Looking into the lectionary - Transfiguration Sunday

Exodus 24:12-18; Matthew 17:1-9; 1 Peter 1:16-21 Transfiguration Sunday February 15, 2026 Who among us hasn’t wanted to linger on a mountaintop just a little longer? It’s no accident that mountains serve as a metaphor for faith. The climb requires preparation and perseverance. It can be strenuous or even treacherous, and it is rarely meant to be undertaken alone. Along the way, we are changed. And when we reach the summit, the view is almost always worth it. The Christian year is shaped by these same rhythms of ascent and descent. Transfiguration Sunday marks a threshold moment — the bright culmination of Advent’s hope, Christmas’s joy and Epiphany’s guiding light — and the turning point where Jesus’ journey, and ours, begins to bend unmistakably toward the cross. We stand at the close of one season and orient ourselves toward the Lenten wilderness ahead. It is here that Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9) meets the story of Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:12-18) and Peter’s eyewitness testimony (2 Peter 1:16-21), inviting us to glimpse divine glory just before the descent begins. The Transfiguration appears in all three synoptic gospels, but Matthew’s account opens with a curious detail: “six days later.” Later than what? Six days after the disciples first named Jesus as the Messiah (Matthew 16:13-20) — and six days after Jesus predicted his suffering, death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21-23). The sequence is deliberate. The Transfiguration can’t happen without the teaching that comes just before. ... Read the rest of the commentary at pres-outlook.org. Thank you to this week's writer, Anna Owens. Want the worship resources for February 8, 2026? You can find them here. Order of worship — February 15, 2026 by Anna Owens 2026: A year for the rural church by Phillip Blackburn A murmuration of clergy: Presbyterians and partners gather in Minneapolis by Harriet Riley Why the PC(USA)’s Book of Confessions is too long — and how to fix it by Charles Aden Wiley, III IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Meeting Jesus on the Road: A Lenten Study With weekly walking prompts, reflection questions and a pastoral tone, "Meeting Jesus on the Road" encourages us to meet Jesus in our neighborhoods, writes Amy Pagliarella. We Can Be Brave In "We Can Be Brave," Bryan Bliss adapts Mariann Budde’s call to courage for young readers — weaving faith, fear and hope through stories both sacred and familiar. Amy Pagliarella offers a review of the book. Rapsody: The holy work of formation In this episode, Chris Burton explores how Rapsody pairs uncompromising lyricism with a lived commitment to community, mentoring young artists, and investing in others as an act of faithful formation. Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity In "Against the Machine," Paul Kingsnorth offers a prophetic, if alarmist, diagnosis of Western civilization’s collapse, ultimately calling the church to become a sanctuary, writes Blaine Crawford. Unification Commission approves the majority of a proposed Organization for Mission The remainder will be addressed during an online UC meeting Feb. 12. — Mike Ferguson Inside the effort to organize clergy nationwide to resist ICE Hundreds of clergy from around the country gathered in Minneapolis to learn from Minnesota faith leaders how to protest against ICE enforcement. Then they took to the streets and helped block the city's airport. — Jack Jenkins Faith leaders call for action after violence in Minneapolis More than 8,000 clergy and faith organizers gathered online, urging senators to oppose renewed DHS funding and to “pray with their feet.” — Harriet Riley A daily Lenten devotional Explore how to live faithfully amid division and uncertainty through Matthew’s Gospel.