Planning Guide. February 2009 S M T W T F S

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1 Planning Guide SAT 28 FRI 27 THUR 26 WED 25 TUES 24 MON 23 SUN 22 Transfiguration Shrove Tuesday Ash Wednesday Things to keep in mind this week Planning ahead February 2009 S M T W T F S January Sunday, February 22 Saturday, February S M T W T F S March 2009 S M T W T F S Revised Common Lectionary (Yr B) 2 Kings 2:1 12 Psalm 50:1 6 2 Corinthians 4:3 6 Mark 9:2 9 Liturgical colour: green white If you have Internet access, visit to access Spirit Sightings for connections between current events and the focus passage. Ecumenical Prayer Calendar Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta Seasons of the Spirit Congregational Life Advent Christmas Epiphany 127

2 Sense of the Sacred February Focus Scripture Mark 9:2 9 Additional Scriptures 2 Kings 2:1 12 Psalm 50:1 6 2 Corinthians 4:3 6 Holy God, we see your glory in the face of Jesus the Christ. Grant that, as we look on Christ, we may be transformed and be strengthened to follow your call to serve in the world. Amen. If you have Internet access, visit to access Spirit Sightings for connections between current events and the focus passage. In the Season after the Epiphany, the church explores signs of God s glory shining in the world. Mark describes Jesus transfiguration and, with the disciples, we sense the sacred moment; we will see things in a new way from this time forward. We catch Elisha s vision of the sacred as Elijah is caught up to heaven. With Paul and the psalmist, we give thanks that God s light shines forth through us. Focus Scripture: Mark 9:2 9 The Season after the Epiphany ends with the story of Jesus transfiguration. This revealing of Jesus glory is a turning point, marking the end of Jesus ministry in Galilee and the beginning of the journey towards Jerusalem and the fate that awaits Jesus there. Just before today s reading, Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah. But Peter does not understand Jesus teaching about the kind of Messiah Jesus has come to be. Six days later, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain. While there, Jesus appearance is transfigured Jesus shines. The disciples see Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah. This event has echoes of Hebrew Scriptures. Moses face was transfigured on Mount Sinai when he was in God s presence and received the Law. Elijah also experienced God s presence on Sinai. Elijah s return will announce the coming of the Messiah. For Mark, Jesus fulfills the work of the Law and the prophets. Jesus shining garments mark him as one who has triumphed through martyrdom. Jesus changed appearance a metamorphosis reflects his nature as both divine and human, and anticipates Jesus changed appearance at the Resurrection. Peter grasps a sense of the sacred, and wants to preserve it; he offers to build three tents. The word used for tent can mean tabernacle, the same word used in John 1:14 to describe the incarnate Jesus dwelling among us. This word also connects with the Exodus story of the tent in the wilderness, and the Ark where God s glory dwells. A cloud, a sign of God s presence, comes over the mountain. From it, a voice repeats the words from Jesus baptism: This is my Son, the Beloved. In Mark s account of Jesus baptism, only Jesus hears the voice from heaven. Here the disciples hear the voice telling them to listen to Jesus. This time must have been a terrifying and amazing experience for the three disciples, but Jesus cautions them not to tell anyone about it. We have seen this before in Mark s gospel. It is not yet time for the disciples to proclaim the good news. The meaning of Jesus messiahship is to remain a secret for the time being. As we move into the Season of Lent, we feel the tension building as Jesus ministry continues. It is in the seeing and understanding that God s messenger is known. In 2 Kings 2:1 12, the prophet Elijah is carried up to heaven, and Elisha glimpses the sacred and comes to a fuller understanding of who Elijah is. Elisha receives a double portion of the spirit of Elijah, and is thus known as a prophet in the true succession. The awe-inspiring image of God s majesty and our response to it are central in the other texts. In Psalm 50:1 6, God s majesty and power shine forth from Zion. God calls and judges, gathering the faithful. Paul, in 2 Corinthians 4:3 6, speaks in images of light and darkness, of blindness and sight. Just as Moses veiled his face when it shone with reflected glory, so the gospel of Christ is veiled and hidden from those who do not believe. As we live in faith, God s love shines in our hearts. As did the disciples on the mountain, we see God s glory in Jesus the Christ. Epiphany means showing forth. During this season, we have explored many ways in which God s glory is revealed in the life and work of Jesus and the disciples. Where and when have you sensed the sacred or caught glimpses of God s presence? How do such moments define your life as a disciple and a church? 128 Seasons of the Spirit Congregational Life Advent Christmas Epiphany

