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His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light itself.

᛭ INI ᛭

THE LIGHT OF CHIRST SHINES. That’s the Epiphany Season and its exclamation point at Transfiguration. THE LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINES in our Gospel text. It’s not just the events our text, but THE LIGHT OF CHRIST shining at His Transfiguration points to other events and places where THE LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINES. THE LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINES not only in biblical events, though. His LIGHT SHINES in your daily life, too. Finally, we await a final time when the LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINES and indeed WILL SHINE forever.

(A. Narrative: THE LIGHT OF CHIRST SHINES at His Transfiguration.)

When Christ was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, they saw the Light of Christ shine. As 2 Peter says, We “were eyewitnesses of His majesty…We heard [the] voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”

Christ is a real human being like you, and He’s about 2,025 years old. Christ is also true and eternal Almighty God. He shines with the glory of His eternal deity. Christ’s body and clothing shine with the “unapproachable light” (1-Tim 6) of God’s glory because He’s also 100% God. During His life Christ veiled this, but on the mountain He allows His God-ness to shine through.

The Father’s voice testifies to this. At Christ’s Baptism the Father proclaimed, “This man is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Christ wasn’t a human adopted to be Son, but Christ is the eternal Son. So, the Father repeats Himself at Christ’s Transfiguration, “This man is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” But today He adds, “Listen to Him,” because Christ is His eternal Son.

(B. Symbolic: THE LIGHT OF CHIRST SHINES at Easter and in Scripture.)

THE LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINES at His Transfiguration, but Christ’s Transfiguration points us to two other places where THE LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINES. First, the transfiguration foreshadows the light, the glory of Christ’s resurrection and exaltation.

Today, the reading schedule (Lectionary) puts us on the Mountain of Transfiguration. Over the next three weeks we head down the mountain in order to trek through valley of Lent until we ascend Christ’s next mountain: Calvary. There He’s enthroned on the cross for the darkness of your sin, a darkness that returns in many and various ways. CHRIST who is the LIGHT of world hangs in darkness because the sun hid itself from its naked Creator. Christ moves from the glory of saving you from your sins to the glory of resurrection three days later. Christ rises for your innocence before God.

Christ doesn’t want to be known as the Creator of the Universe with “phenomenal cosmic power.” (Though He is…) John describes Christ this way in Revelation: His “head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire.” Christ, however, wants to be known as the One who suffered, was crucified, and died for the sins of His people, your sins, who came back to life for your and is now ascended to the right hand of God to intercede for you. This is why Christ says, “Tell no one the vision until [I’m] raised from the dead.”

The other place THE LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINES is in the Scriptures themselves. We’re pointed to that light by Christ’s conversation with Moses and Elijah. Christ spoke with them and the conversation was overheard by the 3 Apostles. Reading the Bible brings you into that conversation. Christ spoke TO and THROUGH the Prophets. Christ did the same thing with the Apostles. So we believe the Bible is Christ’s Word for us, and that the Bible tells us chiefly about Him.

God’s Word is “a lamp for your feet and a light for your path,” (Ps 119), and is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2-Tim 3) “In [Chirst’s] light you see light,” (Ps 36)

(C. Practical: THE LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINES in your daily life.)

THE LIGHT OF CHRIST SHINES in your daily life. First, it SHINES in your daily life through the Word, in listening to Christ. Second, CHRIST’S LIGHT also SHINES through you, as you reflect the light of Christ.

First, the Father commands: “Listen to Him!” The Transfiguration illustrates that there are three groups of people who listen to Christ: (1) the Old Testament saints who believed in the coming Christ; (2) the New Testament eyewitness who saw and heard Christ; and (3) you and me! The only place to “hear” Christ is in the Word, and all the ways He speaks His Word. Every time He speaks His Word, Christ is shining His light. That’s also why the Father says, “Listen to Him!”

Listening to Christ means actually picking up God’s Word where Christ Himself speaks through the prophets and apostles. Listening to Christ means listening to faithful preaching, preaching that lines up with the Bible and not with what you’ve always heard or what you want to hear. For Christ says this about His ministers, “Whoever hears you, hears me!” Listening to Christ means cherishing the promises of Baptism, rejoicing in the Word of Absolution, and celebrating His Words of Institution at Communion. Listening also means trusting all these things, because in all these ways CHIRST’S LIGHT SHINES. In the darkness of sin, death, and this dark world, His promise shines bright: you’re baptized, you’re forgiven, you eat and drink His body given for you and His blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.

The Father says, “Listen to Him!” Listen to Christ, listen to all the ways His Word comes to you. Listening involves faith and trust. Believe what Christ says. But listening also involves doing, as James says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Christ is “the Light of the world” (Jn 8), and by Holy Baptism you’re united with Him, and so, because you’re united with Christ through Baptism by faith, you, too, are “the light of the world.” (Mt 5) You shine with the light of Christ. “You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.” (1-Thess 5) “You are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth).” (Eph 5)

Christ commands you to do this, but, in His goodness, He also fashions you into a mirror that reflects the light of His charity and kindness onto the people in your life. Through Christ’s Word and Sacraments God works on you for “you are His workmanship, created in Christ IHS for good works,” (Eph 2) that “your light [would] so shine before men, that they see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5)

Christ works this by His Spirit. The Spirit bears His fruit of light, of true charity and kindness. He works through those who listen, who have true faith in Christ, who receive both Christ’s Word and Sacraments, “not doubting but firmly believing.” He prepares and fashions you not to be a sun but an ever fuller, clearer moon in the night sky of your daily life, always more clearly reflecting Christ’s light and charity.

(D. Heavenward: THE LIGHT OF CHRIST also SHINES forever in life everlasting.)

THE LIGHT OF CHRIST also SHINES forever in life everlasting. The Spirit’s also building you up in Christ IHS unto life everlasting. For the LIGHT OF CHRIST shining at transfiguration is also a picture of your own resurrection. (“There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon.” (1-Cor 15)) For you will die, and your body will be buried, but your body will be raised glorious! For Christ will change “[your] lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables him to subdue all things to himself.” (Phil 3)

That’s the promise for everyone who truly trusts Christ, truly listens to Him. On the Last Day, “those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the [heavens], And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.” (Dan 12)

THE LIGHT OF CHIRST SHINES, and you will “live in the light of His glory forevermore.”

᛭ INI ᛭