Pastor’s Corner – February 15, 2026
Get up and do not be afraid! – Matthew 17:1-9
It’s Transfiguration of the Lord Sunday. After our journey through the Epiphany with the light of Christ we carried with us from Christmas Eve, we behold Christ who is transfigured as a blazing light on the mountain top! Our journey through the season culminates with this revelation of Christ and what that means for us as followers. From the mountain top we will journey with the disciples to the valley through Lent. At this pivotal moment what is revealed is the heart of our faith, Jesus Christ. And from this revelation of Christ, we learn something about ourselves, who we are through the transfiguration experience.
We know that when Jesus began his ministry he was not the founder of a religion. Yes you heard that right. As a matter of fact, people who followed him were called the followers of the way. Christian identity came much later after Paul began to preach and extend the message to the gentiles, throughout the Roman empire. Christianity and the church we know today is actually what some theologians call “plan b.” In other words, the early followers believed the end time was near and that Jesus would return in their lifetime. However, when that didn’t happen, generations later built institutions and theologies that better adapted to their time and place.
All this to say what is most important and authoritative to our Christian identity is deeply rooted in our understanding of Jesus Christ. At the mountaintop Jesus is God’s beloved and we are called to listen to him! On his shoulder stands the prophets; Moses and Elijiah, two of the most important figures from the prophetic tradition. What’s the message here? When we consider all the prophetic readings past Sundays that led up to this point and the gospel readings that sharpens our sense of God’s calling, we cannot but be present with the disciples on the mountaintop.
The Transfiguration of our Lord is our transfiguration. When we listen to Jesus, there is something within us, God given divine nature, an image that reflects the very blazing light of Christ in us. We are called to stand with the prophets and listen to Jesus. We live in challenging times and a very fragile, fearful and anxious world. More than ever, we need to listen to Christ who touched his disciples with these words, “Get up and do not be afraid!” Indeed these are the words we need to hear before we venture downward from the mountaintop to the valleys of our lives. Thanks be to God!
Pastor Dae