Transfiguration Sunday/NLSW 2025

Text: “And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.” (Luke 9:35–36)

This moment from Jesus’ ministry is refreshingly direct. The lesson is pretty plain: Jesus is truly the Son of God, the Chosen One. Listen to Him.

That is hardly a secret, of course. Jesus did not hide that fact. Surely the stories about the angels and shepherds and wise men connected to His birth were still circulating. The miracles were a pretty good clue. Jesus claimed to be eternal, like God. “Before Abraham was, I am,” Jesus told the Pharisees on one occasion. Someone has probably also pointed out to you that the divine name of God is hidden in that statement, “Before Abraham was, I am.” ‘I am’. That is the name that God shared with Moses at the burning bush. “Say to the people of Israel, ‘I am’ has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). Jesus was not only claiming divine characteristics— claiming to be eternal, like God— He was also claiming to possess God’s name. Not to mention the fact that Jesus was worshipped by people and accepted it. It is hardly a secret. Jesus would absolutely be guilty of blasphemy if it were not true.

But, that day, on the mountain top, with Peter, James, and John, the divine nature of Jesus literally shone through. The lesson is pretty plain: Jesus is truly the Son of God, the Chosen One. Listen to Him.

This is another of those moments when we shake our heads at the foolishness of St. Peter. Just shut up and watch and listen. Why do you feel the need to speak at that moment. Just listen. Actually hear what they are talking about. If he had, then maybe Peter would have been better prepared for Maundy Thursday— the night when Jesus was betrayed and arrested— and understood well enough to not start swinging a sword at the soldiers in another act of great foolishness; maybe Peter would have had the courage to stand with his Savior all the way to the cross on Good Friday rather than denying Him; maybe Peter would have met the sunrise on Easter Sunday with anticipation at what was about to happen rather than with fear. This is, most certainly, one of the great moments of foolishness from St. Peter. Is there any question who the voice from heaven was speaking to when it said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” (Luke 9:35)?

I suppose there is. There is a bit of a question who the voice was speaking to. Was it speaking to Peter or to you and me? Listen to Him.

That might require putting away your phone for a minute; it might mean putting down the tablet; it might mean binge watching one fewer episodes of your new favorite show. It might mean making God’s Word a higher priority than softball. You heard the voice: “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to Him!”

There is an old joke among pastors about who to expect at church when the weather is really bad. We will sometimes joke that the weather is so bad that only the elderly will be able to make it to church. That is a sign that the weather is bad. Perhaps we could also say that it is a sign that the weather is really good. It is so good that only the elderly will be able to make it to church. The Father said “Listen to Him!” Not just when you feel like it. Not just when there is nothing better to do. Listen to Him.

Then, to make matters worse, not unlike St. Peter, you presume to tell God what the church should look like.

To be clear, there are certainly things that we can and should be doing better. We can make sure that we work well together; we can make sure that we share a common goal and purpose; we need to make sure that what we do is not just designed to please one group, but that everyone has a voice. There are certainly things that we can and should be doing better.

At the same time, you have no time to spend in God’s word— you’re too busy with everything else— but you are going to tell Him what needs to be done to save His church? You are going to tell Him what needs to be different to get people to start coming to church? Who is more foolish: St. Peter or you? Listen to Him!

You complain about living in a world of chaos and fear. You complain about the suffering of all different kinds. You feel the nagging guilt about all the ways that you have failed. Jesus’ words diagnose the fundamental problem: sin. And He also offers the cure. Listen to Him.

Hear what He has to say. If you do, if you actually hear what He has to say, you will be prepared for Maundy Thursday. You will see Him follow up His words with actions. “Put your sword back into its place,” Jesus told Peter in response to that foolish moment. How else can my word be fulfilled (Matthew 26:53-54)? Listen to Him and you will find that He staked His very life on His word.

You will, most definitely, be prepared for Good Friday. Even as Jesus hung on the cross, the crowd mocked Him, “saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”” (Luke 23:35). No, they had it perfectly backwards. He was there on the cross because He is the Christ of God, His Chosen One. Because He is the Chosen One, He bore the sins of all humanity on that cross. Listen to Him and you will be prepared to look at Him on the cross, in the middle of all of His suffering, to see the full guilt and shame of your sin, and to hear that it is not yours any longer. He took it from you and nailed it there to the cross.

Hear what He has to say and you will arise every single morning in Christ’s Easter Triumph— your sinful nature buried with Him in His grave and left behind there as you arise to live the new, holy life, that He has won for you.

Listen to Him— especially since what He is trying to tell you is that He came to suffer and die for you.

Baptized Saints, as Jesus’ Church, it is important to understand that the church's only power is the Word of God.  As a church, we do not swing a military sword, we do not influence political policy with political dollars, and we certainly cannot change the world with a soup kitchen, as important as they are.  Instead, the only thing that the church has is the Word of God.  Please listen right now to the Word, “Your sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake.”

(Richard, Rev. Matt. “The Word: It’s the Only Thing the Church Has.” www.pastormattrichard.com. February 27, 2025)

He is, in fact God’s chosen one. And, upon the Rock of the confession of the crucified and risen Christ, the Church has been built. “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4–5).

Because He is the Son of God, the Chosen One, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9–10).

You are not just raising children. You are cultivating in them a new, eternal life by the power of His Word. That is the power and blessing of our school, isn’t it? Not just ‘developing leaders’, but building up disciples of Jesus Christ by the power of His Word. Preparing them for service to Christ— both within the Church and in this world.

You are not just here to try to make this world a better place. Christ sends you out into this dying world with a message of life. The Chosen One of God has established His Kingdom in this world. It is a kingdom of peace, of justice, of righteousness. Some will hear and others will not listen to you. But all whom God has chosen will be saved.

I realize that there are a lot of things competing for your time and attention. There are countless obstacles that the devil throws in front of you to make it as hard as he can for you to hear. But this is the Son of God, the Chosen One. Listen to Him.