Last Sunday After Epiphany
What follows is a worship service which, I pray, you can participate in at a time(s) that are convenient to you. This 'service' will take about forty five (45) minutes.
I pray that you will feel called to ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE in this service.
The text that is in regular typeface (that is what you are reading at the moment) is to be read quietly, while the text that is in bold face (like you are reading right now) is meant to be read aloud.
Opening Hymn:
Let us continue by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we commence our praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
A Call To Worship:
We meet in the name of God,
Creator of the universe,
source of true humanity,
mother and father of all. Amen.
An Assurance of Forgiveness:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
The Sentence For Today (let us say aloud):
Happy are they all who take refuge in The Lord.
The Special Prayer For Today (let us pray aloud):
O God, who before the passion of your only begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Our first reading for today:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
Our second reading for today:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
Gradual Hymn:
Let us continue by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we raise out voices in praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
Listen to David speak to this gospel
or, if you prefer, you can read the sermon, below:
Sermon for Transfiguration Sunday, 15th Feb 2026
Welcome sisters and brothers and peace be with you. May the words on my lips and the meditations in our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. <Amen>
There are moments in life when everything becomes clear - brief moments when the noise fades, when fear loosens its grip, and we see things as they truly are. They often don’t last long, but they stay with us. The Gospel reading (Matthew 17:1-9) describes just such a moment: the Transfiguration of Jesus. <PAUSE>
Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. It is a deliberate act.
Throughout Scripture, mountains are places where heaven and earth seem to meet - Sinai, Carmel, Zion; and on this mountain, something extraordinary happens. Jesus is transfigured before them. His face shines like the sun. His clothes become dazzling white. For a fleeting moment, the disciples see not only who Jesus is, but who He has always been.
There, standing with him are Moses and Elijah - they represent the Law and the Prophets. The whole story of Israel, the whole witness of Scripture, gathered around Jesus. This is not some new faith being invented; this is God’s long story coming into focus. Everything has been pointing here.
Peter, overwhelmed, blurts out what many of us might say: “Lord, it is good for us to be here.”, and it IS good. This is holy ground. Peter wants to capture the moment, to build tents, to stay on the mountain. But faith is not about freezing moments of glory. God does not want us to stay, fixed on the mountaintop.
While Peter is still speaking, a bright cloud overshadows them, and a voice speaks - the same voice heard at Jesus’ baptism:
“This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him.” <PAUSE>
Those words matter. LISTEN to him. Not admire him. Not preserve the experience. Not make buildings and monuments to Him … but LISTEN.
The disciples fall to the ground. The glory of God is overwhelming. But then Jesus does something deeply tender: He comes and touches them and says, “Get up and do not be afraid.” The same Jesus who shines with divine glory also stands beside frightened friends and speaks gently.
When they look up, Moses and Elijah are gone. Only Jesus remains.
That detail is important. The law and the prophets have not been discarded - but they have done their work. What remains is Jesus. He is now the lens through which everything else must be understood. If we want to know what God is like, we look at Jesus. If we want to know how to live, we LISTEN to Jesus. <PAUSE>
But the story doesn’t end on the mountain. As they are coming down, Jesus orders them not to tell anyone what they have seen until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead. Why? Because glory without the cross is a misunderstanding of who Jesus is. The light of the Transfiguration only makes sense when it shines through the darkness of Good Friday and the empty tomb of Easter.
The disciples are being prepared. Just before this passage, Jesus has spoken plainly about suffering, rejection, and death. The mountain is not an escape from that reality; it is God’s way of strengthening them for what lies ahead. The Transfiguration is not a detour - it is reassurance. When the cross comes, remember this light. When hope seems lost, remember who Jesus truly is. <PAUSE>
Oh how deeply relevant this is for us today. <PAUSE>
We often want a faith that stays on the mountaintop - a faith of certainty, clarity, and visible blessing. But most of our lives are often lived in the valley: in uncertainty, in fear, in grief. The good news of this passage is not that God calls us to live in constant glory, but that God reveals glory in order to sustain us along hard road that is human life. <PAUSE>
Also, notice this: the voice from heaven does NOT say, “This is my Son - understand him fully.” It says, “Listen to him.” Faith is not about having all the answers. It is about paying attention. About learning to hear Christ’s voice above all those others voices of fear, success, anger, and distraction. <PAUSE>
Eventually, the disciples must walk back down the mountain. So must we. But they, and we, do not walk alone. Jesus went with them and Jesus goes with us. The one who shines like the sun is the same one who walks toward Jerusalem, toward suffering, toward the cross - for them, and for us.
