A Wondrous Moment
Original sermon given on The Transfiguration of Our Lord, Sunday, February 15, 2026 written and delivered by Pastor Jeff Leininger at First Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church.
Watch the sermon live.
“A Wondrous Moment”
Matthew 17.1-9
In the name of the Living God and the Christ who has appeared to us. Amen.
“Oh Wondrous Type! O vision fair
Of glory that the Church may share,
Which Christ upon the mountain shows,
Where brighter than the sun He glows.” (LSB 413)
So we sang in our entrance hymn on this Transfiguration Sunday. In Greek the word is “metamorphosis” which is a far juicier than the boring Latin “transfiguratus”. This morning, we stand upon the mountain top with Peter, James, and John and behold Christ’s earthly, confined, limited, human nature metamorphized to reveal his glorious, powerful, unlimited divine nature.
And what a wonderous moment indeed — both for them and for us. Jesus drags his inner circle up a high mountain to give an unveiled glimpse of an eternal reality beyond the constrictions and confines and confusion of this world.
There are seven wonders in this episode on the Mountain of Transfiguration (or the Mountain of Metamorphosis). And each of them begins with a “C”, so we have the seven wonders and seven the “Cs”! (Don’t worry, this will go quickly.)
1) Christ’s Countenance. The first wonderous thing they behold is Christ’s face, or countenance, or outward appearance lit up like the sun. In the winter months during my morning commute to First Saint Paul’s, driving gets a bit hazardous as the rising sun over the city nearly blinds east-bound traffic. It is powerful in that it penetrates, but also in that it exposes. My windshield never looks so dirty as a morning in December, heading east on the Eisenhower. Peter, James, and John are just feet away from Christ, and so we can imagine how penetrating and exposing is the divine glory upon them. Beautiful, yes, but dangerous too.
2) Christ’s Clothes. The clothes of Christ are an equally wonderous sight to behold. The metamorphosis of Christ’s divinity works its way into his garments too. Here the gospel writers struggle with human words to describe such a divine event. Matthew describes Christ’s garments as “white as light” (it’s the word we use for “photon”). St. Mark describes a shining whiteness like no bleach in all the world could bleach.
3) Christ’s Company. Beyond his face, and his garments, the company he keeps up on the mountain is even more wonderous. Moses and Elijah — the two heavy hitters in the O.T. lineup (obligatory baseball reference since, last week was “pitchers and catchers report”). Representing all the Law and the Prophets, Moses and Elijah are both long dead but appear alive talking to Jesus about his mission, his work, his final fulfillment of all they did. Peter, James, and John — Jewish fisherman — marvel not just at the living appearance of dead prophets, but that their persons and their work point to Christ — who he is and what he’s about to do.
4) Christ’s Cloud. A wonderous, bright cloud “overshadows” them. Doesn’t it seem strange to describe a “bright” cloud; or “brightness” overshadowing? Think here of the real presence of Yahweh in the Old Testament — that pillar of cloud by day, leading them through the wilderness; or the divine overshadowing of the tabernacle; or the cloud over Mt Sinai at the giving of the Law. Or in the New Testament, when the Holy Spirit falls upon, or overshadows, the virgin Mary, and she conceives in her womb the baby Jesus. Not a dark cloud, not a shadow, but a brightness of God’s presence envelops them upon that mountain.
5) Command about Christ. As if we needed anything more wonderous, a direct command of God thunders forth from within the cloud: “This is my beloved son… hear him.” Hear him, not your own inner voices or inner truth; not the world’s wavering ways; not Satan’s incessant accusations, but the beloved son. His words are truth; his ways are right; his direction, clear.
After these five wonderous things they encounter, it’s no wonder then that they fall down in fear, their faces down in the dirt. I know that’s where I’d be, with the full brightness and glory of God shining upon me, exposing me; the voice of God calling me out for not hearing Jesus; the presence of Yahweh enveloping me, unworthy as I am, confused, directionless, timid… Where else would I be? Up on my feet talking to dead-now-alive prophets? Sunbathing in the brightness of the son? No, I’m face down in the dirt, afraid, ashamed, and overwhelmed by the wonder of it all.
6) Christ’s Compassion. But then comes what I think is the most moving moment of the whole metamorphosis story, the sixth wonder of the day: the Compassion of Christ. When the other wonders pass away — the voice of God no longer echoing against the side of the mountain; the bright enveloping cloud dissipates; Moses and Elijah head back to heaven; the bleached-white clothes fade; the gleaming face of Christ now a humble, human hue again — after all these wonders, most wonderous of all, Jesus, their teacher, brother, and friends touches them in healing and blessing, and raises them up out of the dirt. “Arise, be not afraid. Arise, be not afraid, it’s time to get down the mountain and get back to work.” The compassion of Christ here for his disciples, and for these disciples here at First Saint Paul’s, is the most wonderous thing of all.[1]
If you’re not in awe and wonder at the brightness, power and glory of the risen Christ, alive today, who we worship this morning, you should be — at least spiritually upon your face in humility and repentance, if not literally down in the dirt. But most wonderous of all, is that he does not leave us there, but rather, his glory hidden, his brightness veiled, he reaches out his hand in healing and blessing, and bids us arise and follow — fearlessly, faithfully.
It is the wonder of the incarnation, where the Holy God became flesh and blood for us. Or the wonder of the wonderous cross, where God in Christ dies for us, and draws all to himself. Or the wonder of the Lord’s Supper where all he has to give is given today, veiled under the humble forms of bread and wine. Or the wonder of the water with word, when three splashes from lake Michigan wash us for eternity. These are all reminders that, while we walk upon this fallen and falling, busted and broken world, our faces so often flat on the ground, down in the dirt, the same Jesus wonderous in all power is even more wonderous in mercy. His hand reaches out today, in healing and blessing, and lifts and sends us, “Arise, be not afraid. I am with you.”
7) Confession of Christ. But that’s only six wonders — six of the seven “C”s. The seventh? (There has to be seven, right?) … It is about to happen. We are about to witness the Holy Spirit at work in the Confession of Christ by our new members. As Jesse is confirmed, and Jeff, George, Cathy, Karl, Keely, Ana Richard, Abbey, and Skylar join First Saint Paul’s, a seventh wonder unfolds. The divine and glorious Christ confessed on humble human lips, and his kingdom at work through, ordinary human beings. I am humbled and amazed at the Christian witness of our new members at First Saint Paul’s. (Ask Rachel, she’ll tell you how excited I get when so many talented, faithful, amazing Christians join our church.) It is a wonder indeed when people behold the vision of Christ, hold that vision in their hearts, and having seen it, arise and without fear live it.
Come soon Lord Jesus. Amen.
[1] I am grateful to Dr. David Schmidt’s insights on this reading from “Lectionary Kick-Start”, from Concordia Seminary’s online podcast, scholar.csl.edu/lks.
