Login / Signup

Free Access

Sermon Illustrations For Transfiguration Sunday (2020)

Illustration
Exodus 24:12-18
Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida is a wonderful place to visit if you are a fan of the Harry Potter stories. They have two wonderfully intricate and detailed parts of the park dedicated to Diagon Alley and Hogwarts. I was able to visit recently and observed some hard-core Harry Potter fans who were seeing it for the first time. As they turned the corner of the park and entered Diagon Alley, they squealed in delight and were overcome with excitement. Their expectations were exceeded as they soaked in what they’d only imagined before. It is not a stretch to say they were awed.

I’ve seen that in a few other situations, too. I watched a video of a man who’d not seen color before, get a pair of glasses that allowed him to do so. He, too, was overwhelmed. I also saw a video of a baby who couldn’t hear. She was fitted with hearing aids at a Cincinnati hospital and heard her mom’s voice for the first time. It was a picture of utter joy and wonder.

I like these scenes. People are overcome by what they experience for the first time. As incredible as these scenes are, though, they pale in comparison to what we find in our text. Moses, Aaron and Hur went on top of Mt. Sinai and “the glory of the Lord” settled there (Exodus 24:16). Moses entered the cloud and was in a witness, first-hand, to the glory of God. Can you imagine that? How awesome is that? Can there be anything better?
Bill T.

* * *

Exodus 24:12-18
I live in the Midwest, where things are mostly wet. Rain falls regularly. So, people burn things without any consideration for safety. Fires don’t get out of control – usually. The problem is that occasionally the weather is dry, dryer than normal or expected, and suddenly the fire consumes not only leaves and branches, but barns and houses.

I’ve also lived in the west, a drier climate, where it is always dangerous. People treat fire with respect. They don’t leave a fire burning but douse it totally. They don’t assume this dangerous phenomenon is a big deal.

In this passage the glory of the Lord is described as a “devouring fire.” As Moses ascends the mountain at the Lord’s command, the people are fearful and treat God’s presence with respect. None of this “me and the man upstairs have an understanding” which translates to “who is this God guy anyway? I’d rather play golf or stay at home with my feet elevated and fall asleep looking at the internet on my phone.” (In the old days we would have said “with the Sunday paper in my lap.”)

Most of all, remember that a “devouring fire” is not something we can control, any more than we can control God.
Frank R.

* * *

Exodus 24:12-18
Henry Lyte was a dedicated pastor, but asthma and tuberculous limited his ability to shepherd his flock. For the last twenty-three years of his life, he pastored a small parish among the fishing people of Lower Brixham, Devonshire, England. Because of his illness, he often had to periodically leave Devonshire to rest and recuperate in a warmer climate. Finally, his health became so severe that he made the decision to relocate in the warmer climate of Italy. Before departing, he was determined to preach his last sermon to the parishioners he loved, even though he could barely breathe and because of his frail health he had to nearly crawl to the pulpit. He was urged not to preach as his health was too bad, but he responded, in the now famous words, “It was better to wear out than to rust out.” In the evening of the same day he placed in the hands of a near and dear relative a little hymn he wrote a few weeks earlier titled Abide with Me. Several months later, Lyte began his journey to Italy. But before he could arrive at his given destination, he died in Nice, France on November 20, 1847.

The hymn that he wrote and shared on the day he preached his last sermon, September 4, 1847, is a solemn hymn as each verse ends in the plea “abide with me,” making the hymn a sustained call for God’s personal presence in every stage and condition of life. The last stanza reads:

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Ron L.

* * *

2 Peter 1:16-21
Peter writes about his own life experience. He shares his transfiguration experience, reminding people that he, himself, heard the voice of God claim, "This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." He urges us to listen to his words and understand the long-awaited Messiah has arrived, has been present with us. Peter warns us not to ignore the light of this awareness.

How many of us have had an experience of seeing Jesus, hearing the voice of God? Not many, I’ll bet. That does not, however, preclude that some have. I have had a vision of Jesus, calling to me, encouraging me to be wrapped in his arms of forgiveness and reconciliation. The whole of the story is too long to share here, but I can still feel the warmth of that embrace, the love in Jesus’ eyes, the safety and hope I felt. Like Peter, when the days are hardest, when I struggle to have faith, I remember those moments. I reflect on my personal encounter with the Christ. Those of us who have had those experiences return to their memory again and again. Today, Peter gives us his own memory for us to cling to. For today that will be enough.
Bonnie B.

