LECTIONARY GENERATED LITURGY 
    Transfiguration
    2 Kings 2: 1-12; Psalm 50:1-6; 2 Cor. 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9. Rec. text - NRSV
      Permission is granted to churches to use this material in services of worship.
   This liturgy remains the property of Moira B Laidlaw  moira@liturgiesonline.com.au

CALL TO WORSHIP Based on Psalm 30:1-6,23

LEADER: God, the mighty Lord of the universe, speaks and the whole earth is summoned to listen.
PEOPLE: The splendour of divine glory shines forth. 
        
LEADER: Fire and wind alert the people to God's presence.
PEOPLE: All heaven and earth wait for God's word of judgment.
         
LEADER:  God's faithful people gather in anticipation,
PEOPLE:  for even the heavens declare God's righteousness.
         
LEADER: Let us seek to honour and glorify God by living righteous lives.
PEOPLE:  Let us worship God with praise and thanksgiving in our hearts.

LEADER: We come before you, O God, in awe of your power and might.  Heaven and earth are surely full of your glory.  We come in celebration of the fact that you - God of the whole universe - should choose to reveal yourself to us in Jesus Christ.  In him your abundant love for all people is made visible

PEOPLE: We adore you, O God, and we praise your holy name, and we pray that this time of worship will bring honour and glory to you.   This we pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.

EPISTLE: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6

LEADER: Lord Jesus Christ, God's glory and love shone through you that day on the mountain and you persisted in revealing that glory and love through your words and deeds; through your life of humble service.  We hear again these wonderful words of God "You are my Son, the Beloved, listen to him!".   We confess our failure to listen to you because of the influence on our lives of  the gods of this world .  When  this happens our attitudes conceal rather than reveal your glory and your love.

LEADER:  If we conceal your love because our pursuit of other priorities prevents  us from seeing and serving people in need:
PEOPLE:  forgive us, Lord.
                                silent confession
LEADER: If we conceal your glory because all we reflect is our own self-centredness:
PEOPLE:  forgive us, Lord.
                               silent confession
LEADER: If we conceal your truth through our lack of credible witness:
PEOPLE:  forgive us, Lord.
                                silent confession. 
LEADER: If we conceal your justice through our failure to empower those who are powerless:
PEOPLE:  forgive us, Lord.
                                silent confession
LEADER: If we conceal your mercy because of our hard and unforgiving attitudes:
PEOPLE:  forgive us, Lord.
                                silent confession.
LEADER: If we conceal your compassion because of our prejudice and intolerance:
PEOPLE:  forgive us, Lord.
                                 silent confession.
ALL: Lord Jesus Christ, cleanse our lives of all shameful attitudes of  mind and heart so that we reveal your glory in and through all we do and say and are.  This we pray in your name and in the power of the Holy Spirit.   Amen

LEADER:  It is the God who said,  " Let light shine out of darkness" who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ( 2 Corinthians 4:6 )   The good news  is that we are not only enlightened by our belief in Christ, we are cleansed and we are forgiven!
PEOPLE: Thanks be to God!

OLD TESTAMENT: 2 Kings 2: 1-12
GOSPEL: Mark 9: 2-9

ALL: We glorify you, O God, through these gifts and our lives.  May they be used to reveal your glory in ways which proclaim Jesus as your beloved Son, and in ways which show that we have indeed listened to him.
In Jesus' name, we pray.  Amen

LEADER: The Lord be with you.
PEOPLE: And also with you.
LEADER: Lift up your hearts.
PEOPLE: We lift them to the Lord.
LEADER: Let us give thanks to God.
PEOPLE: It is right to give God our thanks and praise.

LEADER: Living God,  we do give you thanks and praise.

                        
LEADER: Living God,  we do give you thanks and praise.
At the very beginning of time, you spoke the word
which replaced the darkness of chaos with life-giving light.
A light which has nurtured generations of people,
and plants and creatures, great and small. 
A light which also revealed the fear and powerlessness
caused by corrupt and evil actions. 
And so you spoke a new Word which would once and for all
dispel the darkness of chaotic lives.
Through your love for the world the Word
became flesh and lived among us.
And so, with all the company of heaven and earth
we praise your holy name saying:

LEADER: Holy God,  your holiness and your glory would have been beyond our imagining were it not for the sacrificial life and love of Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, our beloved Lord.He graced lives with healing and hope, with compassion and power and as if that were not enough, he gave his very life for us.  On the night of his betrayal, as he sat at the table and broke bread with his friends, he said:

'Take and eat; this is my body which is broken for you. Remember me each time you do this.'

After they had eaten, he took the cup, and said: 'Remember me as you drink from this, for it is my life, poured out for you -
 the beginning of a new relationship with God.'

God of all power,  breathe your Holy Spirit upon us, and upon these gifts of bread  and wine, that they may be for us the life of Christ and that we may make that life visible through our faithful witness to the gospel.  In Jesus' name we pray. Amen

LEADER: We break this bread and take this cup so that we can all share in the life of Christ.
PEOPLE: God's gifts for God's people.

LAMB OF GOD

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

ALL: Most gracious God, source of all blessing, we give you thanks for
inviting us to share this meal as your family.  Strengthen us to be a blessing to
one another and to all people, glorifying you in everything we do and say,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

BENEDICTION

Go into this week
radiant with the holiness of God
transfigured by the glory of Jesus Christ
glowing with the exuberance of the Holy Spirit

THREEFOLD AMEN