15 Thomas Bray, Priest and Missionary, 1730 was an English clergyman, who spent time in Maryland as an Anglican representative.
16 Charles Todd Quintard, Bishop of Tennessee, 1898
17 Janani Luwum, Archbishop of Uganda, and Martyr, 1977
18 Martin Luther, 1546
20 Frederick Douglass, Prophetic Witness, 1895
21 John Henry Newman, priest and theologian, 1890
22 Eric Liddell, Missionary to China, 1945
23 Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr of Smyrna, 156 was a 2nd-century Christian bishop of Smyrna.[2] According to the Martyrdom of Polycarp he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to touch him


OLD TESTAMENT:  2 Kings 2: 1 - 12   (RCL)

2Kin 2:1 (NRSV) Now when the LORD was about to take Eli'jah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Eli'jah and Eli'sha were on their way from Gil'gal. 2 Eli'jah said to Eli'sha, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Beth'el." But Eli'sha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Beth'el. 3 The company of prophets who were in Beth'el came out to Eli'sha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent."
4 Eli'jah said to him, "Eli'sha, stay here; for the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. 5 The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Eli'sha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be silent."
6 Then Eli'jah said to him, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. 7 Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 Then Eli'jah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed, Eli'jah said to Eli'sha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Eli'sha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." 10 He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." 11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Eli'jah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Eli'sha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.


Deuteronomy 5: 12 - 15   (Roman Catholic)

Deut 5:12 (NRSV) Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 14 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work--you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. 15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day.


PSALM 50: 1 - 6   (RCL)

Psal 50:1 (NRSV) The mighty one, God the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.
3 Our God comes and does not keep silence,
before him is a devouring fire,
and a mighty tempest all around him.
4 He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 "Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!"
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge.


50   Deus deorum    (ECUSA BCP)

1      The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken; *
     he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to
        its setting.

2      Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, *
     God reveals himself in glory.

3      Our God will come and will not keep silence; *
     before him there is a consuming flame,
     and round about him a raging storm.

4      He calls the heavens and the earth from above *
     to witness the judgment of his people.

5      “Gather before me my loyal followers, *
     those who have made a covenant with me
     and sealed it with sacrifice.”

6      Let the heavens declare the rightness of his cause; *
     for God himself is judge.


Psalm 81: 2 - 7, 9 - 10   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 81:2 (NRSV) Raise a song, sound the tambourine,
the sweet lyre with the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our festal day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it a decree in Joseph,
when he went out over the land of Egypt.
I hear a voice I had not known:
6 "I relieved your shoulder of the burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you called, and I rescued you;
I answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the waters of Mer'ibah. [Se'lah]

9 There shall be no strange god among you;
you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am the LORD your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

Note: Verse numbering in Roman Catholic bibles is one higher than the above.


NEW TESTAMENT:  2 Corinthians 4: 3 - 6   (RCL)

2Cor 4:3 (NRSV) And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 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. 5 For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake. 6 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.

h/t Montreal Anglican

Paul continues to answer a letter from the Corinthian church. It appears that some have criticized him for failing to made the good news clear, or for limited success in bringing people to Christ. In v. 2 he says: “... by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God”. V. 3 recalls 1 Corinthians 1:18: “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing ...”, who will be destroyed at the Last Day (but their conversion is still possible.) “In their case” (v. 4), the devil or the god who is this world (a possible translation), materialism, has so filled their minds that they cannot see that the gospel illuminates, shows, the “glory of Christ” (and, per v. 6, of God shown by Christ), Christ being the perfect “image of God” (v. 4), representation of God – and the model for the Christian’s future state. In v. 5, Paul says that (contrary to what some may claim), he proclaims not himself but Jesus; he serves the church for Christ’s sake whatever suffering that may entail. In quoting Genesis (the first words God speaks in the Bible) in v. 6, he points out that God began the creation process with “light”, understanding. God reveals himself through history. The light of God undergirds the ministry Paul brings to the Corinthians. God’s light has been experienced by people throughout the ages; the believer’s transformation is in the heart . Those who see Jesus’ face reflect his glory.

Verses 1-2: Paul develops the point he introduced in 3:12: “Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness”. [ NJBC]

Verse 1: “by God’s mercy”: Before his conversion (see 3:5-6), Paul had persecuted Christians: in 1 Corinthians 15:9 he writes: “I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God”. See also Galatians 1:13, 23. [ NJBC]

Verse 1: “we do not lose heart”: NJBC offers we are not fainthearted. Paul’s opponents “say, ‘His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.’” ( 10:10). [ NJBC]

Verse 2: This is probably an oblique reference to the methods of the “false apostles” of 11:4, 13. Paul has called them “peddlers of God’s word” in 2:17. [ NOAB] He has renounced practising cunning and falsifying the good news, while the “false apostles” continue these “shameful things”. To NJBC, “shameful hidden things” are things one hopes will never be brought to light.

