{"id":879713,"date":"2023-01-03T12:14:23","date_gmt":"2023-01-03T17:14:23","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-06-23T17:24:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T21:24:47","slug":"bible-study-last-sunday-in-epiphany-a-february-19-2023","status":"publish","type":"bible_study","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/bible_study\/bible-study-last-sunday-in-epiphany-a-february-19-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Bible Study: Last Sunday after Epiphany (A) \u2013 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/last-epiphany-a\/\"><strong>[RCL]<\/strong> <strong>Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 2 or Psalm 99; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/LE-2023-Bible-Study-Graphic-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-279714\" style=\"width:512px;height:268px\" width=\"512\" height=\"268\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Exodus 24:12-18<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Exodus 24, God calls Moses up the mountain in order to deliver to Moses \u201cthe tablets of stone, with the law and commandment, which I have written for [the Israelites\u2019] instruction.\u201d The Torah is a gift from God, a covenant into which God desires to draw God\u2019s people. It is an intimate teaching of right relationship with God and with one another. But this transmission of teaching from God to Moses is not a rote lecture with a PowerPoint and spreadsheets. It is a drawing into mystery, an encounter with the unspeakable and unknowable glory of God. It is an encounter that utterly transforms Moses. Here we see that God\u2019s beauty and transcendence, and our invitation into God\u2019s Being, go hand in hand with God\u2019s very close interest in how we treat one another on this earth. It is, in fact, in enacting God\u2019s desire for our relationships with one another that we can be swept up into God\u2019s awe-inspiring and transformative presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When has being in right relationship with others drawn me into the presence of God?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When have I seen the interaction of justice and transcendence in my life?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Psalm 99<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLet the people tremble\u2026\u201d \u201cLet the earth shake\u2026\u201d \u201cFall down before his footstool\u2026\u201d Psalm 99 is a psalm about worship, but it is a worship that is unsettling and destabilizing. This passage reminds us that encounters with God can upset the tidy categories into which the world arranges itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">God\u2019s presence is unsettling because it is re-ordering. God loves justice, establishes equity, and desires the unsettling of unjust power. The psalmist sees this aspect of God as worthy to be praised, as evidence of God\u2019s holiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">God\u2019s presence is mystery, but it is not chaos. God speaks from \u201cout of the pillar of cloud\u201d to those who call upon God\u2019s name. Even in God\u2019s unsettling mystery, God wants to make Godself known to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When have I been unsettled by God\u2019s Word or God\u2019s beauty?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How is God trying to make Godself known to me?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2 Peter 1:16-21<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Second Peter is said by tradition to have been written by Peter the Apostle (though most modern scholars now doubt that St. Peter actually penned this letter himself). In the first chapter of this letter, the author is reminding the readers of Peter\u2019s witness to the Transfiguration, described in today\u2019s Gospel passage. I wonder about that event that Peter was able to witness as a young man and wonder how many times he returned to it in his memory during the hardships and doubts of his life. Verse 19 advises, \u201cYou will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.\u201d The memory of the Transfiguration, and the witness of Scripture in general, is offered to all those who have heard or read it, including us. We can use it to illuminate what we can in the cavernous dark room of fear in today\u2019s world, knowing the promise not only that the day will dawn and light will surround us but also that the morning star will rise in our hearts and blaze within us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Where can I allow the witness of the glory of God to give me hope?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What could I see differently if I held it up to the light of God\u2019s glory?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Matthew 17:1-9<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On this Transfiguration Sunday, the Gospel passage is indeed about the Transfiguration, the disciples\u2019 vision of Jesus\u2019 shining form, and the Father\u2019s words about him. Peter, James, and John, after seeing Jesus\u2019 stunning, luminous appearance, and seeing him speak with Moses and Elijah, hear these words: \u201cThis is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!\u201d The spare and economic use of the voice of the Father in the New Testament lends emphasis when we do hear it, and centers on Jesus\u2019 belovedness. It is his belovedness that gives him authority, and it is his belovedness by the Father that he has come to share with all of humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With dazzling changes in Jesus\u2019 appearance and a cloud filled with light that can somehow overshadow everything, the voice of the Almighty God fills the air, speaking of Jesus\u2019 divine authority: \u201cListen to him.\u201d Immediately, Jesus gives Peter, James, and John an opportunity to heed the Father\u2019s words; he gives a command: \u201cGet up and do not be afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How does God proclaim my belovedness?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When have I heard Jesus say, \u201cGet up and do not be afraid\u201d?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This Bible study was written by <strong>Sarah Faehnle Mast<\/strong>, a seminarian at the Seminary of the Southwest.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-41732531-a445-4afd-9448-f333f090b307\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Bible-Study-Last-Epiphany-English.docx\">Word \u2013 Last Sunday in Epiphany (A) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Bible-Study-Last-Epiphany-English.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-41732531-a445-4afd-9448-f333f090b307\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-9591007d-53c9-41d3-af3b-4b80660e454e\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Bible-Study-Last-Epiphany-English.pdf\">PDF \u2013 Last Sunday in Epiphany (A) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Bible-Study-Last-Epiphany-English.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-9591007d-53c9-41d3-af3b-4b80660e454e\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[RCL] Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 2 or Psalm 99; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9 Exodus 24:12-18 In Exodus 24, God calls Moses up the mountain in order to deliver to Moses \u201cthe tablets of stone, with the law and commandment, which I have written for [the Israelites\u2019] instruction.\u201d The Torah is a gift from God, a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201221,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[23,32,52,3],"tags":[147],"class_list":["post-879713","bible_study","type-bible_study","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-studies","category-epiphany","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-last-sunday-after-epiphany-a"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":23,"label":"Bible Studies"},{"value":32,"label":"Epiphany"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":147,"label":"Last Sunday after Epiphany A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/879713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bible_study"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/879713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":953214,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/879713\/revisions\/953214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=879713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=879713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=879713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}