Text: Sarum, 15th century, tr. John Mason Neale Tune: English folk tune, Deo gracias
1 O wondrous type! O vision fair
of glory that the Church may share,
which Christ upon the mountain shows,
where brighter than the sun he glows!
2 With Moses and Elijah nigh
th'incarnate Lord holds converse high,
and from the cloud the Holy One
bears record to the only Son.
3 With shining face and bright array
Christ deigns to manifest today
what glory shall be theirs above
who joy in God with perfect love.
4 And faithful hearts are raised on high
by this great vision's mystery,
for which in joyful strains we raise
the voice of prayer, the hymn of praise
.
5 O Father, with th'eternal Son
and Holy Spirit ever one,
we pray you, bring us by your grace
to see your glory face to face.
REFLECTION
Transfiguration Sunday has appeared in several iterations of the church year, but we have settled on having it just as Lent is about to begin. This agrees with the narrative in the gospesl. After Jesus has this “mountain-top experience” he descends toward the cross. I noticed once that I had received several invitations to preach on this Sunday. Perhaps it was that pastors wanted a break to charge their batteries before the long slog of Lent and Easter. On the other hand, maybe it was because while it is a rich account, and we all have our memes—such as don’t bank on mountain-top experiences because darkness may descend, but the disciples have seen Jesus is God so they should remember it as he goes to the cross and grave.
It was a feeling shared by many preachers, but Sarah Hinlicky Wilson has come to the rescue with an expansive and wonderful book Seven Ways of Looking at the Transfiguration (Thornbush Press: 2024).
It is too rich to summarize here, but after you have read it, your approach will be transfigured. She starts with Mark’s account and begins to wonder what it means that Peter wants to build booths. It isn’t a way to avoid the glory, as I once thought, but it gets us right into the meaning of this event: the Festival of Booths is fundamental to the understanding of the event and Peter has some dim sense for that.
From there you will be taken through the meaning of the word, metamorphisis, how Elijah and the end times fit, and in Matthew, how one hears echoes of the Exodus and Moses who is also standing with Jesus. She contemplates the tabernacle and its meaning for Israel and Jesus as the new tabernacle. Then the eye witnesses, Peter, James and John, and what they say, concluding with God in the cloud and the consummation of the entire work of Jesus which we will not see until the end, but it is all there in the accounts. It is a fundamental part of our faith. As 2 Peter 1:19 says, it is well to “take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the day star arise in your hearts.” Think of how the three disciples must have felt on seeing Jesus, Moses and Elijah, in the glorious light, and give thanks that our God, for the love of us, even while we were sinners, sent his beloved Son to be our Savior and friend. Let the day star rise in your heart and rejoice in this wonder! Give thanks for all that glory in your heart!
(for more on the book click here):
HYMN INFO
This hymn Coelestis Forman gloria comes from 15th century Sarum in England. The Use of Sarum book, from Salisbury, appeared about that same time. It was clearly a lively center of worship. You may know Sarum from the novel Sarum by Edward Rutherford which tells the stories of several families through the centuries in the region. The Sarum rite, developed by a monk named Osmund, was a version of the Latin mass with some influences from the Anglo Norman tradition. The liturgy lasted through the English Reformation and has come down as a treasure from Salisbury. Translated by John Mason Neale the hymn has become something of a standard for Transfiguration Sunday. The tune Deo gracias is a big honking folk tune, from the 15th century in England. It is associated with the English victory over the French at Agincourt. Anyone who has seen the Henry plays by Shakespeare, especially Henry V has very likely heard the tune as the army rejoices in its victory. With drums, organ and brass, it conveys the glory of the event. Others use Wareham, by William Knapp (1698-1768) who was born in Wareham in Dorcetshire England, thus the tune name. There is not much about him in the histories.
LINKS
The Redeemer Choir, Austin
First Plymouth Church, Lincoln Nebraska
Concordia Publishing House
St. Mark’s Church, Philadelphia, to Wareham