Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Wednesday prior to Transfiguration

 

2 Corinthians 4:3-6 – Christians see the glory of God in Jesus

Christians see the glory of God in Jesus - Who is this Jesus? That is the question the world has been asking for close to 2,000 years.  Paul reminds us that by faith we are able to see the glory of God in Jesus Christ. He is more than just a mere man. He is more than just a prophet. He is, as Thomas will confess in the Easter season, “My Lord and My God.”  The world wants Jesus to be anything but God.  A true confession calls for us to say that above anything else He is the Lord of life.

Paul, in discussing the problem of darkness verses light, notes that there will be those to whom the goodness of Jesus Christ is veiled. They will not be able to se, to accept the message of salvation. This is an appropriate selection for the Transfiguration for the event itself suggests an unveiling of Jesus’ ministry in the light of and history of the people of Israel.

Moses, who appeared with Christ and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration, is shown on another mountain in the Old Testament lesson for this week (Deuteronomy 34:1-12), the mountain from which he saw the promised land just before his death. Paul discusses this same Moses in 3:7-16, a section introducing an elaborate parallel between the light on his face and the consequent veil and the light “in the face of Christ” mentioned in 4:6, as well as the veil image of verses 3-4.

Prayer in times of temptation: Almighty and everlasting God, through Your Son You have promised us forgiveness of sins and everlasting life. Govern our hearts by Your Holy Spirit that in our daily need, and especially in all time of temptation, we may seek Your help and, by a true and lively faith in Your Word, obtain all that You have promised; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. [2]– 23 February, 2022



[1] The Transfiguration of our Lord, woodcut by Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld, a nineteenth-century German artist known especially for his book ‘The Book of Books in Pictures’ ©WELS for personal and congregational use.
[2] A Prayer in times of temptation, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

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