The Transfiguration of Our Lord
Holy Communion at 8:30 and 11am


Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, the resplendent light of your truth shines from the mountaintop into our hearts. Transfigure us by your beloved Son, and illumine the world with your image, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Scripture readings
2 Kings 2:1-12
Psalm 50:1-6
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Mark 9:2-9

Sermon
Text: 2 Kings 2:1-12  and  Mark 9:2-9
The only time we ever really use the word "transfiguration" is on this day in the Church.  It's not a common word in our vocabulary, except when it comes to the story of Jesus.  So what does it actually mean?  The preposition "trans" describes a movement "beyond" or "across" or "on the other side of" something.  In this sense, on the mountain that day with Peter and James and John, Jesus was moved beyond the human form in which the disciples typically experienced him.  His transfigured form as well as the words announced from God above reveal Jesus' identity as the divine Son of God.  The Transfiguration of Jesus is a declaration from God for us, too.  In the Christian life, we, too, are always moving beyond—beyond passive faith and into action, beyond hopelessness and into trust, beyond fear and into freedom, beyond death and into life.  And this week, with Jesus leading our way, we begin the move beyond Epiphany and into Lent.

Hymns

In our prayers we remember Cabrini Green Legal Aid. 

Education hour at 9:45am

Children and youth

Sunday School and Pre-Confirmation students and their families meet for a Family Sunday in Fellowship Hall. Confirmation classes meet in their usual classrooms. . Teen Talk meets in the Youth Room. 

Adult Education

February 4 and 11
Old Testament Theology from an Ethnic Minority Perspective

Danny Carroll, Blanchard Professor of Old Testament, Wheaton College Graduate School
The first session will look at how the Old Testament has been used in negative ways in regards to ethnic minority populations in this country and around the world. The second will explore some recent positive uses of the Old Testament that have arisen from ethnic minority voices. In the Seminar Room.

February 11 and 18
Why  we feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, care for the sick and the poor
Ryan Cummings, ELCA Hunger Education
Franklin Ishida, ELCA Global Mission
In these sessions, participants will learn about the breadth of projects supported by gifts to ELCA World Hunger, the emphasis on accompaniment that shapes our work, and the profound impact of this ministry. In the 7th grade/German classroom.

The Sunday morning Bible study group meets in the lower-level conference room.

The Grace Church Library is open and staffed on Sundays from 8:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Look for books related to Adult Ed topics as well as many other subjects. The library is also open for self-service during the week.

Download the 2017-2018 Sunday School and Confirmation Schedule.