On the last Sunday before Lent, we stand between celebration and ashes.At the Transfiguration, Jesus shines with divine glory on the mountain. But the heart of the moment is not just the light. It is the voice from heaven: “This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.”As we move from Jazz Mass joy and Shrove Sunday celebration toward Ash Wednesday and the road of Lent, this sermon invites us to see what God is doing. Before the cross. Before the darkness. Before the ashes.God shows us who Jesus truly is so that we can follow him when the road grows dark.Lent is not about climbing up to God. It is about listening to the One who has already come down to us.This message launches our Lenten theme: Listen to Him.Ashes are coming. But so is the voice of the Beloved Son.And that is the voice we will follow.