Verse 2: “practice cunning”: NJBC offers operating without scruple. By writing 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Paul has laid himself open to the charge of unscrupulous readiness to adopt any means to achieve his end.

Verse 2: “falsify God’s word”: NJBC offers adulterating the word of God.

Verse 3: “veiled”: In 3:18, Paul uses the same term of followers of Christ: “... all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord ...”. See also 2:15. [ NOAB] A concession that his preaching has been partly ineffective implies an accusation, possibly that he failed to make many Jewish converts: in 3:14-16, he says of the Jews of his day: “... when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed”. [ NJBC]

Verse 4: “the god of this world”: Paul refers to Satan or Beliar; he says in 6:15: “What agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share with an unbeliever?”. (Beliar is an evil spirit mentioned in intertestamental literature; he was under, or identified with, Satan.) [ NOAB] See also 1 Corinthians 1:20; 2:6, 8; 3:18; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 2:2; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11. [ CAB] NJBC thinks it likely that the genitive here is one of content, so the god who in this world is a good translation. In Philippians 3:19, Paul says of such people: “Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things”. Sin plays the same role in Romans 3:9; 6:6-23.

Verse 5: “Jesus Christ as Lord”: Paul appropriates a confessional formula which was probably common in his time. A similar phrase occurs in 1 Corinthians 12:3; Philippians 2:10-11; Romans 10:9. [ NJBC]

Verse 5: “your slaves”: Elsewhere, Paul calls himself a “servant of Jesus Christ”: see Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 3:5; 4:1; 2 Corinthians 6:4; Galatians 1:10; Philippians 1:1. See also Titus 1:1. [ CAB]

Verse 6: “‘Let light shine out of darkness’”: Paul may also be thinking of Isaiah 9:2; 42:6-7; 49:6 and 60:1-2, a passage which tells of the light going forth to the Gentile nations. [ CAB]

Verse 6: “who has shone in our hearts”: Recalls Paul’s own conversion experience on the road to Damascus: see Acts 9. [ CAB]

Verse 7: “clay jars”: A reference to the weakness of the body, and indeed to all human limitations. Recall Genesis 2:7: “the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being”. [ NOAB]

Verses 10-11: In his sufferings and perils, Paul shares in Jesus’ death; but it is given to him also to share in the life of the risen, victorious Christ. [ NOAB]

Verse 12: Paul dies, i.e. suffers, that the Corinthians and others may know the life in Christ. [ NOAB]

Verse 13: Paul quotes Psalm 116:10. The psalmist has faith in the midst of troubles. Our faith leads to confession of it. [ NOAB]

Verse 15: As the gospel of God’s grace (see 6:1) advances, “more and more people” respond in faith with thankfulness. [ NOAB]



GOSPEL:  Mark 9: 2 - 9 (RCL)

Mark 9:2 (NRSV) 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, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Eli'jah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 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 Eli'jah." 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
9 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.


Jesus has foretold his death and resurrection, and that God’s kingdom will begin soon. “... the Son of Man must ... be rejected ... and be killed, and ... rise again. He said this quite openly” ( 8:31-32). Then: if any want to follow him, let them renounce their self-centeredness. Those who play it safe will perish; those who give their lives for him and the gospel will be saved ( 8:34-35).

Now “six days” (v. 2) after Peter’s recognition of Jesus as the Messiah, Jesus takes the inner circle of disciples (“Peter and James and John”) up a mountain. There he is “transfigured”, changed in form, metamorphosed. He appears in “dazzling white” (v. 3), a sign of God’s presence (as did Moses when he had been “talking with God”, Exodus 34:29). “Elijah” (v. 4) was taken up into heaven. Moses’ burial place was unknown (see Deuteronomy 34:6); in late Judaism, he was also thought to be taken up. (Others point out that Elijah represents the prophets and Moses the law, the basic authority in Judaism.) Peter rejoices in this experience (“good”, v. 5): it is a preview of Jesus’ glorification as God’s Son. He wishes to prolong the event by making “dwellings”, temporary shelters as erected at the Feast of Tabernacles, a joyous festival of God’s presence. V. 6 may say that he was so dumbfounded by the experience that what he said was irrational. The “cloud” (v. 7) is a symbol of God’s presence. The proclamation spoken by the divine voice is like that at Jesus’ baptism (see 1:11). The Son of Man is revealed to be Son of God. The vision ends “suddenly” (v. 8). Then v. 9: only when Jesus has risen will the vision make sense to others.

