When I first looked at the texts for today, I immediately thought of the difference between change and transformation. I realized that I’m probably looking too closely at words again, looking more deeply at them than anyone cares about. But in the context of this congregation, it seems to me that change is inevitable and transformation is coming. I’ve felt it for a while.

People fear change and even resist it, but the fact is that as long as we are alive, we are changing. That means that when we proclaim that Christ is alive, we are claiming that Christ is changing and even that Christ is the agent of change. And yet, scripture also says that Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, so which is it? It seems to me that Christ is unchanging because the grace God offers us through Chr…