Sermon -- Last Sunday after Epiphany: Transfiguration (February 15, 2026)

YOU DO WELL TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT HE SAYS.

2 PETER 1:16-21

In the name + of Jesus.

      When I was in high school, we had a presentation about rock music.  We had one simple task: Listen to the lyrics.  When you listen to music, it is the tune that catches your attention.  That’s what makes your toes tap.  One song which was popular (and I suppose still is) is, “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult.  If you know this song at all, it is from the guitar riff which, I think, is one of the most catchy guitar riffs in rock music.  You might also know it as the “Cow Bell” song on Saturday Night Live.  Anyway, as we were all tapping our toes, we were drawn back to the assignment: Listen to the lyrics.  It was only then that we discovered the song praises and encourages suicide.  Suddenly, that song was not as great as we thought it was.  It pays to listen to what they say.

     The same can be said for the hymns we sing.  Everyone has their favorites.  Many become favorites because they are linked to a special event.  Maybe it was sung at your daughter’s wedding.  Maybe it was at your grandfather’s funeral.  Or maybe you learned it at Sunday School.  Often the favorites are the ones that stir up our emotions.  You have to sing Silent Night on Christmas Eve because it makes you cry.  Of course, music has its part in any hymn.  But if the music or the emotion is all you remember, then the hymn did not teach you anything.  St. Paul spoke of the purpose of hymns when he wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16).  If hymns are to teach, then we need to pay attention to what they say.  And the best ones proclaim the redeeming work of our Lord.

     Shortly before Jesus traveled to Jerusalem to suffer and die for our sins, he took Peter, James, and John with him up a mountain.  There, they saw Jesus’ divine glory.  St. Matthew described it: “(Jesus) was transfigured in front of them.  His face was shining like the sun.  His clothing became as white as the light.  Just then, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus” (Matthew 17:2-3). 

     Peter wanted to keep this vision of glory for as long as possible.  I suppose we can’t blame him for that.  The disciples had confessed that Jesus is the Son of God.  Here, he finally looked the part!  Their confession was no longer by faith, but now it was by sight.  Peter concluded that others should see it, too.  Jesus, Moses, and Elijah could each have their own tabernacle.  Then anyone could climb the mountain and see it.  God the Father, however, redirected the attention of the disciples.  He declared, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.  Listen to him” (Matthew 17:5). 

     Eventually, Simon Peter did learn the lesson.  He wrote in his second epistle, “We also have the completely reliable prophetic word.  You do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).  We can be dazzled by what we see or swayed by emotional experiences.  But if we want confidence about what God is like, what God desires, and what God does for people, then we must listen to him.  You do well to pay attention to what he says.

     God’s blessings upon his creation are often tangible.  We can see a brilliant sunrise, a waterfall, or the vibrant feathers of songbirds.  We can feel a cool breeze in summer, the warmth of a hug, or the soft fur of a cat.  We can smell a flower, a campfire, or bacon.  All of these show that our Lord is kind in blessing us with so much variety and beauty.  While the creation reveals God’s kindness, it does not reveal what God does about people who do not listen to his word.

     Our problem is not that we don’t know what God says.  Why else would we create arguments that defend our actions?  Why else would we rationalize that what is bad when others do it is okay when we do it?  The driver who cut you off in traffic is a jerk, but others should understand that when you cut your way through traffic, you have important business to get to.  No one needs to work that hard to explain why they did something good.  But to defend our sins, our reason bends like a contortionist, the kind you look at and say, “The body is not supposed to bend like that.”  Our excuses for our sins are not supposed to contort like that either, but they do.  God’s commands, however, are unmistakable.  Our problem is not ignorance, as if we ask, “Who can say what is right or wrong?”  Our problem is that we do not pay attention to what he says.

     That problem goes back to the Garden of Eden.  God gave Adam and Eve one commandment to follow.  It was very clear: “You may freely eat from every tree in the garden, but you shall not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil” (Genesis 2:16-17).  And the consequence of failing to listen was clear: “On the day that you eat from it, you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17).  Sadly, they did not pay attention to what he said.  Sin and death entered the world and have claimed everyone who enters it.

