February 15, 2026 Order of Worship
Blessed Assurance (setting by Mark Hayes) – Geoffrey Liu
Welcome – Terry Bolender
Opening Prayer – Taryn Pfeifer
Leader: God of vision, Lord of the Transfiguration, we long to see your face and yet are afraid to look directly into your eyes.
People: We long to break the grip of suffering in this world, and yet we cannot cast it out without your help.
Leader: Uncover our faces, Holy One, and expose us to your glory.
People: Help us to see the poor in their suffering and recognize them as our sisters and our brothers.
Leader: It's not just the poor, God, but the forgotten and the vulnerable, the lost, the oppressed, and the weary of this world whom you love.
People: Give us courage to name the root causes of poverty, violence, injustice, and suffering all around us.
Leader: Give us the conviction and commitment to remake the systems of this world in your image and not our own.
People: We know that you have a special heart for all people everywhere, God.
Leader: Take from us our hearts of stone and give us your heart.
People: So that we and the world may be transfigured in you.
Leader: Give us the heart of Jesus!
People: For the sake of your coming kingdom and your mission, we pray. Amen.
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise – UMH #103
Time with Young Disciples – Stephanie McIlwain Miller
Sing to the Lord a Marvelous Song – Sanctuary Choir
Scripture Reading – Taryn Pfeifer
Introduction to the Gospel reading: In the Bible, the mountain is the place where heaven and earth meet, where God’s presence is especially strong. In our Gospel reading this morning, Jesus goes up on a mountain and is seen by his friends as he truly is, the meeting place of God’s life and our lives. Hear now the story of the transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-13…
Matthew 17:1-13
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will set up three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” And the disciples asked him, “Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He replied, “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things, but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
See the Glory – Be the Glory! – Pastor Jim
Turn Your Eyes – Congregational Singing
Offering Our Gifts to God – Meditation on "Slane" "Be Thou My Vision" (setting by Geoffrey Liu)
Doxology – Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow, UMH #94
Prayer of Dedication
Leader: All that we have, we have from you, Creator and Preserver of all.
People: Accept these gifts which we now offer. Help us to make the whole of life an offering and every thought a prayer.
Be Thou My Vision – UMH #451
Blessing
Toccata from 12 Pieces for Organ (Theodore Dubois) – Geoffrey Liu
Resources for Worship
Opening Prayer is by Jim Head-Corliss for worship at Kent UMC with images from a prayer by Janet Morley of England in Bread of Tomorrow: Prayers for the Church Year, ed. by Janet Morley (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1992).