3 Prepare Worship Resources for February NOTE: All of these suggestions are mere starting points; adapt, delete and add according to your local needs. Recruit volunteers needed for worship: three for the call to worship, one for the Kings reading, three for the Corinthians reading, several for the statement of faith, six for the presentation on the resource sheet, Sacred Moments Remembered. Set up a table, a candle, and posters Bethelehem s Star, Epiphany, and Great Mystery. Bring stars, fishing net, and bowl of water for the call to worship. Place a candle on a table in the middle of the worship space. Make sure the candle is a new one. Near the candle, display posters Bethlehem s Star, Epiphany, and Great Mystery. Play quiet, instrumental music as people gather. Call to worship Have three different people bring in the designated objects, place them on or near the table, and offer the statement below. (Bring in shiny stars.) ONe: We have walked beneath the stars and their glory guides us to the promised one. (Bring in a fishing net.) TWO: We have walked along the seashore and heard the call to follow. (Bring in a bowl of water.) THree: We have been dipped in the water and know we are the beloved of God. It is good to be here for we shall see the glory of God. Come, and worship. Opening prayer God of light and glory, may we recognize your glory around us a sense of the sacred found in the everyday: in the stories of faith we tell, in the lives of the people we meet, in the words we use to speak. Gather Bring a candle or prepare slide show for the Mark reading. Bring pictures for opening the word with children. Create a slide show as described on the resource sheet, Sacred Moments Remembered p Prepare a table with purple, white, and gold cloth as described under bless. May your majesty and mystery always be within our seeing, close enough for our hearing, and present in our living. Prayer of confession Invite people to sit with their hands clenched in a fist, their arms tucked tightly in front of them, and their heads bowed. Following the prayer, play instrumental music and give people time to unclench their fists, unfold their arms, lift their heads, and slowly stand. God of the mountains and clear skies, here we can see ourselves more clearly, where the air is thinner and the light is clearer, and we confess we long to fold up our living. We long to hide away from the times when what we have done has not brought glory to you and has caused you and others pain. We want to forget those times when the opportunities for doing what is right have not been taken, and the chance to speak out has not been grasped. We want to fold up, hide from the truth, and be left alone. (moment of silence) But you are the God of transformation. Transfigure our confession, that we may hear your forgiveness, and find renewal and life again. (Play music as people unfold and stand.) Music Suggestions Invocation Pastór de Lasala and James Coyle; Music Section, p. 1 Pulsing Spirit Delores Dufner; Music Section, p. 4 The Galilee Song Frank Anderson; Music Section, p. 10 Bright the Clouds and Bright the Glory Carl P. Daw Bring Many Names Brian Wren I Am the Light of the World Jim Strathdee Seasons of the Spirit Congregational Life Advent Christmas Epiphany 129

4 Worship Resources for February Assurance of pardon Sing a hymn of transformation such as O God, You Search Me p. 6 in the Music Section after the assurance of pardon. God says: It is good for you to be here. God says: You are my beloved child. God says: Listen to me. Through forgiveness, there is change, and in being forgiven, there is an unfolding, an un-crushing, an enlivening, and the bringing of life. I will unfold your pain, I will un-crush your soul, I will un-crease your hope, and in that transfiguring, together we might find the glory I honed into your life at creation. Scripture readings 2 Kings 2:1 12 Use the worship space to illustrate the geography of the reading. Verse 1: Stand at the doors of the worship space. Verse 2: Move into the centre of the space. Verse 3: Have the congregation read the words of the company of prophets. Verse 4: Begin in the centre of the space and then move to the left side. Verse 5: The congregation reads the words of the company of the prophets. Verse 6: Move towards the right-hand side of the worship space. Verse 11: Begin moving towards the front of the worship space. Verse 12: Arrive at the front of the worship space. Mark 9:2 9 Read the passage by an unlit candle that is lit at the end of verse two, then blow it out at verse 8. Some quiet music could be played in the background if appropriate. Alternatively images of light could be projected such as sunbursts from behind clouds, light shimmering on water, sunrises and sunsets. A few photographs of mountains before and after these images would give some context. 