Transfiguration of the Lord
"Transfiguration" refers to a change in form or appearance. At the Transfiguration of the Lord, we celebrate the revelation of divine glory in the human life of Jesus Christ. Jesus' radiant appearance on the mountaintop evokes the consuming fire of the glory of the Lord at Mount Sinai. Standing with Moses and Elijah, Jesus represents the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. The transfiguration looks back to Jesus' incarnation and baptism, as God again claims him as a beloved child. This event also looks forward to his death and resurrection, as the one who is lifted up on the cross will reveal the glorious victory of God.
Because of the tradition that Jesus' transfiguration took place forty days before his crucifixion, the Revised Common Lectionary provides for this festival to be observed on the Sunday before Lent or the second Sunday in Lent (forty days before Good Friday). Some Christians also commemorate the transfiguration on August 6, forty days before Holy Cross day (September 14).
COLOR: white
- from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship (2018)
Because of the tradition that Jesus' transfiguration took place forty days before his crucifixion, the Revised Common Lectionary provides for this festival to be observed on the Sunday before Lent or the second Sunday in Lent (forty days before Good Friday). Some Christians also commemorate the transfiguration on August 6, forty days before Holy Cross day (September 14).
COLOR: white
- from the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship (2018)