living and fervent loving that Jesus has demonstrated and commanded. We will hold onto the promise that, no matter what, everything is gonna be alright… that, one day, hatred and sin and suffering will cease… and that, now and forever, we are held in the strong, loving, and tender arms of our God. Amen.
THE PRAYERS… We pray that we may see, accept, and bear THE LIGHT OF CHRIST in our lives!
+ THE HOLY MEAL +
OFFERING [Transformed by the presence and power of Jesus in our own lives, let us be willing and courageous to touch and change the lives of many. The mission is not impossible if we will live with hope and act with boldness.]
SONG SELECTION: ALL SAINTS CHOIR
THE OFFERTORY SONG: “THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE”
- This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine… (3X)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!
- Ev’rywhere I go, I’m gonna let it shine… (3X)
- Jesus gave it to me, I’m gonna let it shine… (3X)
OFFERING PRAYER by the Communion Assistant:
O Lord our God, You have anointed us to bring good news and to proclaim liberty, to bind up the brokenhearted and to liberate the oppressed. Help us to shine forth always and in all ways with the bright glory of Jesus Christ. Amen.
THE PREFACE:
L The Lord be with you. C AND ALSO WITH YOU!
L Lift up your hearts! C WE LIFT THEM UP IN LOVE FOR GOD!
L Let us give thanks to the Lord our God! C IT IS RIGHT TO GIVE GOD THANKS AND PRAISE!
THE EUCHARISTIC WORDS by the Celebrant, who recalls and re-enacts Jesus’ Holy Meal.
THE LORD’S PRAYER (spoken)
COMMUNION AND BLESSINGS… All believers in Christ are welcome at the Lord’s Table! We will have “continuous distribution” with wafers and either wine or grape juice. CHRIST COMES TO US IN BREAD AND WINE AND BLESSING, BRINGING US PEACE, UNITY, STRENGTH, AND HOPE FOR LIVING FAITHFULLY AND LOVING FERVENTLY!
COMMUNION SONGS: Brown #220 Brown #180
THE COMMUNION BLESSING by the Celebrant after all have communed.
POST-COMMUNION PRAYER by the Communion Assistant.
+ SENDING +
BENEDICTION by the Pastor… God sends us TO SHINE with the Light of Jesus Christ in a shadowy world!
CLOSING SONG: “WE ARE MARCHING IN THE LIGHT OF GOD” Brown #63