THAT is our hope. <PAUSE>
When we cannot see clearly, when faith feels fragile, when life presses hard, we remember this: Jesus is more than we see in any one moment. The glory revealed on the mountain assures us that love, not suffering, has the final word. Light, not darkness, defines the end of the story.
So today, as we live our ordinary lives, we carry this simple call with us:
Listen to Him:
In our choices.
In our prayers.
In our love for others.
Because when WE listen to Christ, even the dark valleys we sometimes walk through are filled with hope.
I runga e te Ingoa o te Atua, te Matua, te Tama me te Wairua Tapu. <AMINE>
Pause and Reflect
Just take a moment now to pause. Bow your head, close your eyes.
Allow these words of Holy Scripture and this interpretation of them today to speak to you.
An Affirmation of Our Faith
Let us affirm our faith by saying aloud, and together, "The Apostles Creed":
... and now let us pray for the Church, the World, and Ourselves, giving thanks for God's goodness.
Let us pray aloud, and together:
Holy God, Your Son Jesus was wonderfully transfigured in front of His disciples high upon the holy mountain, and at that time he asked them to keep it a secret. Help us, not to keep the secret but to proclaim it to all that Jesus Christ is Lord. Give us strength to live the Gospel and to carry our cross in order that the world to come to know Him in the same, personal way as we do. AMEN.
<Longer pause for personal reflection>
In response to the call today “Lord, in Your mercy” Our response is, “hear our prayer!”
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Gracious God we pray for all the members of faith communities around the world in their lives and ministries that they may serve You in truth and love. We especially for faith community leaders called to serve and grow others. We also pray for all the events which are planned for this coming Lent and Easter.
<Short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Creator God, you gave us a beautiful world to live in and to care for. We know that in many areas our Stewardship has not met Your expectations yet, through the victory of Jesus Christ, we know also that you can transfigure and restore all things in creation.
We pray earnestly, for a change of heart and attitude, an awakening to a better way of living, and the courage to reject wrong principles and decisions throughout the world.
<Short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Father God, forgive us when we waste our lives by being too busy to enjoy Your creation. Teach us how to make spaces in the day to do the things we most enjoy. Just as you rested from Your work, help us to practise the discipline of recreation.
<Short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Loving God, we pray for all who lie stricken with illness, grief or despair. Bring healing to every broken life, relief to all who are in pain, hope to the dying and strength to all who care for them.
Give the song of joy to all who are now on the road to recovery and recuperation and the song of thanks to all who helped them on that road.
We especially raise before You now all those who have asked for our prayers from around the world … those we know in New Zealand, in Singapore, in Argentina, in France, in Australia, in the US, in Canada, in Austria, in Ukraine, in China, in Germany, in the Czech Republic, in Syria and any others we now name aloud, or in the silence of our hearts, and those who are known only by You.
<Short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Merciful God, we raise before You those whom we love who are already transformed in likeness to Your glorious body. Comfort us and all who mourn; give them a patient faith in this time of darkness and strengthen them with the knowledge of your love
We especially raise before you at this time our recently departed sister and brother, Sue_Ellen (USA), Richard (NZ).
<Short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
In a moment of silence we pray for ourselves, our families, friends, for all whom we love and for our personal ministries. Make the things that we choose to do worthy of the life, death, and rising again of Your Son.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Everlasting God in the week that lies before us may we reflect Your love in our families, our faith community and our wider community; so that the world can see that we are transformed by Christ and thereby draw others into Jesus' loving care.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Forth in the peace of Christ we go; Christ to the world with joy we bring; Christ in our minds, Christ on our lips, Christ in our hearts, the world’s true King.
Merciful father: accept these prayers for the sake of Your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Remembering that we are confident to pray this day, and every day, because Jesus Christ continues to teach us:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
Let us conclude our prayers by praying together and aloud:
God of mercy,
you have given us grace to pray with one heart and one voice,
and have promised to hear the prayers
of two or three who agree in your name,
fulfil now, we pray,
the prayers and longings of your people
as may be best for us and for your kingdom.
Grant us in this world to know your truth,
and in the world to come to see your glory. Amen.
The Blessing
May The Risen Lord Christ turn His face towards each and every one of you.
May He cause His light to shine upon you, and
may He grant you His peace, and
The blessing of Almighty God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you and all of those whom you love,
on this day and forever more.
A Closing Hymn:
Let us conclude our worship today by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we unite in another hymn our praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
The Dismissal
Go now, go out into the world
to love and serve The Lord.
Go in peace.
AMEN, we go in the name of Christ.
