Transfiguration

Sermons for the Christian Calendar

Oil on linen painting by Armando Alemdar Ara. Wikimedia, CC-3.0.

Sermons on the Transfiguration of Jesus

A message on the Transfiguration of Jesus. A Vimeo video recording of Mako Nagasawa preaching on Matthew 17:1 - 8 and 20 at Newton Covenant Church in January 2023, on the theme of mountains not as obstacles but as places God was present in ancient Israel.

God and Mountain Climbing

A message on Exodus 3:1 - 12 given to Neighborhood Church of Dorchester. When God appeared to Moses at the burning bush by Mount Sinai, (1) He was revealing Himself in Moses’ ordinary routine of tending sheep; (2) using the burning and climbing mountains motifs as symbolic of the refinement and strengthening of Moses’ character, which connects to Moses’ ascent up Mount Sinai and Jesus’ ascent up Mount Tabor as an insight into his ascension to the heavenly throne; and (3) retelling the story of the fiery sword outside Mount Eden, showing Moses that the way back home was there. This is a nice example of biblical patterns and intertexuality, with the application of God’s restorative, not retributive, justice, for the sake of our spiritual formation.