Last Sunday after the Epiphany

The Collect:

O God, who before the passion of your onlybegotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us 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.

Old Testament: Exodus 24:12-18

¹²The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” ¹³So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. ¹⁴To the elders he had said, “Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.” ¹⁵Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. ¹⁶The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. ¹⁷Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. ¹⁸Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.

Psalm: Psalm 2 or 99

¹ Why are the nations in an uproar? *
       Why do the peoples mutter empty threats?
² Why do the kings of the earth rise up in revolt,
  and the princes plot together, *
       against the Lord and against his Anointed?
³ “Let us break their yoke,” they say; *
      “let us cast off their bonds from us.”
⁴ He whose throne is in heaven is laughing; *
       the Lord has them in derision.
⁵ Then he speaks to them in his wrath, *
       and his rage fills them with terror.
⁶ “I myself have set my king *
       upon my holy hill of Zion.”
⁷ Let me announce the decree of the Lord: *
       he said to me, “You are my Son;
this day have I begotten you.
⁸ Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for
                            your inheritance *
       and the ends of the earth for your possession.
⁹ You shall crush them with an iron rod *
       and shatter them like a piece of pottery.”
¹⁰ And now, you kings, be wise; *
       be warned, you rulers of the earth.
¹¹ Submit to the Lord with fear, *
       and with trembling bow before him;
¹² Lest he be angry and you perish; *
       for his wrath is quickly kindled.
¹³ Happy are they all *
       who take refuge in him!

or

¹ The Lord is King;
  let the people tremble; *
       he is enthroned upon the cherubim;
       let the earth shake.
² The Lord is great in Zion; *
       he is high above all peoples.
³ Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *
       he is the Holy One.
⁴ “O mighty King, lover of justice,
   you have established equity; *
       you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”
⁵ Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
  and fall down before his footstool; *
       he is the Holy One.
⁶ Moses and Aaron among his priests,
  and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *
       they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
⁷ He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *
       they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.
⁸ “O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *
       you were a God who forgave them,
       yet punished them for their evil deeds.”
⁹ Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
  and worship him upon his holy hill; *
       for the Lord our God is the Holy One.

Epistle: 2 Peter 1:16-21

¹⁶For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” ¹⁸We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

¹⁹So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, ²¹because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

Gospel: Matthew 17:1-9

¹Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. ²And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” ⁶When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. ⁷But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” ⁸And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. ⁹As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

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