March 2, 2025 (Year C ) The Sunday before Lent ( Transfiguration Sunday )
Exodus 34:29-35, Luke 9:28-36
Rev. Misa Furumoto
Time flies, and we have now entered March. It suddenly got so warm, and spring is already in the air. The cherry blossom forecast has been announced, and in Nara, the blossoms are expected to bloom on March 27th. “Is it already that time of year?” It feels strange because we have not yet entered Lent. This year, Easter falls very late on April 20. Counting back forty days plus six Sundays, Ash Wednesday falls on March 5, this coming Wednesday. Today, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, is known as the Sunday before Lent, or Transfiguration Sunday. The liturgical color will change to purple starting next week, and we will not see green again until June 22. It will be a while before we see it again.
Every year on this Sunday, regardless of whether we are in Year A, B, or C, we hear the same Gospel story—the mysterious event where Jesus’ appearance changes on a mountain, and His clothes shine dazzling white. This year, being Year C, we read from the Gospel according to Luke. What significance does this strange story hold for us as we prepare to enter the season of Lent, a time of repentance? What message does God want us to hear from this passage? Let us reflect on this together.
In Year C, the Old Testament reading is chosen to parallel the Gospel story. Today, we read about Moses. When Moses descended from Mount Sinai after speaking with God and receiving the two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, his face was shining. The people were afraid and hesitated to approach him. However, when Moses called them, they came near and listened to the words God had given him. After speaking, Moses covered his face with a veil. Whenever he went up the mountain to speak with God, he would remove the veil, and after delivering God’s message to the people, he would cover his face again.
What was this face shining? If we were to describe it in modern terms, we might use the word “aura”—a kind of spiritual energy that emanates from a person. Was Moses’ shine something like that, or was it an overwhelming, blinding light? We do not know for sure. But we do understand that when Moses encountered God and received His words, God’s glory visibly remained on him. Moses then conveyed God’s message while still bearing this shine. How incredible!
I wish my face would shine like Moses’ when I deliver my morning chapel messages to high school students. If so, perhaps none of them would doze off, chat with their neighbors, or sneak a peek at their vocabulary flashcards. But sadly, that does not happen.
Yet, this may also have been the case with Jesus. The disciples struggled to understand what He was saying. Just before today’s Gospel reading, Jesus predicts His own death and resurrection, saying, “If anyone wants to follow me, let them deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me.” The disciples heard these words but did not truly understand them. Though they verbally acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, they did not fully grasp who He was.
About eight days after this, Jesus took Peter, John, and James up a mountain to pray. As He prayed, His face changed, and His clothes became dazzling white. Then, two great figures from the Old Testament, Moses and the prophet Elijah, appeared in glory and spoke with Jesus about His impending departure. As the two were about to leave, Peter, in his bewilderment, shouted, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three dwellings—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah!” But as he spoke, a cloud enveloped them, and from the cloud came a voice: “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to Him!” When the cloud disappeared, Jesus stood alone.
The disciples were very sleepy when this happened. Was it a dream? A vision? They did not know. And when they descended the mountain, the radiant glory that had enveloped Jesus was no longer visible.
I sometimes wonder: what if Jesus had continued to shine like Moses after coming down the mountain? Would the story have ended differently? If Jesus had remained visibly radiant, who would have dared to betray Him? Who would have insulted Him, spat on Him, or nailed Him to a cross?
But Jesus did not choose to remain visibly glorified. Instead, He chose a different path—the path of humility. Born in a stable, raised in a poor village in Nazareth, baptized alongside sinners, tempted by the devil, betrayed by His closest disciples, and ultimately crucified in the most humiliating manner. He accepted this path for our sake so that we might not perish but have eternal life.
The disciples remembered the Transfiguration only after Jesus had triumphed over death and risen again. When the Holy Spirit came upon them, they finally understood that Jesus was the Son of God and their Savior. Empowered by the Spirit, they went out to proclaim the Gospel, and they, too, shone with the light of Christ.
Today, we do not see Jesus with our physical eyes. But through the power of the Holy Spirit, we have encountered Him. We have felt God’s love and made the decision to believe, to live as Christians, and to follow Christ. Do you remember the passion and conviction you felt when you first made that decision? Lent, beginning this Wednesday, is a time to reflect on our faith and draw closer to God’s love. Let us walk this journey, taking up our cross daily, so that when Easter comes, the light of Christ may shine from within us.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