2 Corinthians 4:3 6 Verse 1: Three people hold a lit candle. Verse 3: Shield the candle flame with a hand. Verse 4: Turn backs to the congregation so candle is completely hidden. Verse 6: Face the congregation, revealing the flames. Engage Opening the word with children Sacred memories Bring several photographs that depict special events in your life or the life of the congregation. Show the children the photographs and offer simple stories from each event. Explain that stories of Jesus are like photographs. They help us remember important events and keep us from forgetting what God has done in the world. On this day when we remember Jesus going up the mountain and the mysterious story of him glowing with light, it is a good time to look back over the photographs or memories of Jesus life. Ask people what their favourite story of Jesus is and what it reminds them of about him. You don t have to understand what happened in a story, just that it makes God seem closer. On the mountaintop (based on Mark 9:2 9) This is the story from the 3 5 age-level resource. People of all ages will enjoy hearing the gospel reading in this way. Sit a distance away from a raised up place in the worship space and invite people to pretend it is a mountain. In the story, each time you say, Come with me and see, beckon to the listeners and move a bit closer to the mountain. Finally they will be at the base of the mountain to hear the rest of the story. What a day it is for three of Jesus disciples! Peter, James, and John are going on a hike. Up, up, up they go. It is Jesus idea. Jesus is taking his friends Peter, James, and John somewhere important. Up, up, up a mountain they go. 130 Seasons of the Spirit Congregational Life Advent Christmas Epiphany

5 Worship Resources for February Jesus goes all the way to the top, but Peter, James, and John stop part way. They wonder what will happen next. Peter, James, and John could hardly believe their eyes. Jesus appearance had changed and two people were standing beside him. Is that really Jesus? His clothes they re bright white! I m shading my eyes from the dazzling light! Who are the others? Can you tell? Could one of them be Moses? Yes, Moses is here with Jesus! The other is from long ago, too: the prophet Elijah! Listen! What do you hear? (Pause.) Peter, James and John hear God say, This is my beloved; I love him. Listen to him! Come with me and see and hear. (Arrive at the base of the mountain.) And suddenly it is only Jesus on top of the mountain. The other two people have gone. Prayers of the people In the shadows of this world, working for a politic of justice, in the hunger of your people, speaking out for trade rules that are fair. Respond Jesus smiles and says, Don t be afraid. Let s go now. And down, down the mountain they go. Quietly Peter, and James, and John wonder about what they saw. They had so much more to learn about Jesus. Come with me and see and wonder. Proclaiming the word Recall an aha moment when you had a sense of the sacred in your midst. What are your strong memories of the occasion? How has it reshaped who you are today? The story of Jesus transfiguration in Mark 9:2 9 is often understood as a moment where everything comes into focus; it is the story through which the gospel writer wants us to see all the other stories of Jesus. How does Jesus transfiguration inform the stories of Jesus we have heard during this season Jesus baptism, the calling of the disciples, the healing stories? How does this sacred encounter prepare us to follow more deeply into Lent? Elijah and Elisha s story in 2 Kings 2:1 12 reminds us that encountering a sacred presence empowers us for ministry. How is your community of faith taking up the mantle and living the story in the world? If we wish to witness a sense of the sacred in the world, 2 Corinthians 4:3 6 suggests we need to look no further than Jesus Christ. How do you feel you have witnessed to the presence of God? When has your face reflected the glory of God recently? How can you be an agent of transfiguration in your community? In the living of the faith, being the community of love, in the needs of your people, being the hands of heaven. In the conflict of the world, living lives of peace, in the prejudice of our traditions, speaking words of inclusion and acceptance. In the bad news of the papers, being the good news of God, in the ordinariness of the world, being the presence of your glory. In the grieving of your people, being the presence of hope, in the propaganda of the nations, being the way of truth. Seasons of the Spirit Congregational Life Advent Christmas Epiphany 131