* * *

2 Peter 1:16-21
Transfiguration is about affirming the divinity of Jesus and His power and majestic glory over the universe. Martin Luther nicely described Christ’s Power:

Christ’s power consists in the fact that He is sovereign over all things, that everything must lie at His feet. It will endure as long as the world stands. (Luther’s Works, Vol.30, p.163)

In the same spirit, with a cosmic vision in view, famed modern Catholic theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin writes:

The Incarnation means the renewal, the restoration, of all the energies and powers of the universe; Christ is the instrument, the centre and the end of all creation. (Hymn of the Universe, p.144)

In view of the wonderful solace these insights about Christ’s Majesty provide, life is not as sweet without a sense of His Power. John Calvin nicely made that point when he wrote:

... the whole life of man, until he is converted to Christ, is a ruinous labyrinth of wanderings. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XXII/2, p.50)
Mark E.

* * *

Matthew 17:1-9
I’m originally from Kansas, so I’ve heard many times throughout my travels of being from the land of Oz, Dorothy and Toto. The Wizard of Oz, however, is a good story and one that’s stood the test of time. It’s also one instance where the movie might have eclipsed the popularity of the original story in the book. There’s a scene in The Wizard of Oz in which Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion encounter the “real” wizard. You remember, right? The giant screen has shown a powerful, larger-than-life person whose booming voice rings out across Emerald City. Toto pulls back the curtain, however, and everyone finds that the wizard is just a man. It’s all showbiz, lights and amplification. His cry of “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” falls on deaf ears. When the curtain is pulled back, he is seen for what he is.

In our text today, the curtain is pulled back and someone is seen for who he is, too. Unlike the wizard of Oz, though, this person is far more than just a man. Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John and “his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him” (vs. 2-3). These three apostles saw the curtain pulled back for Jesus and they were awed by his glory and power. It was so great they fell to the ground in fear.

Pulling back the curtain showed just who Jesus is. Have you seen him?
Bill T.

* * *

Matthew 17:1-9
The Greek word translated as “transfigured” in the NRSV is metamorphosis, which in English is, ah, metamorphosis. According to the Oxford English Dictionary this is “the action or process of changing in form, shape or substance; esp. transformation by magic or witchcraft.” But the metamorphosis, transformation, transfiguration of Jesus is not a change in form, shape, or substance, and is especially not transformation by magic or witchcraft. What we see in the transfiguration is the revelation of who Jesus was all along. The disciples see who Jesus really is! This is not a magic trick. It’s more a question of Jesus veiling himself most of the time. And of course, in Revelation, that Jesus is revealed again in the first chapter, and more importantly, in the Jesus revealed as the Lion of Judah who is really the Lamb bearing the marks of slaughter.
Frank R.

* * *

Matthew 17:1-9
John Bunyan was a Puritan pastor, who is best known to us for his book Pilgrim’s Progress. He preached his last sermon at Mr. Gamman’s meeting-house, near Whitechapel, on August 19, 1688. Twelve days after preaching this sermon John Bunyan died. The text for the sermon was John 1:13. The message of the sermon is that every man and woman must examine themselves in order to know if they are born again or not. In his last sermon, Bunyan described the signs of a new birth. In the sermon Bunyan asked his listeners, “Are you brought out of the dark dungeon of this world into Christ?” He went on to say that an individual “cannot you be quiet without you have a bellyful of the milk of God’s Word?” He went on to say, “When we see a king’s son play with a beggar, this is unbecoming; so if you be the king’s children, live like the king’s children; if you be risen with Christ, set your affections on things above, and not on things below…”
Ron L.
UPCOMING WEEKS
In addition to the lectionary resources there are thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...
Proper 10 | OT 15 | Pentecost 5
30 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
30 – Children's Sermons / Resources
29 – Worship Resources
34 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 11 | OT 16 | Pentecost 6
29 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
27 – Children's Sermons / Resources
20 – Worship Resources
29 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Proper 12 | OT 17 | Pentecost 7
34 – Sermons
160+ – Illustrations / Stories
32 – Children's Sermons / Resources
26 – Worship Resources
31 – Commentary / Exegesis
4 – Pastor's Devotions
and more...
Plus thousands of non-lectionary, scripture based resources...

New & Featured This Week

CSSPlus

John Jamison
Object: This is a role play activity.

