Christ Lutheran Church
Cleveland, Ohio
March 2, 2025
by: Rev. Dean Kavouras
Transfiguration
The Altar of Transfiguration
28 Now about eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James and ascended the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying the appearance of his face was altered and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 And Behold! Two men were conferring with him: Moses and Elijah 31 who appeared in glory and he spoke about his Exodus, which he was about to accomplish in Jerusalem.
32 Now Peter’s eyes lids and of those who were with him became very heavy with sleep. But when had fully awakened they saw his glory and, the glory of the two men standing in place with him. 33 And as they were departing from him Peter said to Jesus: Teacher! It is good that we are here. Let us construct three tents: one for you, and one for Moses and one for Elijah – not knowing what he said.
34 As he was saying these things a cloud came and overshadowed them – and they were afraid as they entered it. 35 And a voice coming from within the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, hear him! 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days, any of what they had seen. (Luke 9:28-36)
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The Christian altar is the Mount of Transfiguration!
What happened then, still happens today at every Eucharistic celebration, including the one in which we are partaking this day. The things we see are different because we can only view them no through the eyes of faith. But soon enough we will see them face to face, eye to eye, and the vision will be more glorious than even the original one that we hear in today’s gospel from St. Luke.
Yes, the Christian altar is the Mount of Transfiguration!
How can we say this?
Firstly, the church demonstrates this by her architecture. We are all very grateful for a ground level structure, but in the past Christian houses of worship were built several steps, or sometimes many, many steps above the ground, so that we might easily recognize that our God dwells in the heavens, and invites us to his high and holy House to sup with him, and he with us.
Moreover the Holy Altar is usually raised above the floor level of the church. Again sometimes by a few steps, sometimes by many. Most of us have seen or visited such a church. This conscious decision is meant to express that the things that happen on that altar are high above all earthly events. And what happens?
The Transfigured Lord we hear of in today’s gospel graciously descends from heaven – much in the same way he did at his Incarnation – and the elements of natural bread and natural wine (a phrase mentioned three separate times in the Lutheran confessions) are likewise transfigured so that THIS BREAD and THIS CUP are now the Flesh of our Lord, and His very blood.
As Moses changed the Nile River into blood; and Jesus turned the water into wine, even so by carrying out the Lord’s eternal command: “This do in remembrance of me!” Something similar happens. Our Lord comes to us in the Flesh under the forms of Bread and Wine, and we feed on Him.
In this day of over-the-top health foods and wonder working vitamins by which devotees hope to stay young and healthy and beautiful and limber forever … in this day, we say, we should easily understand that whoever eats the Supper of the Lord will never hunger or thirst again, but will live forever.
And so as Jesus was Transfigured on a mountain, as he was crucified on a mountain – even so the church worships her God and Savior on High and Holy ground. If a house of worship such as ours is not actually many feet above ground level, liturgically speaking it is! In the same way that if a church is not erected facing the east, then whatever its orientation is faces the liturgical east – the direction of the rising sun – the direction from which our Lord will return to “judge the living and the dead,” and O what a Day that will be.
Yes we worship high up on a mountain where no one can reach us to harm us. High above the reach of sin, death and Satan, and the ravages and temporal consequences of our sins. Here and now we stand on the Holy Mountain – and that is no metaphor.
But there are a few more issues we should discuss in order to understand today’s gospel. Firstly we should remember that every event of the Lord’s earthly life is a true worship Service, offering “right praise” which is pleases our God and dear Father.
How is that so?
Because in every event of our Lord’s life one has all that is needed for Christian worship. Christ incarnationally present. And people who seek him to soothe their souls, answer their prayers, care for their needs and cleanse them from their sins. That is what happened then, that is what is happening here and now.
We might say for sake of emphasis that every event in which the Incarnate Word of God is with people is a free-standing worship Service wholly pleasing to God. “God and sinner reconciled.”
However more properly speaking there is no stand-alone worship of the Blessed Trinity. But only one Grand Liturgy that goes on continually in heaven, and which the church on earth accesses, if that is the right word, each time it engages in Divine Service. And so, “Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” But empty yourself of yourself and give yourself altogether over to your good and loving and living God and Father.
Now to demonstrate what Holy Communion really is let us look to Transfiguration Mountain. Jesus went there to pray. For us. And this is the proper meaning of the verse in James that says: The fervent prayer of a righteous Man accomplishes much.” Jesus is the Righteous Man.
But the good news for us is that we are inside of him, an inextricable member of his very Body, and so when he prays glorious and powerful prayers to the Father, with whom nothing shall be impossible, we pray with Him!
Developing this thought note that when our Lord ascended the Holy Mountain and brought three members of His earthly church with Him, that two members of the Church Triumphant also joined him.
We have often said, and say again, that when you kneel at Christ’s altar to feed on his Body and Blood – which is no illusion or metaphor – you do so – WE DO SO – in the company of the entire church of heaven and earth.
Now we could say much much more about today’s gospel. We could talk about the trepidation Peter, James and John had about entering into God as sinful men. We could even make a beneficial point of psychology. Namely that when people are overwhelmed by an event, their filter – such as it is often disappears and they get – you should excuse the expression – diarrhea of the mouth.
Silence is golden, O Peter.
Silence is golden O Christian.
We might also talk about the presence of these two particular Old Testament saints: Moses and Elijah. Why them and not David or Isaiah the prophet?
No one knows. But the consensus is that Moses as the representative of the Law, and Elijah as representative of the prophet, appeared to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of both.
So that everything you read in the Old Testament finds its termination in Jesus. He is the “Terminal Tower” of the Old Testament.
There is more to say, but let us leave it for now as we prepare to Commune with our God at the High and Holy Altar which is Transfiguration Mountain.