By the Rev. Micah Krey
Revised Common Lectionary reflection, Transfiguration Sunday, Year A
February 15, 2026
Key Verse: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with whom I am well pleased; listen to him!” -Matthew 17:5
Transfiguration Sunday sits at the hinge of the church year. The dazzling moment on the mountain gives way almost immediately to the long road toward Jerusalem. Glory is revealed, but it is not meant to be captured, contained, or controlled. Instead, it is entrusted. That tension shapes a powerful stewardship theme across this week’s readings.
In Matthew’s account, Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James, and John. His appearance is radiant, unmistakably holy, and deeply unsettling. Peter’s instinct is understandable: “Let us make three dwellings” (Matthew 17:4). He wants to preserve the moment, to manage the mystery, to turn revelation into something permanent and manageable. But God interrupts. The voice from the cloud does not instruct the disciples to build, fix, or explain. Instead, it gives a simple charge: listen. Stewardship here is not about grasping or preserving glory, but about receiving it faithfully and responding in trust.
Exodus 24 echoes this theme. Moses is invited up the mountain into cloud and fire, into a presence both beautiful and terrifying. He waits there for 40 days and nights, lingering in a space where control is surrendered and attentiveness is required. The people do not yet know what will come next. The call is simply to remain present to what God is doing. Stewardship, in this light, becomes the discipline of staying with God’s revelation long enough to be shaped by it, rather than rushing to use it.
Psalm 99 (or Psalm 2) reinforces this posture of reverence. God is exalted, holy, and enthroned beyond human manipulation. Worship becomes an act of rightly ordered attention, acknowledging that God is God, and we are not. This, too, is stewardship: tending the posture of humility that allows faith to endure beyond mountaintop moments.
Second Peter reflects on the Transfiguration not as spectacle but as testimony. The author insists that this was not a cleverly devised myth, but a trustworthy witness passed on to the community. What was seen on the mountain becomes light for the path ahead. Revelation is not meant to end with awe; it is meant to guide faithful living when the road grows difficult.
Together, these texts invite preachers to frame stewardship as faithfulness to what has been revealed. We are stewards of holy moments, entrusted not to cling to them, but to let them shape how we listen, follow, and live once we come down the mountain. The challenge of Transfiguration Sunday is not how to stay in the light, but how to carry that light into ordinary, complicated lives.
As the season turns toward Lent, the church is reminded that God’s glory does not remove us from the world but sends us back into it. Stewardship, then, becomes the practice of listening deeply, walking faithfully, and trusting that the light we have been given is enough for the journey ahead, even when the path leads through shadow.
In Worship
“Listen to him” (Matthew 17:5). Worship on Transfiguration Sunday can emphasize attentiveness and reverence rather than activity or explanation. Consider allowing moments of silence after the Gospel reading, creating space for the congregation to “listen” before moving on. Music that holds mystery and awe (such as “How Good, Lord, to Be Here,” “Beautiful Savior,” or “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”) can reinforce the theme of revelation received rather than managed.
A visual focal point may help: a simple white or gold cloth draped over the altar or lectern, removed at the conclusion of worship to signal the movement from glory and light into the Lenten season ahead. Prayers of intercession might acknowledge our desire for clarity and control, asking instead for trust and faithfulness. Worship can gently remind the congregation that stewardship begins not with action, but with attentiveness to God’s voice calling us forward.
Worship with Youth
Youth often live with intense pressure to perform, decide, and explain themselves. Transfiguration offers a counter-message: sometimes faith begins with listening, not doing. Invite your youth to talk about moments when they felt overwhelmed by choices or expectations. Ask: “What helps you slow down and really listen?”
As an activity, give each participant a small card and invite them to write one thing they feel pressured to figure out right now. Then invite them to flip the card over and write the word listen. Talk about how Peter wanted to do something (build something) while God invited him simply to pay attention. Stewardship here is about trusting that they don’t have to have everything figured out yet. God’s light is enough for the next step, even if the whole path isn’t visible.
Worship with Children
Children know what it feels like to want a good moment to last. Begin by asking, “Have you ever wanted to stay somewhere really special forever?” Connect this to the story of Jesus shining brightly on the mountain. The disciples wanted to stay, too, but God had more adventures ahead.
Show a flashlight or small lamp. Explain that the light helps us see where to step, even if it doesn’t light up everything at once. God’s light works the same way. We don’t get to see the whole road, but we get enough light for today. Stewardship means using the light we’re given (listening, loving, and following Jesus) wherever we go next. Close by reminding them that God’s light goes with them off the mountain and into their everyday lives.
Previous reflections for Transfiguration Sunday, Year A:
2023 – Stewards of Jesus’ Mystery
2020 – Glimpsing God’s glory
2017 – Transfigured or transmogrified: It’s ALL about change!
2011 – Listen up, disciples!
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