     Even Simon Peter did not pay attention to the word of the Lord.  On the night Jesus was betrayed, he warned his disciples, “This night you will all fall away on account of me” (Matthew 26:31).  “Peter answered him, ‘Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Amen I tell you: Tonight before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.’  Peter said to him, ‘Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you’” (Matthew 26:33-35).  Jesus had issued the warning, but Peter did not pay attention to it.  Within hours, he swore before God that he did not have any association with Jesus.

     If we pay attention to what God says, we spare ourselves many griefs.  We don’t destroy reputations or relationships with juicy gossip.  We don’t jeopardize a marriage by streaming raunchy websites.  We don’t risk arrest from shoplifting.  We don’t suffer the consequences from our rage against someone we disagree with.  You do well to pay attention to what he has to say.  If you do not pay attention to what he has to say, you fall under his condemnation.  And, sadly, if you do not pay attention to what he has to say, you won’t know how the Lord delivers you from that condemnation.

     That’s why St. Peter wrote, “We also have the completely reliable prophetic word.  You do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).  Only God can enlighten us to know how he takes care of our guilt.  You and I might try to ignore it or distract ourselves from it.  God does not.  He deals with it.  Our Savior takes away our guilt by taking it upon himself.

     When God the Father told the disciples, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.  Listen to him” (Matthew 17:5), he could also have said, “You should have been listening to him.”  St. Matthew records, “Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus” (Matthew 17:3).  St. Luke, however, records the content of that conversation.  “(Moses and Elijah) appeared in glory and were talking about his departure, which he was going to bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31).  If they had paid attention to what he was saying, they would have been focused on Jesus’ mission rather than on his dazzling appearance.

     God the Father sent Jesus to take away the guilt of all mankind.  Jesus paid attention to what he had commanded him, and he was committed to bringing it to its fulfillment.  Jesus took upon himself the guilt of all who fail to pay attention to his word.  He died for Adam’s and Eve’s paying attention to the devil’s words instead of his.  He died for Simon Peter’s failure to heed the warning that he would deny Jesus.  He has taken the punishment for you not paying attention to what he has said.  He has even shed his blood for the times you had paid attention and did what was forbidden anyway.  For these and all our sins, Jesus did what he was commanded to do.  He paid attention to the word of God and paid the price for all the iniquities of mankind.  Jesus’ sacrificial death assures that God’s word to you is a declaration of pardon and peace.

     You do well to pay attention to what the Lord says.  That is what God the Father told Peter, James, and John when they saw Jesus radiant in glory.  He did not ask them, “What do you think about that?” or “How does that make you feel?”  Peter’s reaction to Jesus’ transfiguration expressed his thoughts and feelings.  Instead, God the Father kept the disciples focused: “Listen to him” (Matthew 17:5).

     No matter what you see or experience, you will only draw comfort when you pay attention to what our Lord has to say.  In other words, pay attention to what is written in the Bible.  St. Peter reminds you, “No prophecy of Scripture comes about from someone’s own interpretation.  In fact, no prophecy ever came by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were being carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21).  The Bible are not merely words about God.  They are God’s words.  They guide you in godly living.  They encourage you with divine promises which endure through dark days, tear-filled moments, and painful trials.  They assure you of God’s steadfast love and abiding presence.  Especially when it feels like God has turned away from you, listen to him!  You do well to pay attention to what he has to say, because God speaks to you through the Scriptures for your comfort, encouragement, peace.  He keeps you focused on the end goal.  The end goal is not just to get through rough times—although God will be with you through those.  The goal is to see the glory of the Lord and to partake in the glory of the eternal kingdom. 

     St. Peter wrote, “To be sure, we were not following cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the powerful appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).  The glory that Peter saw is but a glimpse of the glory that awaits you.  It was not a fantasy when Peter saw it.  It is not a fantasy that you dream about.  It is a reality you simply wait for.  God has promised it.  God’s word points you to it.  And you do well to pay attention to the only one who will get you there, which is Jesus Christ, our Lord.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.