The first incident, vv. 1-8, establishes Jesus’ glorious identity as the beloved Son of God , and the second (vv. 9-13) he places his divine sonship in the context of Jewish expectations about the kingdom and resurrection. [ NJBC]

Verse 1: The most convincing explanation of the Transfiguration is that Mark presents it as a preview or anticipation of the final coming of God’s kingdom, and thus as a commentary on this verse. [ NJBC]

Verses 2-8: The parallels are Matthew 17:1-8 and Luke 9:28-36.

Verses 2-8: By this narrative the author means to describe a vision of Jesus as the Messiah. The version in Luke says that the purpose of ascending the mountain was to pray. The exact nature of this intense religious experience is uncertain. In Matthew, it is described as a “vision”. The aura of unnatural brilliance is associated with mystical experiences elsewhere: see Exodus 34:29-35 (after descending Mount Sinai, “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God”) and Acts 9:3 (Paul’s vision). [ NOAB]

Verses 2-8: Like the transforming experiences of Moses and Elijah, Jesus receives heavenly confirmation of his special role in God’s purpose for his people. [ CAB]

Verse 2: “Six days later”: Peter’s confession of Jesus as Messiah is in 8:29: “‘You are the Messiah’”. [ NOAB] NJBC suggests that this may be linked to Israel’s preparation and purification at Sinai (see Exodus 24:15-16) or, since the seventh day occurs after six days, this may be an anticipation of the passion week in Jerusalem.

Verse 2: “a high mountain”: Some traditional identifications are Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon. Mountains are the usual settings for supernatural revelations and theophanies. [ NJBC]

Verse 2: “transfigured”: i.e. having a non-earthly appearance. [ NOAB] The Greek word indicates that the form of Jesus was changed. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that the glorious state in which the three disciples see him is to be his eternal state after death and resurrection. [ NJBC]

Verse 4: “Elijah with Moses”: If these two Old Testament figures are meant to represent the Law and the Prophets, the order is strange. Matthew 17:3 has them in the reverse order. There may some reference to their being taken up into heaven or their expected roles in the coming of the kingdom. [ NJBC] Deuteronomy 18:15 says “the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet”.

Verse 4: “Elijah”: He was expected to appear on earth before the Messiah appeared: Malachi 4:5-6 says : “Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse”. [ NOAB]

Verse 5: “Rabbi”: Addressing Jesus in this way is strange. Matthew has “Lord” and Luke has “Master”. [ NJBC]

Verse 5: “Moses”: Then thought to be the author of the Pentateuch. These five books formed the basic authority in Judaism. [ NOAB]

Comments: Feast of Tabernacles: For the commandment regarding this feast, also known as the Feast of Booths, see Leviticus 23:39-43. [ NJBC]

Verse 7: Matthew 3:17 says: “... a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased’”. See also John 12:28-29 and 2 Peter 1:17-18.

Verse 7: “a cloud overshadowed them”: Given the allusions to Exodus in this account, it is best to take the cloud as a vehicle of God’s presence as in Exodus 16:10; 19:9; 24:15-16; 33:9. The “voice” is the divine voice. [ NJBC]

Verse 7: “‘This is my Son, the Beloved”: To NJBC, the heavenly voice corrects Peter’s confession (see 8:29) and alludes to the identification of Jesus at his baptism (see 1:11).

Verse 7: “listen to him!”: The command to hear Jesus may point to his passion predictions: see 8:31; 9:31; 10:33-34. [ NJBC]

Verses 9-13: The parallel is Matthew 17:9-13.

Verse 9: “he ordered them ...”: Unlike other commands to silence, this one has a good chance of being obeyed (because only three disciples are involved) and has a definite time limit. [ NJBC]

Verse 10: The disciples were unable to associate resurrection with the Son of Man. [ NOAB] The issue for the disciples was how Jesus could be raised from the dead before the general resurrection (which in contemporary thought was to occur at the coming of God’s kingdom). [ NJBC]

Verse 11: In Malachi 4:5, Elijah’s return will precede the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. The disciples ask: how can you be raised from the dead unless Elijah comes first? [ NJBC] In Matthew 11:14, Jesus says that if John the Baptist’s message were accepted, his activity would be that foretold in Elijah’s name. John was treated much as Elijah had been treated: see 1 Kings 19:2, 10. Jesus seems not to have expected the literal return of Elijah. [ NOAB] Luke 1:17 predicts that John the Baptist will go before Jesus “with the spirit and power of Elijah ... to make ready a people prepared for the Lord”.

Verse 12: “he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt”: Jesus concedes that Elijah must come first; he also insists that his own passion and death will precede his resurrection. [ NJBC]

Verse 13: “Elijah has come”: This statement indirectly identifies Elijah as John the Baptist. The fate he met prefigures that of Jesus, Son of Man. [ NJBC]