“Words cannot contain…” — Sermon for Transfiguration Sunday, 2023

(I had the opportunity to lead worship and preach at Zion Lutheran Church in York, PA this weekend. Here’s the sermon that I preach in response to the reading from Matthew 17, the story about the Transfiguration of Jesus)

Have you ever had those times in your life where there just aren’t the words to express the moment properly, where even the image captured doesn’t do it justice?

I brought along a couple of items with me today that try to capture that for me. The first is a picture book of images from our vacation this past summer. We took a trip out west. One of our stops was to Banff, in Alberta, Canada, in the Canadian Rockies. It’s been a bucket list trip for me. And we went to Moraine Lake, which has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to in my life, and that’s not an exaggeration. Words are hard to express the absolute stunning beauty that one encounters at Moraine Lake. And even the pictures don’t do it justice.

I also brought along a half marathon finishing medal. I’ve done numerous marathons and half marathons over my life. And each one is special and has taught me lessons. The medals all bring back memories and stories. I brought this one because of its unique story. It’s from the Philadelphia Half-Marathon, so it has a representation of the Liberty Bell and the bell actually rings. And when I hear the bell, I am reminded of something really special — that this was the half marathon that two of my kids ran with me…