6 Worship Resources for February Statement of faith Invite children and others to use shakers and other instruments that provoke the idea of glory at the response line. We believe Jesus healed the sick. We believe Jesus lived out the justice of God. We believe Jesus was friends with the friendless. We believe Jesus touched the despised. We believe Jesus celebrated feasts. We believe Jesus broke bread with all. We believe Jesus calls us by name. Place a small table covered in a piece of purple cloth near the back of the worship space. Cover the purple cloth with strips of white and gold symbolizing glory. Invite folk to each take a strip of white or gold cloth as they leave, thus uncovering the purple cloth and preparing the space for the beginning of Lent next week. Bless Not on the mountaintop, but into the world we will take a sense of the sacred. Not in the memorialized story, but in the work of today we will live a sense of the sacred. We go to let the glory out. and to bring the love of Jesus into the world and transfigure it. Special Day Commentary Reaching out across the ages Ages 6 8 have the option of making sweet treats to share with a local service agency. Adults have the option of considering ways to make your church a better place of learning for children and youth, and thinking about how these ideas might be implemented. Feb. 22 March 1 Ayyam-i-Ha (Bahá i) This period adjusts the Baha i year to the solar calendar. It leads to the 19-day fast. Each day of Ayyam-i- Ha is marked by a different virtue such as hospitality, gift giving, or charity. 132 Seasons of the Spirit Congregational Life Advent Christmas Epiphany

7 Resource sheet Learning & Serving February Sacred Moments Remembered Display the seasonal posters, or project the designated images from the Advent, Christmas and Epiphany Data CD. Have a different voice read each reflection. Invite the congregation to sing Pulsing Spirit p. 4 from the Music Section each time as a response. Reflection #1 (Project Reshaping the Land.) I remember a land being made new. Do you remember a light coming into the world and transforming the land, renewing a hope? a child being born and a world re-created? I remember. Do you remember a world getting ready for salvation finding a new purpose to bring life, a new intent for living? I remember. Do you remember the transformation? the promise of Advent? This recalling and seeing beyond into the future and believing it, changed our world. This is transfiguration. I remember, do you? Reflection #2 (Project Woman Listening.) I remember the annunciation: the moment Mary listened and heard the call of heaven. Do you remember that turning moment in the universe when everything paused and held breath waiting for Mary s Yes!? I remember. Do you remember the cascade of dreams, the turning of hope, the crushing of darkness that followed? I remember. Do you remember the transformation that one word brought? This recalling of that holy moment, and taking into ourselves the dream of justice to change our world, this is transfiguration. I remember, do you? Reflection #3 (Project Bethlehem s Star.) I remember the guiding words of Simeon and Anna. Do you remember that belief and trust in what could be possible? I remember. Do you remember the offering of blessings, words blazed to proclaim the arrival of God in flesh? I remember. Do you remember all journeys, that men and women have followed seeking God and truth and love? I remember. Do you remember the transformation those journeys bring? This recalling of those adventures born of longing bring renewal and change to the travellers and to those who hold and follow the stories left behind in the wake of journeying. This is transfiguration. I remember, do you? Reflection #4 (Project Great Mystery.) I remember the pouring of water and the gathering of disciples. Do you remember that defining moment when the Holy One became one with us, was reborn through the water with the voice of love sounding in his ears? I remember. Do you remember that companion on the road, calling those by nets and boats, by tables and trees, by towns and villages? I remember. Do you remember the transformation the water brought? This recalling and seeing through to a holy story of faith and grace, and watching it change the world is our story too. This is transfiguration. I remember, do you? Reflection #5 (Project The Newborn Child.) I remember the way God places promise into each of us: and how God s presence is part of who we are no matter where we travel. Do you remember the shout of the psalmist: O God you search me and you know me? I remember. Do you remember: the presence that cannot let us go, that follows us and holds us to the end of the earth and back again? Do you remember: the unfolding of God s way, the slow beauty of salvation, the promise that knows us from the womb, calling us voicing our names to the universe and watching us as we push our way out and into the world, a way of living that is always within the breadth of God s love? This is transfiguration. I remember, do you? Reflection #6 (Project Epiphany.) I remember the adventure that began with promise and brings us here to a mountaintop. Do you remember that whole path of light? I remember. Do you remember the twists and turns this path has brought and the revelations discovered where least expected? I remember. Do you remember the way the light dances with the future calling us towards it? I remember. Do you remember the hint of glory in word and in act, in promise and in vision, that belongs to us? This recalling of the sense of the sacred God s longing for us to seek out and touch the glory re-creates our faith. This is transfiguration. I remember, do you? Seasons of the Spirit Congregational Life Advent Christmas Epiphany 133

