The Light of Christ: Bright, Brighter, and Brightest Exodus 34:29–35; 2 Corinthians 3:12–18; 4:1–6; Mark 9:2–9 

Grace, mercy and peace to you, from God, our Father, and Jesus Christ, our Lord, who shone in glory on the mountain.

We’re going to talk about the Light of Christ: Bright, Brighter, and Brightest.

One of the Epiphany hymns we sometimes sing is: Brightest and Best of the Stars of the Morning, dawn on our darkness and lend us your aid; Star of the East, the horizon adorning, Guide us where our infant Redeemer is laid.

This refers to the star that led the magi to Bethlehem and the baby Messiah. 

Another of our Epiphany hymns speaks of the Morning Star, but in this case not a physical star in the sky, but a biological one on the earth, a person. 

O Morning Star, how fair and bright! You shine with God’s own truth and light, aglow with grace and mercy.

In Revelation 22:16 Jesus says, I am the bright and morning star.

Jesus is that living light that shines with grace and mercy for us. 

John says in chapter 1, verse 14 of His Gospel: … and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

And in verses 4 and 5: In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

That’s a good thing to remember, and commit to memory in this world that, in many ways, seems to be growing darker every day.

But even as our world may darken, we can stay shining bright, when the Morning Star, our Savior, shines on us and in us.

In verse 2 of O Morning Star, we sing: Come, Heavenly bridegroom, Light Divine, and deep within our hearts now shine; There light a flame undying.  

We have the eternal flame, reminding us that our faithful, departed loved ones live on and shine in heavenly glory, as we will live on and shine someday.

But the flame has already been lit in us, at Baptism, when we, by faith, were joined to our God and Savior, for His Spirit and His love to shine in us, and with us, through us always.

Though our hearts, and our minds, and our deeds, and our world, have been darkened with sin, Jesus has transfigured us to shine in the darkness, to out-shine the evil in this world, as He has perfectly and totally done.

Typically when we say that Jesus shines as the light of the world, as He says in John 8:12, I am the light of the world, we mean it metaphorically and spiritually, and not an actual physical light. 

But there was a night long ago, atop a mountain in Galilee, where Jesus literally and physically shined in the most brilliant light seen on earth, the light that was the result of Him revealing His divine nature and the full glory of God to three of His disciples.

In the Bible we have accounts of angels shining brightly in their holiness, as they brought good news to the world, but they didn’t shine so bright as the One they bore witness to does, the Son of God, they merely reflect the light of His glory.

When Jesus appeared to Saul, who would become the apostle Paul, on the road to Damascus, the light blinded him for a time, it was so bright.

Some of the head lights on our newer cars can make it hard to see when they’re coming at you from the other direction, especially if they’re not dimmed, they’re so bright… fortunately some of them dim automatically. 

That’s kind of what Jesus did on earth: dimmed His glory by humbling himself, and never more so then when He allowed Himself to be tortured and crucified and hung up on a cross, to be publicly humiliated and die for us… 

… and as He died, the sky grew dark, and the sun failed to shine, and the earth shook.

In total contrast to that darkness and gloom, for just a short time, Jesus shined in brilliant glory on the mountain. 

He revealed His divine glory and lit up the night like it had never been lit up before… and as the three disciples, James, Peter and John, had never seen before, and would never forget… 

… and after Jesus rose, they would tell the other disciples about it… and years later, some would write about it.

Peter would no doubt describe it in detail to Mark, who seems to have been a student or disciple of Peter’s… 

… and Mark, who wrote more briefly than the other Gospel writers, would briefly tell us about it in today’s Gospel: 

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 on earth could bleach them. 

Matthew says in chapter 17, verse 2: And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.

Luke says in chapter 9, verse 29, And as He was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 

I think I’ve mentioned this before but one night years ago, when I was on my way home from seminary, I was on Interstate 35, near Ames, Iowa, and there was a severe storm, and the lightening was so close and so bright, that it was blinding us, the cars had pulled over because we couldn’t see… I just put my head down on my steering wheel and waited for the storm to pass.

Imagine the sight that night of Jesus shining in pure light, as Luke wrote, as bright as a flash of lightening… a spectacular sight. 

Imagine the spectacular sight that our faithful departed loved ones saw when they first gazed on Christ, and saw His beauty and beheld His glory, and the spectacular sight that it will be for us.

Peter, James and John were given just a glimpse of it that night, and they spoke and wrote about it, and their words have painted a picture for us to see in our minds and hold on to in our hearts, until that bright and eternal day when we see Jesus with our eyes. 

Mark continues, 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus… not about the time of day, or the weather, or the Superbowl, or any such trivial thing, but about the most important, the central event in the history of humanity, the event which all history revolves around and is dependent on.

Luke says they were talking about Jesus’ departure which would happen in Jerusalem, His crucifixion and death, when His soul would depart from His body to be in paradise for those three days until He would rise, and then 40 days later He would depart for Heaven and ascend to the right hand of God.

Until He returns, let us shine brightly with the faith and hope His resurrection has given us, and with the love He showed for us on the cross.

There are things in this life, blessings and joys that brighten our day, and light up our lives… I’m excited about being a grandfather and having a granddaughter to lighten up my life.  

The grace and glory of our Lord, the Gospel of Christ, can brighten our days, and enlighten our minds, and light up our lives, and light up our world, like nothing else can.

Jesus is the brightest light this world will ever have… there’s no need for millions and multitudes to despair in the darkness of sin, and evil, and death, and the devil, because there is a Light that outshines them all.

May that brightest of lights, the light of Christ, His Gospel and His presence, shine in us, and radiate from us, through our words and our deeds, that the whole world may see the Light that overcomes even the deepest darkness.

And as we walk in that bright light, may the peace of God, which passes understanding, guard our hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus, the brightest light on earth, and the most brilliant in Heaven. Amen.