SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
THE LAST SUNDAY OF EPIPHANY: THE TRANSFIGURATION
February 14, 2021
Celebrant: I will make you as a light for the nations,
People: That my salvation may reach to the end of the earth..
Celebrant: COLLECT
O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
THE LESSONS
FIRST LESSON:
A Reading from 1 Kings 19: 9 - 18
9 And there he came to a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Eli′jah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 And when Eli′jah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Eli′jah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, you shall anoint Haz′ael to be king over Syria; 16 and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel; and Eli′sha the son of Shaphat of A′bel-meho′lah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 17 And him who escapes from the sword of Haz′ael shall Jehu slay; and him who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Eli′sha slay. 18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Ba′al, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
Here ends the reading.
Response: Thanks be to God
PSALM 27
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? *
The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, *
they stumbled and fell.
3 Though a host were encamped against me, yet my heart would not be afraid, *
and though war rose up against me, yet would I put my trust in him.
4 One thing have I desired of the Lord; one thing I seek: *
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
5 To behold the fair beauty of the Lord, *
and to seek him in his temple.
6 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his tabernacle; *
indeed, in the secret place of his dwelling he shall hide me, and set me high upon a rock of stone.
7 And now he shall lift up my head *
above my enemies round about me.
8 Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation with great gladness; *
I will sing and speak praises unto the Lord.
9 Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I cry unto you; *
have mercy upon me and hear me.
10 You speak to my heart and say, “Seek my face.” *
Your face, O Lord, will I seek.
11 O hide not your face from me, *
nor cast your servant away in displeasure.
12 You have been my helper; *
leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
13 When my father and my mother forsake me, *
the Lord takes me in.
14 Teach me your way, O Lord, *
and lead me in the right way, because of my enemies.
15 Deliver me not over to the will of my adversaries, *
for there are false witnesses who have risen up against me, and those who speak wrong.
16 I would utterly have fainted, *
had I not believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
17 O wait for the Lord; be strong, and he shall comfort your heart. *
O put your trust in the Lord.
SECOND LESSON:
A Reading from: 2 Peter 1: 13 – 21
13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body,[a] to arouse you by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body[b] will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. 15 And I will see to it that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son,[c] with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we heard this voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word made more sure. You will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.[d]
Here ends the reading.
Response: Thanks be to God
The Holy GOSPEL of our Lord Jesus Christ according to: Mark 9: 2 – 9
The Transfiguration
Response: Glory to you, Lord Christ.
2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them, 3 and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Eli′jah with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Master,[a] it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli′jah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son;[b] listen to him.” 8 And suddenly looking around they no longer saw any one with them but Jesus only.
9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of man should have risen from the dead.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Response: Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Celebrant: Homily
Celebrant: Let us confess our faith in the words of the Apostle’s Creed
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Celebrant: PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
In your own words, pray for your own needs, for those on your heart, for the peace of
the world, and for the Church.
Almighty God, we entrust all who are dear to us to your never-failing care and love, for this life and the life to come, knowing that you are doing for them better things than we can desire or pray for; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Celebrant: ACT OF CONTRITION
Let us humbly confess our sins to Almighty God:
O GOD, We are VERY SORRY that we have sinned against you and for all the wrongs we have done and the good we have not done.
Take a moment in silence to share your confession to God with these words in your heart:
Especially I confess_______________________________.
Everyone: Forgive us for Jesus' sake, and grant us strength and wisdom to amend our
lives. Amen.
Everyone:
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen
Everyone:
Dear Jesus, we believe that you are truly present in the Holy Sacrament. We love you above all things, and we desire to possess you within our souls. And since we cannot now receive you sacramentally, we beseech you to come spiritually into our hearts. We unite ourselves to you, together with all your faithful people gathered around every altar of your Church, and we embrace you with all the affections of our souls. Never permit us to be separated from you. Amen.
COME LORD JESUS, and dwell in our hearts in the fullness of your strength; be our wisdom and guide us in right pathways; conform our lives and actions to the image of your holiness; and, in the power of your gracious might, rule over every hostile power that threatens or disturbs the growth of your kingdom, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Priest’s Blessing:
AND MAY THE PEACE OF GOD, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be with you now and always, Amen.
ANIMA CHRISTI
SOUL of Christ, sanctify me Body of Christ, save me Blood of Christ, inebriate me Water from the side of Christ, wash me Passion of Christ, strengthen me O good Jesus, hear me Within Thy wounds, hide me Separated from Thee let me never be From the malignant enemy, defend me At the hour of death, call me To come to Thee, bid me That I may praise Thee in the company Of Thy Saints for all eternity. Amen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Text for Questions from Collect: "Grant that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory"
1. "Strengthened to bear our cross":
Lent this year will arrive after 11 months of a global "Lent" caused by the pandemic. We have all had to endure if not choose sacrifices and additional commitments. How are you approaching the matter of Lenten disciplines (PRAYER, GIVING, FASTING) for the upcoming Church Lent in this context?
2. "Beholding by faith the light of his countenance":
Has the vision of the Transfigured Lord given you any inspiration or strength during this imposed "Lent"? If so, can you share anything about how this has influenced you?
3. "Changed into his likeness from glory to glory":
Have you seen any spiritual growth and transformation in you and others during this past year? This may have to do with awareness, whether of need, challenge, or opportunity. Share your insights.
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