Transfiguration of Our Lord/
Last Sunday After Epiphany
INTRODUCTION TO THE DAY
Today’s festival is a bridge between the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany cycle that comes to a close today and the Lent-Easter cycle that begins in several days. On a high mountain Jesus is revealed as God’s beloved Son, echoing the words at his Baptism. This vision of glory sustains us as Jesus faces his impending death in Jerusalem. We turn this week to Ash Wednesday and our yearly Baptismal journey from Lent to Easter. Some churches, as do we, put aside the alleluia at the conclusion of today’s liturgy. This Word of joy will be omitted during the penitential season of Lent and will be sung again at Easter.
FIRST READING: Exodus 24: 12-18
At Mount Sinai, Moses experienced the presence of God for forty days and forty nights. The “glory of the LORD” settled on the mountain, and on the seventh day God called out to Moses. On the mountain God gave Moses the stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments.
PSALM 2
SECOND READING: 2nd Peter 1:16-21
At the transfiguration, God’s voice was heard, declaring Jesus to be the beloved Son. By the activity of the Holy Spirit, God’s voice continues to be heard through the Word of scripture.
GOSPEL: Matthew 17: 1-9
Shortly before he enters Jerusalem, where he will be crucified, Jesus is revealed to Peter, James, and John in a mountaintop experience of divine glory called the transfiguration.
Announcements!
INVITATION TO LENT
As disciples of Jesus, we are called to a discipline that contends against evil and resists whatever leads us away from love of God and neighbor. I invite you, therefore, to the discipline of Lent – self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting, sacrificial giving and works of love – strengthened by the gifts of Word and Sacrament. Let us continue our journey through these forty days to the great Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
ASH WEDNESDAY IS COMING
This year Ash Wednesday will be Feb. 26. We have a service at Zion on Ash Wednesday at 7 p.m. It is a communion service and includes the disposition of ashes. We hope that you will mark your calendars and come to celebrate the first day of the season of Lent that marks the six weeks before Easter.
Future midweek Lenten Services can be found at:
- Resurrection Lutheran, Hilliard, Light supper at 6 with service at 6:30.
- St. John’s Lutheran, London, Light supper at 6, service at 7.
- St. Paul’s Lutheran, New Rome, service at 7.
- Sts. Simon and Jude Catholic Church, W. Jeff, Stations of the Cross, Fridays, 7. They have a spaghetti supper before the service.
If you would like a great fish dinner on Friday, Margaret and Mark serve the meal at St. Margaret’s, 1600 Hague Avenue, in Columbus. Stop in and visit with them from 4:30-7:30 PM Fridays. Stations of the Cross Services are on Thursdays.
GOD'S WORK. OUR HANDS
THE CHURCH IN SOCIETY: A LUTHERAN PERSPECTIVE
This social teaching statement was adopted by a more than two-thirds majority vote at the second biennial Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, meeting in Orlando, Florida, August 28-September 4, 1991.
"The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is called to be a part of the ecumenical Church of Jesus Christ in the context in which God has placed it—a diverse, divided, and threatened global society on a beautiful, fragile planet. In faithfulness to its calling, this church is committed to defend human dignity, to stand with poor and powerless people, to advocate justice, to work for peace, and to care for the Earth in the processes and structures of contemporary society. "This statement, The Church in Society: A Lutheran Perspective sets forth affirmations and commitments to guide this church’s participa-tion in society. It seeks to be true to this church’s mandate to confess and teach both Law and Gospel as the whole Word of the triune God. This church witnesses to the living God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who, in love creates, judges, and preserves the World and redeems, sanctifies, and brings it to fulfillment in God’s reign
PRAYERS
Please keep these people in your prayers: Esther Mae Baker, Pastor Larry Baker, Al Bausch, Dortha Feddern, Wesley and JoAnn Porter. Please remember all of our shut-ins and sick. (Also, pray for the families and caretakers of those on the prayer list.)
THE BREAKFAST BUNCH
“The Breakfast Bunch” meets the first Saturday of every month at Der Dutchman in Plain City, at 8:30 a.m. “Come one, Come all” for a great breakfast, fellowship and more!
SIGN-UPS
Please check the bulletin board behind the office door for all of the sign-up sheets for this year. Communion, birthday Sundays, and Worship Assistants/helpers. Thank you so much!
You can also remember special occasions or special people by contributing money that would normally be used for altar flowers. Instead the donation goes to our local food pantry.