8 Learning & Serving February Sacred Encounters Lisa M. Hess A debate persists about how God appears today, in ordinary life. Theologians talk about this as God s self-revelation. Do we encounter the Holy One when we knock at the door, seeking God s presence? Or do we get overwhelmed by God s self-revealing love, judgment, and grace that transform us like a refining fire, regardless of our will? How does sacred encounter happen and how do we respond? Contemplative psychologist Gerald May suggests that we do not actually know sacred encounters when they happen. Sacred encounter, as May recounts it, is a unitive experience where self and God are not separate or distinguishable in the loving presence of the Creator embracing creatures. By the time we become aware of such a sacred encounter, reflecting upon it as experience, it is no longer happening. Awareness, in its very exercise, means an I is thinking about a Thou, apart from itself. Sacred encounter, therefore, happens whenever God desires, but we become aware of it only after the fact, after we have regained control of our senses. Even in Jesus transfiguration, which is how we usually think of God s self-revelation, human response happens in three ways. The first part of the story offers what we expect: brilliant light, God s voice from above, saints or angels. Jesus as a prophet, healer, and teacher had been living God s love every day, but he suddenly became a revelation of God upon the mountain with his disciples Peter, James, and John (Mk 9:2), such that they were aware of it in the silence and confusion afterwards. Domesticating the sacred Peter s response: immediate busyness, construction of tents which suggest a desire to enclose and captivate the Holy that overwhelms. Notice how immediately he attempts to domesticate God. One way we respond, in the light, is a reactive confinement and an attachment to what we already know as normal. Mark reads, He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. It seems God chooses to overwhelm, in this case. Pondering in silence Yet God also returns everything back to exactly how it was, by all appearances. Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus. Gone are the bright lights and the brilliant clothing. Gone are the other holy ones, standing at Jesus side. Everything looked just as it had been, though nothing was the same. They were not the same. They had seen something they could not understand. What a relief for the disciples to hear Jesus say, Tell no one about what you have seen, until after the Son of Man has risen from the dead. What could they have said, believably? Better to keep quiet, ponder it in your heart as Mary did. Mark offers another typical response here to an encounter with God. Remember it. Reflect upon it. Wait for additional information or experiences in which things may make more sense. Do not share it. How many of us have experienced synchronicities or remarkable sensations of Presence and love, yet never speak of them? Who would believe us? We can choose to knock at the door for more, or not, it seems. Framing the sacred in the known The disciples ask, Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first? Jesus responds to their question, and the narrative continues into the healing of a boy with an unclean spirit. The disciples question is slightly related they had seen what they presumed to be Elijah at Jesus side but the question is also an attempt to build a bridge from what they have known, what they had received from their scriptures and traditions beforehand. Sacred encounter, when inexplicable, must somehow grow out of our understandings of what God has desired, who God has been. The ongoing human response, it seems, is faith seeking understanding. Sacred encounters happen all the time in the love of God shared every day. If we only look for the brilliant light, we miss the mystery of the Holy One, working deeply within our spirits, right at our doorstep, waiting for us to knock while standing at our side. Human response will always attempt to domesticate, to keep quiet, to ask from slightly related, previous understanding. But God awaits where we knock, ready to overwhelm and calm us down, both at the same time. Lisa M. Hess is an ordained Word & Sacrament minister in the PC(USA) and teaches practical theology at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. 134 Seasons of the Spirit Congregational Life Advent Christmas Epiphany