Note: You will need to select six children to play roles in this activity. If you have a smaller group, you might ask some older youth or even adults to play the parts of the two attackers and the man being attacked. I will give suggestions for how they can play their roles, but feel free to help your children make the story as fun and memorable as you can. I have used boys and girls in the various roles, but you can change those however you want to change them.

* * *

The Immediate Word

Dean Feldmeyer
Katy Stenta
Thomas Willadsen
Christopher Keating
George Reed
Mary Austin
Nazish Naseem
For July 13, 2025:
  • Samaritans Among Us by Dean Feldmeyer based on Acts 2:1-21. Samaritans were despised and dismissed by the original audience who first heard Jesus tell this parable. Who are the Samaritans in our lives and how does this parable apply today?
  • Second Thoughts: The Helpers by Katy Stenta based on Amos 7:7-17.

StoryShare

Frank Ramirez
I say, “You are gods,
    children of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, you shall die like mortals
    and fall like any prince….”
(vv. 6-7)

There have been any number of brother-sister acts that achieved a measure of fame. Take the Carpenters, famed for their singing, musicianship, and songwriting skills. Also worthy of mention are John and Joan Cusack who have acted together in over sixteen films.

Emphasis Preaching Journal

Wayne Brouwer
An ancient legend tells of a remote mountain village where people used to send their senior citizens out into the woods to die. The villagers had an eye to the future; they felt that those beyond a certain age would only slow down progress or use up valuable resources to no economically profitable end. Those who reached a certain age weren’t “put out to pasture” or “put out of their misery”; they were simply put out of other people’s way.
Mark Ellingsen
Bill Thomas
Frank Ramirez
Amos 7:7-17 and Psalm 82
The tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. It is more than 2,700 feet high—over half a mile tall. It has 160 floors and is twice as tall as the Empire State Building in New York City. It is home to the world’s fastest elevator which reaches speeds of forty miles an hour. The Burj Khalifa also hosts the world’s highest outdoor observation deck (on the 124th floor) and the world’s highest swimming pool (on the 76th floor).

The Village Shepherd

Janice B. Scott
Mabel hummed a familiar hymn tune as she made her way to church. She always enjoyed her Sunday morning walk. It was one of the few times she felt safe to walk alone through the inner city, for she knew nobody would be up at 7.45 in the morning. Today was a particularly beautiful morning, with blue sky, warm sunshine, and the song of a few intrepid blackbirds who still inhabited the city.

SermonStudio

James Evans
Often, a distinction is made between the pastoral or priestly work of the church and the prophetic work. Pastoral care has to do with the care of souls, the offering of comfort in times of loss. The priestly character of pastoral work seeks to mediate the presence of God to those who are hurting.

Schuyler Rhodes
Trusting is never easy. Even in the best of relationships, people step into trust slowly. There is wariness -- questioning -- worry. What happens if trust is betrayed? What if this doesn't work? Sometimes it's like a dance. We step in and out of trust, moving to the rhythms of fear. For many, the routine is achingly familiar. Indeed, it's not easy to trust.
John Jamison
It was back in the days when the railroad was the most common mode of transportation. There were automobiles, and some airplanes, but the steam locomotive was the way most folks traveled and the way that most of the goods were distributed around the country. After dinner, people sat in the drawing room and listened to the radio programs, fading in and out from some faraway location, over the magical broadcasting signal.
Robert Leslie Holmes
Not many tourists to Washington, D.C., look for the Federal Bureau of Standards offices. It's the Capitol and the White House, the Supreme Court Building or the Smithsonian most of us want to see when we go there. Yet, at the Bureau of Standards offices something very important is stored, something that impacts your life and mine every single day. Have you ever bought the materials for a new project? When you did, most likely you purchased so many inches or feet or yards. Or, you stopped to buy gasoline for your car and purchased it at a certain price per gallon.
David O. Bales
I have the two best jobs in the world. I teach social studies at Leon Griffith Junior High School (a fairly small junior high) and I am Sunday School Superintendent at Calvary Presbyterian Church (an enormous church school). Each job is my vocation. I tell people that at school they'll find my room where the halls cross. At church they can look but probably won't find me. I'll be in someone's classroom. At each job I practice what I most deeply believe: it's how you see the world that determines how you respond to it. I'll give you an example, actually, two examples.
Erskine White
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed,
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
(Stuart K. Hine)

Special Occasion

Wildcard SSL