Sermon | When Light Breaks Through | Rev. Ann Mann | Barnesville First UMC | February 15, 2026 скачать в хорошем качестве

Sermon | When Light Breaks Through | Rev. Ann Mann | Barnesville First UMC | February 15, 2026

Sermon | When Light Breaks Through | Rev. Ann Mann | Barnesville First UMC | February 15, 2026 There are moments in life when the light breaks through so clearly that we never forget. Moments when everything seems to line up, when God feels close enough to touch, when faith feels certain and strong. The Transfiguration is one of those moments. Jesus gathered his disciples and told them if any were to be his followers, they must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow him. Losing life, not saving it, is the pattern for disciples. Scripture Lesson: Matthew 17:1-9 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain. Mountains in Scripture are places of revelation. On mountains, God meets human beings in ways that change them. Jesus is transfigured. His face shines like the sun. His clothes become dazzling white. The veil is pulled back just enough for the disciples to glimpse who Jesus truly is, not just teacher, not just healer, not just rabbi, but the Son of God, radiant with divine glory. Standing beside him are Moses and Elijah. The lawgiver and the prophet. The two towering figures of Israel’s story. Moses, who received the commandments on Mount Sinai. Elijah, who called the people back to faithfulness when they had wandered. Together they represent everything the people believed mattered most. Their presence answers a question that had been asked for generations: Which code do we follow? Which path leads to life? Which voice do we trust? The answer is standing right in front of them. Matthew has been preparing us for this moment. Earlier in the gospel, Jesus stood on another mountain and preached the Sermon on the Mount. He didn’t abolish the law, he fulfilled it. He gathered it up and gave it back to the people distilled into love. “Do to others what you would have them do to you,” he said. “For this sums up the law and the prophets.” Later, he would say it again even more plainly: Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. Everything else hangs on this. So, when Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus on the mountain of Transfiguration, it's a convergence. The law and the prophets are not erased, they are completed. They find their purpose and their meaning in Christ. God settles the question once and for all: Love is the rule by which everything else must be measured. Then God speaks. “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.” Those words echo the baptism of Jesus. But this time, God adds something new. Listen to him. Trust his teaching. Let his way shape our life. By this point in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is no longer unknown. He has been tempted in the wilderness, called disciples, healed the sick and welcomed the overlooked. He has blessed the poor in spirit, the meek, the merciful. He has taught people to pray not for show, but for relationship. He has warned against using the law to judge others instead of examining our own hearts. The disciples wanted to stay on the mountain. Who wouldn’t? Peter offers to build shelters, to freeze the moment in place. But the light of God is never meant to be hidden or sequestered, it is meant to change us. Jesus leads them back down. That is how it works. The mountain prepares us for the valley. The glory of God strengthens us for the work ahead. The light breaks through so we can carry it into places where it is desperately needed. Transfiguration Sunday stands at the threshold of Lent. Before we walk the road toward the cross, God gives us a glimpse of resurrection light. Before we enter the valley, we are reminded who Jesus is, and who we are called to become. We do not stay on the mountain. But we do not go down unchanged. The light has broken through. Now we carry it with us.