I am preaching on the Transfiguration again this upcoming Sunday (8.13.23) at the Cold Springs Church of Christ. And I am going to be sharing a special picture that I found as part of my sermon there.

The story of the Transfiguration has enchanted me deeply ever since I preached from it earlier this year during Lent.

The Transfiguration is a beautiful moment where the uncreated light of God shines upon us. As we behold Christ’s transfiguration we are transfigured from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor 3:18) and we are made to be partakers in the divine nature (2 Pet 1:4).

So naturally I was drawn to this icon of the Transfiguration by Kelly Latimore. My wife and I recently bought an icon from Latimore’s site of Christ the Mother Hen. While we were searching we looked at many of them and this is one of them that I liked the most.

The icon is titled, “Glitch Transfiguration.” I like the idea of it. The Transfiguration is a glitch of some kind. It is a glitch in our normal ways of perceiving the world. But – similar to the Matrix – once you have seen this “glitch” in the normal system you start to question how normal that system really is. What is real and what is not real? What is reality and what is the interruption of that reality (i.e. a glitch)?

Christ at the Transfiguration reveals reality not an exception to it. Our current lives are really the glitch in the system. There is a day coming when we will live in the fully transfigured reality of the new creation: the new heavens and the new earth. There is a day coming when we will live in the fully transfigured resurrection bodies of glory.

Lord, speed on that day. Bring us to resurrection glory at the culmination of your story. Bring us to transfigured reality. Bring us to you. Give us eyes to truly see in the midst of the glitch. Amen.