Showing Up (Last Epiphany A)

A sermon by the Rev. Guillermo A. Arboleda, written for and delivered at All Saints' Episcopal Church, Tybee Island, GA, on Sunday, February 15, 2026, the 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany (Year A).

Image Credits: https://organizersnw.com/swedish-death-cleaning-what-it-is-and-how-to-do-it/

Primary Bible Reading(s)

(Click on February 15, 2026, to see all of the Lectionary Texts)

Matthew 17:1-9 (NRSVue)

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light. 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 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.” 5 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!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8 And when they raised their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. 9 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.”

Showing Up

By the Rev. Guillermo A. Arboleda, Program Manager for New Starts, ELCA

Showing up matters. Being with someone when they need it matters. I read a story about a church that does this through a ministry it calls its “Swedish death cleaning team.” Swedish death cleaning is a real decluttering practice from Sweden. The gist is that people should simplify their lives by getting rid of things that they don’t need or use before they die so that their loved ones do not have to manage all their possessions after death. But we don’t practice Swedish death cleaning in the USA very widely. So, at this church, the Swedish death cleaning team often helps grieving adult children to clean and declutter their deceased parents’ homes after the funeral. 

In this story, one church member’s co-worker suddenly lost her father. The co-worker was not a member of that church or any church. She didn’t know how to grieve. She had trouble admitting that she was sad and wrestling with her emotions about her complicated relationship with her father. The co-worker was opening up a bit to her friend, the church member, about how hard it would be to sort through her father’s house. Then the church member invited the Swedish death cleaning team to help. In this instance, the team traveled with the co-worker from San Diego to Phoenix to help clean out the father’s home! The cleaning team spent a couple of days doing all this work together and showing the co-worker compassion and comfort through their actions. This was the first positive interaction the co-worker had ever had with the church and church people. They eventually persuaded her to hold a funeral for her dad with their pastor. Despite the co-worker’s fear that nobody would come, the church members showed up, surrounding her with love and care so that she could finally let go and mourn.[1] That’s what it looks like to show up and be with people in a time of need. 

In this week’s Gospel story, Jesus brings Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain so that they can have a mystical experience together. They see Jesus transfigured, shining like the sun, and surrounded by two ancient, long-deceased prophets: Moses and Elijah. This transfiguration event has many meanings, but at least one of them is to remind the disciples of God’s promise to be with us in our times of need, just as God was with Moses and Elijah. 

Over 1000 years before Jesus was born, Moses led the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt. They escaped Egypt by crossing the Red Sea on dry land. Then, they wandered in the wilderness for many years. Throughout their wilderness wandering, God never abandoned them. God led them through the desert in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God brought them to Mount Sinai, where Moses would go up and meet God face to face. On that mountain, God would give the Law to the Hebrew people. The cloud and fire continued to guide the Hebrews until they made it across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land. God showed up and stayed with Moses throughout his ministry. 

A few hundred years later, Elijah was a prophet in the kingdom of Israel. He lived in a time when faith in the LORD God was uncommon. Most of Israel had taken to worshiping other gods, especially a local deity named Baal. Elijah famously challenged the prophets of Baal to prove that their god was real. They set up a sacrifice to Baal and Elijah set up a sacrifice to the LORD, and they both prayed for their god to send fire from heaven. Unsurprisingly, Baal didn’t answer, but the LORD did. Elijah reminded the Israelite people about the power and presence of the LORD their God. God showed up and stayed with Elijah throughout his ministry.

So Peter, James, and John stood on the mountain with Jesus, their teacher, who shone like the sun. Then Moses and Elijah appeared out of thin air. Moses and Elijah would remind the disciples that God always shows up, and that God’s presence is powerful. But in case they missed the message, God actually showed up for them too. God spoke to Jesus on this mountain, with the three disciples as witnesses, saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” Jesus was the sign of God’s presence too. Through Jesus, the disciples felt the compassion and comfort of God.

Then, all the visions disappeared. It was just the four of them standing outside. Peter, James, and John had fallen to their knees before God’s presence, trembling. So Jesus told them to get up and not to be afraid. He was with them, and he promised to stay with them no matter how difficult life would get. 

And it would get difficult. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem for the last time. He was on his way to the cross. The disciples would fear for their lives while they watched their teacher get arrested, beaten, whipped, and killed. But through the resurrection, they would come to see that God never abandons us. The disciples would go on to bravely proclaim the message of God’s loving presence and life saving power. They would do so despite risks to their lives. Eleven of the twelve apostles would die for their faith. 

But they did it knowing that God is always present with people in their trials. God showed up for Moses. God showed up for Elijah. God showed up for the apostles. And God shows up for us. It’s because of God’s everlasting faithfulness to us that we are empowered to show up for one another. That’s where we find the strength to be with people in their times of great need. It’s how some random church volunteers are willing to get on a plane to help someone grieve her father. It’s how All Saints continues to show up for its members and its community when they need consolation. Because God is with us, we can be with one another. Amen.

Notes

[1] Story adapted from Andrew Root, Evangelism in an Age of Despair: Hope Beyond the Failed Promise of Happiness (Ada, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2025), 101-131.