First Thoughts: Again we reach the turning point in our Christian year, the place where Jesus leaves behind his itinerant ministry and begins to focus his attention on the cross. Jesus will still be exalted and called "king" upon his entry into Jerusalem, but this is his last moment of true exaltation before God. It is here that he receives God's affirmation of his ministry, his sacrifice, his purpose, which he will draw on in the difficult days ahead. Many of us seek out those moments of affirmation and exaltation before God, when we know -- really KNOW -- that we are walking in God's will and are led by God's hand. What we sometimes forget is that God gives us those moments not for ourselves alone, but so we can produce fruits of kindness and faith in the world. The amount to which we are filled is also the amount to which we are called to give. It is right and faithful for us to seek transformation, to be transfigured in God's love. Just know that the ongoing work of transfiguration is turning us away from self-service and fear toward self-sacrifice and love.
Teaching On Your Own: (holds notebook) Hey, everybody. Guess what I have here? It's a poem I wrote. A couple of months ago my mom woke me up in the middle of the night and told me to put on my coat and hat. Then she led me outside to look at the stars. There was a meteor shower going on. We sat outside for an hour watching these beautiful beams of light streak across the sky. So I wrote a poem, a haiku. Want to hear it? Beautiful light beams/Tracing God's smile in the sky/I shiver in the dark. Do you like it? It's okay, I guess, but it doesn't really say everything I want to say, you know? Sometimes it's hard to put things like that into words, isn't it? Like our lesson today.
Jesus invited a few of his friends to hike up a mountain, and when they reached the top something amazing happened. Jesus' face began to glow and his clothes turned bright white, and the voice of God came down from the sky, saying, "This is my Son Jesus, who I love and who makes me very happy!" Isn't that amazing? I don't know how I'd even begin to write a poem about that. Can you imagine how exciting that must have been for Jesus and the disciples? And I'm sure it made Jesus happy to know that God was with him. But, you know, there are lots of amazing moments happening around us all the time, moments which show us that God is with us, like the meteor shower. If we pay attention, we can see the magic all around us. And every time we see the magic, we can imagine God's words speaking to us, telling us that God loves us and is happy with us too!
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 has notebook)
Leader 1: Hey (name), what do you have there?
Leader 2: A poem I wrote. A couple of months ago my mom woke me up in the middle of the night and told me to put on my coat and hat. Then she led me outside to look at the stars. There was a meteor shower going on. We sat outside for an hour watching these beautiful beams of light streak across the sky.
Leader 1: And you wrote a poem about it?
Leader 2: A haiku: Beautiful light beams/Tracing God's smile in the sky/I shiver in the dark.
Leader 1: Hey, that's really great!
Leader 2: It's okay, I guess, but it doesn't really say everything I want to say, you know?
Leader 1: Yeah, things like that are hard to put into words, like our lesson today. Jesus invited a few of his friends to hike up a mountain, and when they reached the top something amazing happened. Jesus' face began to glow and his clothes turned bright white, and the voice of God came down from the sky saying, "This is my Son Jesus, who I love and who makes me very happy!" Isn't that amazing?
Leader 2: Yeah. I don't know how I'd even begin to write a poem about that.
Leader 1: Can you imagine how exciting that must have been for Jesus and the disciples? And I'm sure it made Jesus happy to know that God was with him. But, you know, there are lots of amazing moments happening around us all the time, moments which show us that God is with us.
Leader 2: Like the meteor shower.
Leader 1: Exactly. If we pay attention, we can see the magic all around us. And every time we see the magic, we can imagine God's words speaking to us, telling us that God loves us and is happy with us too!
Closing Prayer: God, give us eyes to see the magic of your love all around us. So when we look into the world we see traces of your kindness and know you are here with us. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow Up Lesson: To reinforce this lesson in a home or classroom environment, invite the children to act out the scene from Matthew. Have a few be Jesus and his friends, some can be Elijah and Moses (you might need to give them some background on these two), and one can be the voice of God. Rehearse the scene as many times as you want to allow the children to have a turn at all parts. Then ask them to reflect on what they think is the most amazing part of the story: Jesus' face and clothes glowing, Moses and Elijah showing up, or God's voice speaking? Ask them why they think this story is in the Bible. God wanted to show Jesus' friends that Jesus was very special to God and to let Jesus know that whatever happened God would be with him. Sometimes we need that kind of encouragement from God. Ask the children to think of times when they need to know God is near them. Some suggestions might be in the middle of a scary thunderstorm, when their feelings are hurt, or when they're nervous about taking a test. How might God show us in those moments that God is with us? Encourage the children to come up with some moments, and then write a one or two haikus together as a class. (Haikus can follow the 5-7-5 syllable count like above, but they don't have to.)
If you're a bit concerned about your class' ability to come up with a haiku on the spot, prepare a couple in advance. For example, "Thunder roars above/But I am safe in my room/My pillow is soft" or "My heart feels heavy/When I look out my window/God's sun sends me love." You might print out copies of a few poems, allow your children to choose which ones they prefer and allow them to make illustrations. Close with prayer.
