Bearing Witness to Christ’s Glory -- Sermon for Transfiguration Sunday (2 Peter 1:16-21)
The season of Epiphany begins with the magi following a star to the home of the Holy family. It ends with Jesus climbing a mountain with three of his disciples, who witness the revealing of Jesus’ glory and mission. From beginning to end, the season of Epiphany invites us to embrace the light that shines in the darkness, revealing God’s love for the world.
As we gather here on Transfiguration Sunday, we get to once again climb the mountain with Jesus and his three disciples. As we approach the mountaintop, we can ponder the age-old question: Who is Jesus? In the Gospel of Matthew, Peter answers that question by proclaiming that Jesus is the messiah, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16). While Peter got the right answer, it’s clear from Matthew’s account that he wasn’t sure what that meant. He needed more information, such as the resurrection of Jesus. Soon after Peter made that confession, he witnessed the Transfiguration of Jesus (Matt. 17:1-13), but even then, he still didn’t completely understand who Jesus really was. So again, he would need more information before he truly understood Jesus’ identity.
This morning, we have heard another version of the Transfiguration story that can help us better answer the question of Jesus’ identity.
Over the years, I’ve preached my share of Transfiguration Sunday sermons. You may have heard your share of such sermons. So, the story itself may be rather familiar. I mentioned that Matthew offers us a story of the transfiguration. Mark and Luke have their versions as well. Then there is the version we find in 2 Peter. This letter, which is attributed to Peter, is tucked into the back of the New Testament. Although the author of the letter claims to be an eyewitness to the Transfiguration, most scholars believe it appeared long after Peter’s death. However, even if this isn’t an eyewitness account, it does draw on apostolic traditions, such as the ones we find in the Gospels. What it does is call our attention to the church’s longstanding claim that Jesus is God’s beloved Son, who reveals the glory and majesty of God to the world. According to the letter, God not only affirmed Jesus’ divine sonship, but that we should attend to this witness on the part of God to Jesus’ glory and majesty, because this word is a lamp that shines into a dark place. In Matthew’s account, God not only claims Jesus as God’s beloved Son, but calls on us to listen to him.
So, if the voice from heaven points us to Jesus and asks us to listen to him, what is Jesus, God’s beloved Son, saying to us? How might his words and his life speak to us? How might his life and his words serve as a lamp that shines in the darkness?
As we ponder the question of what Jesus might have to say to us, our letter also speaks of the witness of Scripture as well as its interpretation. When the letter speaks of scripture, the author likely has in mind the Old Testament. Though he might also have had in mind the growing number of early Christian writings, including the letters of Paul as well as early version of one of the Gospels. In a sense, not only does Jesus serve as a lamp that shines in the darkness, but so does Scripture. As the 119th Psalm declares: “Your word is a lamp before my feet and a light for my journey” (Psalm 119:105 CEB).
In getting back to the story of the Transfiguration, if we follow the lead provided by the Gospel of Matthew, we’re told that Jesus ascended the Mount of Transfiguration in the company of Peter, James, and John. When they reached the summit, these three disciples witnessed the revealing of Jesus glory and majesty as his countenance changed and his clothing radiated light. The Common English Bible puts it this way: “He was transformed in front of them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light” (Matt. 17:2 CEB). Then, as they watched in awe the transformation of Jesus’ face and clothing, Moses the Lawgiver and Elijah the prophet appeared with him. These parts of the story are absent in 2 Peter, but the author of 2 Peter focused on what happened next. He was interested in the voice that spoke from within the cloud, much like the voice that spoke to Moses from within another cloud that enveloped a mountain (Exod. 24:15-18). When Moses entered the cloud, he received the tablets of the law, which revealed a word from God for the people, much like the word that was shared with the three disciples that day when they joined Jesus on the mountain. In this case, the voice that spoke from the cloud declared of Jesus: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased” (2 Pet. 1:17; Matt. 17:5).
So, why did the author of this letter share this word with his audience? According to the letter, the author was concerned that people who claimed to follow Jesus might “follow cleverly devised myths.” The letter doesn’t reveal the nature of these myths, but maybe that’s a good thing. Most likely, the recipients of the letter knew what the author had in mind. But people in every era of history have been known to embrace “cleverly devised myths” shared with them by false prophets. These false prophets and teachers malign the truth and in their gree,d try to exploit the followers of Jesus with their deceptive words. In this, there is darkness. The good news is that a lamp is shining in the darkness, if only we will attend to it.
When the letter speaks of the lamp that shines in the darkness, what comes to my mind is the call to be discerning about what we embrace as followers of Jesus. Although the letter doesn’t speak of the two great commandments, which begin with the call to love God with our entire being and then calls on us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, I think these two commands do provide us with the kind of light that reveals the stuff that hides in the darkness. Whether or not you enjoyed Bad Bunny’s halftime show at last week’s Super Bowl, the banner that appeared on the screen above the stadium speaks truth: “The Only Thing Stronger Than Hate is Love.”
So perhaps the word that God would have us hear from Jesus today is the call to love. When Jesus spoke of loving God and our neighbor, he wasn’t saying anything new. He was drawing on ancient words found in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.
This word is important because there are forces in our world that seek to divide us by manipulating our fears and anxieties. They may spread hateful and vulgar messages that demean and destroy. They may even do so in the name of Jesus.
Unfortunately, there are tools that seek to shroud the world in darkness, and they fulfill their purpose rather well. You might call these tools expressions of propaganda, which can include conspiracy theories and political speech, that then gets amplified on places like our social media feeds. While social media itself, whether it’s Facebook or another similar entity, isn’t bad or evil, it can be used for that purpose. That’s why we always need to be discerning with what we share, reshare, and amplify. If we’re going to be discerning in our use of such tools, we need to first ask whether what we share is true. Secondly, does it reflect the love of God and neighbor? But it’s not just social media; there are a lot of other spaces where a little love can shine a lot of light in places of darkness. A good place to turn when we are seeking a bit of light is Micah 6:8, where the prophet answers the question of what God expects of us: “He has told you, human one, what is good and what the Lord requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God.” (Mic. 6:8 CEB)
So as Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration reminds us, God has called on us to listen to Jesus, the one whom God has embraced as the beloved Son. May his words and his life, including his death and resurrection, serve as a lamp unto our feet. According to 2 Peter, that lamp includes Scripture, which is not a matter of one’s own interpretation, but depends on the leading of the Holy Spirit who moves those who speak on God’s behalf. The key is starting with the commands to love God and neighbor. If we do this, everything else falls into place, so that when we look around at the world and see the darkness that includes vulgar, hateful, racist, and sexist speech, we can bear witness to the glory and majesty of the one God calls the beloved Son, whose light shines in the darkness by revealing God’s love for the world. Paul calls this serving as agents of reconciliation, who let the world know that God is at work reconciling the world to Godself through Christ, and making all things new, so that today might be the day of salvation (2 Cor. 5:16-6:2). Salvation is a term that has broad meanings and implications, including healing and liberation. May we embrace the light that shines into the darkness, as it is revealed in Jesus, whom God calls the beloved Son.
Preached by Dr. Robert D. Cornwall
Pulpit Supply
Tyrone Community Presbyterian Church (PCUSA)
Tyrone Township, Michigan
February 15, 2026
Transfiguration Sunday
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