Matthew 17

Book of Matthew: Chapter 17

The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9)

When Jesus takes Peter, John, and James up a mountain to pray, the appearance of his face was transformed, and his clothes became dazzling white.

Input for Leaders

What is Transfiguration?
The word "transfigured" is a very interesting word. The Greek word is "metamorpho" and it means to transform, literally or figuratively to metamorphose, or to change... In the case of the transfiguration of Jesus Christ it means to match the outside with the reality of the inside. To change the outward so that it matches the inward reality. Jesus' divine nature was "veiled" in human form and the transfiguration was a glimpse of that glory. Therefore, the transfiguration of Jesus Christ displayed the... glory of God incarnate in the Son.

Gospel Conversations 2023 (Diocese of Dunedin) - When Peter commented on the Transfiguration, God suggested he try listening instead. With that as a background, it is a daunting challenge for us to try to discuss this mystery!

Transfiguration (Diocese of Wellington) - Bishop Eleanor, Assistant Bishop of Wellington, shares a short talk about a painting of the transfiguration, as apart of the Wellington Lenten series for 2019

Visio Lectio
Free downloadable image by Sarah Lea West. All Rights Reserved, shared and distributed with permission.
Terms of use
Download

Intergenerational Worship

Transfiguration Sunday (Intergen Australia) Year A 2023.
Bible referenes: Matthew
Written and compiled by Elizabeth Waldron Anstice.

Talks

A Children’s Sermon on Matthew 17:1-9 (Gary Neal Hansen) - How do you help kids find something useful in a story that their parents probably find baffling? (Includes some great wondering questions)

The Transfiguration (Sermons 4 Kids) - Simple telling of the story with object lesson

Transfiguration of Jesus (Ministry to Children) - Full lesson plan

Jesus Shines (RFour) - simple Ask Tell Share talk

Flashlight Talk (RFour.org) - simple Ask Tell Share talk

Children's object lesson with glowing bottle (childrensministry.com)

Children's object lesson - with invisible ink (April Fiet)

Jesus disguised! (Sunday School Works)

Activities

Build a tent
You'll need: string, scissors, some bamboo canes or sticks or tent poles, old sheets and blankets.
See if the kids can work out two to make a tent from the supplies.

Spot the Change (Family Faith Ministry)
Intro if using as a starter - Can you tell when something changes? Sometimes seeing how something has changed is easy and sometimes it is hard. Today, we are going to learn how Jesus’ appearance changed on the mountain. Everyone who was with Jesus noticed the change. Before we discover what happened, let’s play a game to see how well you see changes.

Divide children into teams of 3–4.
One team stands at the front while everyone else studies how they look.
Send the team out to change one thing about one person (e.g., hair, clothing, accessories).
The team returns, and the others guess what changed.
Repeat so each team has a turn.

Asleep, awake!
Play the traffic light game (Playworks) but instead of using "Red light" and "Green light" use "Asleep" and "Awake!".

Pray it!

Give each child a battery tealight or glowstick
Say: “On the mountain, Jesus’ face shone like the sun. God’s light was with him — and God’s light is with us too.”

Go around the circle - each child can turn on their light and thank God for something that feels like God's light or goodness in their life (out loud or in their hearts).

Finish with a simple prayer like
Jesus, Shine your love in our hearts. Help us shine your light this week. Amen.

Questions

If you could have lunch with anyone dead or alive, who would it be?
I wonder how Peter, John and James felt when they woke up and saw that Jesus looked different?
I wonder how they knew it was still Jesus?
I wonder how we can know it is Jesus?
I wonder why Peter wanted to build a shelter for Jesus, Moses and Elijah?
Have you ever felt a bit like Peter? Wanting to keep something for ever, that was only meant to last a short time? Perhaps you found a butterfly and wanted to keep it in a jar for ever, or looked after a bird in a box, but didn't want to say goodbye to it?
I wonder why Peter, John and James were quiet after the loud voice said: "This is my chosen Son. Listen to what he says!”
I wonder what happened next?
I wonder what they spoke about between that event, and coming down the mountain the next day?

The Transfiguration in Art

If you want to mark Lent in a simple rich way, how about creating a space where your kids can spend some time with Jesus-related art. Try these questions or make up your own:

What do you see?
What part of the bible / God's story is this painting about?
What might this show us about Jesus? About people? About our world?
What do you think is important in this picture?
Does anything in this picture have more than one meaning?
I wonder what God might be saying to you through this picture today?

Transfiguration by Sieger Köder

Preschool Play

Here are some ways you can invite your preschoolers to play their way into the bible story and spend time with God.

Tent-building - bring out a pop up tent, or fling an old sheet over a table to make a "tent". Tell the story inside with puppets, act it out with a torch and shadow silhouettes, or just load in lots of cushions and tell it while all the kids snuggle down.
Things to chat about: What happens when we are somewhere amazing and it's time to go?

Dressups - hats, scarves, sunglasses etc. Try a quick game of "Where has [name] gone? She was just here but now I can't see her." Toddlers will find this hilarious and love to show you that it is still them.
Things to chat about - sometimes people look different but they are still them.