Rev. Kristen Hawley’s sermon at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. on February 15th, the Last Sunday after the Epiphany, invites congregants to reflect on their own “mountaintop moments,” both joyful and difficult, marked by awe and transformation. She connects a family conversation about Harry Potter’s “Divination” and “Transfiguration” to Transfiguration Sunday, describing Jesus’ transfiguration before Peter, James, and John and the fear and disorientation it caused, including Peter’s impulse to impose structure by proposing shelters. She highlights the lectionary’s added context that this occurs six days after Peter identifies Jesus as the Messiah and then resists Jesus’ prediction of suffering and death. Rev. Hawley argues the transfiguration is not Jesus changing into something new but a revealing—God “drops the veil”—and that the ‘transfiguration light’ changes the disciples’ perception, enabling them to see as God sees. Citing St. Gregory’s teaching that the disciples’ senses were transformed beyond mere flesh into spirit, she suggests this light reveals what is already true rather than magically altering the world. Drawing on a prior illustration about recognizing people as images of God, she challenges congregants to practice an internal “gasp” of attention in the days leading to Ash Wednesday, trying to see people and creation through God’s eyes. She concludes that this transfiguration light gives strength and courage to face the coming cross and offers a Eucharistic prayer petition: for God to open our eyes to God’s hand at work in the world, encouraging congregants to pause, be still, and pay attention when such flashes occur.00:00 Welcome + What Are Your Mountaintop Moments?01:26 A Car Ride, Harry Potter, and ‘Divination’ as a Real Word03:43 Transfiguration Sunday: Jesus Revealed on the Mountain04:44 Why ‘Six Days Later’ Matters: Peter’s Confession & the Coming Cross08:18 Peter’s Very Human Response: Trying to Build Structure for Mystery09:20 Transfiguration Light: Not Changing Jesus, Changing How We See13:14 Practice the ‘Gasp’: Seeing People and Creation as God Sees16:34 Strength for the Cross + Closing Prayer to Open Our Eyes

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