Thursday - The Gospel According To Mark

Welcome to Daily Prayer. Today Jesus’ glory is revealed on a mountain to Peter, James, and John. He is transfigured face shining brighter than any earthly light and Moses and Elijah appear with him. The voice from heaven declares, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”

As we begin our time together, let’s quiet our hearts and minds before the LORD.

Lord we want to listen to you today. 

Jesus, I belong to you. 

Lord, I lift up my heart to you. 

I set my mind on you. 

I fix my eyes on you. 

Lord, I give everyone and everything to you. 

O Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise.

A Scripture Reading from Mark 9:1-13

9 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one[a] on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

What an incredible encounter. Peter had just made the good confession that Jesus is the Christ and now he sees the glory of Jesus. He is transfigured before Peter, James, and John. This is the kind of thing that Peter is thinking about. This is even greater than he has in mind. Jesus is together with Moses and Elijah. They represent the Law and the Prophets. This is so good. He wants to stay in this moment. Then a cloud covers over them. Think of the Shikenah Glory of God. The voice of the Father bears witness that Jesus is truly the beloved Son and makes the command, “Listen to Him.” 

This is very important because the things that Jesus is saying are hard for the disciples to hear. Its not what they expect, its not what they are looking forward to, its not what they want and to have this affirmation of who Jesus is is very important.

30 years later, Peter is still impacted by this encounter with the Lord. In 2 Peter he writes to the church and tells them, “We did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. 19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” As Peter tells us, we would do well to pay attention and to hold fast to the Word of God. 

So Lord, we look to you. We open our ears to listen to your Word.  

All the prophetic writings. All the Scripture. It’s all pointing to you Jesus. 

We trust you. We want to listen to your voice. You are the beloved Son. 

We worship you the one worthy of all praise. You are the one who came in humility and you will come again in power. 

We adore you as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. 

You are worthy of our trust and you are worthy of all the honor and glory. 

Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory. 

A Prayer of Confession:

Lord, we confess that we have made you to small in our eyes. Lord, forgive us when we treat your voice lightly or listen more closely to the voices of this world.

Lord, forgive us when we forget your glory and get distracted by lesser things. Have mercy on us Lord. Teach us to hold fast to your voice, to your words, to your way. Lord, we repent and turn to you. 

A Prayer of Trust:

Jesus, we trust that you are exactly who the Father says you are. 

You are the beloved Son and the Savior of the world.

Help us listen to you, obey you, and believe your Word even when we do not fully understand Your ways.

A Prayer of Intercession:

Father, reveal the glory of Christ to our church and to our families.

Lord, open the eyes of those who do not yet see Jesus for who He is.

Lord, we pray for our children. Lord, raise up our sons and daughters I pray God. Would you set apart our children. Anoint them to proclaim the greatness of Christ. To proclaim his glory. To proclaim his voice as the one that can be trusted. 

Let’s listen to the passage again:

9 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one[a] on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” 8 And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11 And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 12 And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

And now Our Weekly Passage to Reflect on and Memorize together:

Mark 8:34

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

We end by praying the Lord’s Prayer together:

Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven

Give us this day our daily bread and

Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever

amen