Sermon – The Transfiguration

The Transfiguration

Sermon Preached by Reverend Tracey Gracey on Sunday, 15 February 2026

Matthew 17:1-9

Was the Transfiguration a literal event?

Or was it a vision?

Or could it have been a dream?

Or a misunderstanding of a natural event?

Or just purely a symbolic story?

If you asked six highly regarded theologians, these are the range of beliefs you would hear to describe the mystical event of the Transfiguration.

And each of these beliefs holds a certain amount of truth as these viewpoints give us an insight into how we can approach the story of the Transfiguration from different perspectives, and notice how this mystery speaks into our own faith.

Imagine that you walk into a room and within this room, there are five doors, each with a different sign inviting you to enter.

The choice is yours. You can choose to open any door.

Door 1 says – To walk the literal path, please enter.

Door 2 says – To enter into the world of visions, please enter.

The sign on door 3 says – To follow the path of your dreams, please enter.

Door 4 says – To join hands with creation, please enter.

And our last door, door 5, says – To discover the symbolic way, please enter.

Which door would you choose to enter first?

The literal way that acknowledges that all things are possible with God.

The world of visions that acknowledges our mountain-top experiences with God, those surreal experiences of the Divine that then sustain us on our ongoing faith journey.

The path of dreams that acknowledges that we can experience and connect with the Divine through prayer and meditation.

Or maybe you would first choose to go through door 4 – the joining of hands with creation, which recognises that we can connect with and experience God through the beauty and wonder of this universe.

Or you might have chosen the symbolic path, which reveals that within every literal story, there is a deeper meaning that becomes an invitation to experience and participate in the transfiguring work of the Divine.

But whatever door you choose, the invitation is the same: to remain open, and to listen.

On the mountain, the disciples hear God speak: “This is my Son, the beloved… listen to him.”

And perhaps that is the gift of the Transfiguration, a reminder that faith is not always about having everything explained, but about making space to hear God’s word
and to keep listening as we continue the journey.

Once you have decided on the door of your choice, you do not have to enter it alone – you have more options and can choose the people you would like to take with you on the journey.

There is Moses and Elijah, who, in their walk with God, also experienced the Divine in visions and dreams, giving them the courage to live out God’s message.

Peter who constantly grappled with the identity of Jesus and who wanted to turn this experience into a literal account.

James and John who were in awe of creation and the surreal happenings.

Or Jesus, who was empowered by God through deep prayer and meditation, who in this encounter was affirmed in his calling, and then began to journey to the cross willingly.

In many ways, the Transfiguration is a commissioning.

Just as Jesus’ baptism marked the beginning of his ministry, the Transfiguration is another commissioning for Jesus, marking the beginning of his journey to Jerusalem, which will end in betrayal, suffering, and death and where transformation will occur for all of humanity.

Events like the Transfiguration are sometimes called theophanies,
moments when God’s presence is made known, not to end the journey, but to send God’s people forward with new clarity and insight.

Biblically the story of the Transfiguration is important because it is a moment of fulfilment and transition, from the old to the new.

Moses’ presence represents the law, and Elijah’s represents the prophets, and their appearance with Jesus indicates that he is the fulfilment of both the law and the prophets.

This story does not replace the Old Testament understanding and perceptions of God, but deepens and fulfils them in the person of Jesus.

No longer is God found dwelling in the temple, hidden by a curtain and kept in a box called a Tabernacle, but now God’s presence is revealed among us in a new and living way.

God’s presence and word are found more fully in a person, in Jesus Christ.
Jesus is now God’s Tabernacle, God’s abiding presence with us.

Our transformation journey, in many ways, begins this week on Ash Wednesday, the start of the Season of Lent, where we are once again invited to journey with Jesus to the cross.

During this journey, we, too, have the opportunity to move from the old to the new and begin our relationship with God afresh.

And today, we are invited to enter that journey by opening a door, the door of our choice, and begin walking up the mountain.

On this walk, we can recall those transfiguring moments with God,
and how they have sustained us along our Christian journey.

And as we reach the top of the mountain, we can remain open to new moments of Transfiguration by: