The Greeting

We worship you, O God,

with songs of praise.

We worship you with words of prayer

and with ears that listen for you to speak.

We long for a glimpse of your glory:

the glory that shines in the darkness.

The darkness cannot overcome it;

the glory that touches lives with a beauty so holy

that it heals the wounded soul;

the glory that gives strength to the weary.

Hymn 52 Tune Ratisbon

Christ, whose glory fills the skies,

Christ, the true, the only Light,

Sun of righteousness, arise,

triumph o’er the shades of night.

Dayspring from on high, be near;

Daystar, in my heart appear.

Dark and cheerless is the morn

unaccompanied by thee;

joyless is the day’s return,

till thy mercy’s beams I see,

till thy inward light impart,

glad my eyes and warm my heart.

Visit, then, this soul of mine;

pierce the gloom of sin and grief;

fill me, radiancy divine;

scatter all my unbelief;

more and more thyself display,

shining to the perfect day.

We say sorry for the things we have done wrong

Loving God, we confess that we are not living in the freedom that you offer: that we are sometimes overwhelmed by guilt and envy; that we are consumed by anger and greed; that we are inhibited by anxiety and fear; that we are sometimes passive or resentful or unforgiving. God of justice, hear our prayer for mercy, grant us forgiveness and give us your peace. Amen.

We are forgiven

May the God of love forgive us, lift our burdens from us,

heal and strengthen us by his spirit; that we may journey in love,

to live our lives freely and lightly. Amen.

The Collect

Holy God,

you have revealed the glory of your love in Jesus Christ,

and have given us a share in your Spirit.

May we who listen to Christ

follow faithfully,

and, in the dark places where you send us,

reveal the light of your gospel. Amen.

A reading from the second Epistle of St Paul to the Corinthians.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

                                                          2 Corinthians 4: 3-6

Hymn 6 Tune St Denio

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,

Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,

Nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;

Thy justice like mountains high soaring above

Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life thou givest, to both great and small;

In all life thou livest, the true life of all;

We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,

And wither and perish, but nought changeth thee.

Great Father of Glory, pure Father of Light

Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;

All laud we would render, O help us to see:

’Tis only the splendour of light hideth thee.

Hear the Gospel of our Saviour Christ, according to St Mark.

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’ Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.                         Mark 9: 2-9

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

What do we believe? (we say together)

We believe in God the Father, the source of all life, by whom every family in heaven and earth has been created.

We believe in God the Son, our friend and brother Jesus, who lives in our hearts through faith and fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with his power, and makes Jesus known in the world.

We believe and trust in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Hymn 493 Tune Hyfrydol

Ye that know the Lord is gracious,

ye for whom a cornerstone

stands, of God elect and precious,

laid that ye may build thereon,

see that on that sure foundation

ye a living temple raise,

towers that may tell forth salvation,

walls that may re-echo praise.

Living stones, by God appointed

each to his allotted place,

kings and priests, by God anointed,

shall ye not declare his grace?

Ye, a royal generation,

tell the tidings of your birth,

tidings of a new creation

to an old and weary earth.

Tell the praise of him who called you

out of darkness into light,

broke the fetters that enthralled you,

gave you freedom, peace and sight:

tell the tale of sins forgiven,

strength renewed and hope restored,

till the earth, in tune with heaven,

praise and magnify the Lord.

We say our Prayers

“And while he was praying the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.”  (Luke 9.29)

Lord Jesus, as we pray today, help us to know the glory of your presence among us and to see more clearly the beauty of your holiness.

Lord, in your mercy

hear our prayer

“Suddenly they saw Moses and Elijah, talking to him.” (Luke 9.30)

Lord Jesus, you are the fulfilment of the law and the prophets of Israel and in you the hopes and fears of all people are met.  Give us grace to receive from you all that we need for today and the coming week. Inspire your church today with a renewed vision of your glory so that we and all your people may walk as children of light and, by your grace, reveal your presence in the world.

Lord, in your mercy

hear our prayer

“To Jesus are given dominion and glory and kingship that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him.”  (Cf. Daniel 7.14)

Lord Jesus, we pray to you for the life of this nation with its joys, its sorrows and its wrong doing. We pray for all those who are involved in government and in the administration of justice.  Give wisdom to all those who are in authority over others especially those who sit in judgment, members of the police force, prison officers, and those who support the victims of crime.

Lord, in your mercy

hear our prayer

“They saw his glory and heard a voice that said ‘This is my Son, my chosen, listen to him’” (Cf. Luke 9)

Lord Jesus, as we go about our daily routines help us to see your glory in the people we work with, our neighbours and friends and in those we fear or find it hard to get on with. In all our conversations help us to listen carefully to what others are saying. We pray that you will keep in safety the young people of our community who are on holiday from school or college.

Lord, in your mercy

hear our prayer

“They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” (Luke 9.31)

Lord Jesus, you know what it is to suffer rejection and pain. Help us to know that you are with us when we descend from the mountain top, that although your presence may be hidden from us, you are still there, with power to bring comfort and healing of body, mind and spirit.

Lord, in your mercy

hear our prayer

“They appeared in glory” (Luke 9.31a)

Lord Jesus, we pray for those who are now with you in your eternal glory. As we rejoice in the fellowship of those who now see the fullness of your glory, be with us in our journey and transform our lives with the promise that you will grant us, with them, a share in your eternal kingdom.

Let us pray that God’s kingdom may come, to bring peace to the whole Earth, and in those places where there is war.

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, the power, and the glory

for ever and ever. Amen.

Hymn 7 (omit verse 5) Tune Westminster

My God, how wonderful thou art,

Thy majesty how bright,

How beautiful thy mercy seat,

In depths of burning light!

How wonderful, how beautiful,

The sight of thee must be,

Thine endless wisdom, boundless power,

And aweful purity!

O how I fear thee, Living God,

With deepest, tenderest fears,

And worship thee with trembling hope,

And penitential tears.

Yet I may love thee too, O Lord,

Almighty as thou art;

For thou hast stooped to ask of me

The love of my poor heart.

Father of Jesus, love’s reward,

What rapture will it be,

To fall and worship at thy throne

And gaze and gaze on thee!

We pray together

Heavenly Father, as we worship you,

We pray for your light to shine upon us.

Brighten our daily lives with your holy love,

speak to us your transforming truth.

Then, grant us grace

to live every moment

changed by such glory

to live with hope and courage and love

reflecting the life of Jesus,

through whom your glory shines. Amen.

The Blessing

May the Father shine the light of glory into your hearts

may Christ be with you and never leave you

may the Spirit renew the image of God within you

and the blessing of God almighty,

the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,

be with you and remain with you always. Amen.