Sermon: Epiphany 2A

Epiphany 2/ 2017

1 Corinthians 1:1-9
John 1:29-42


It is a time of great intensity in our country and in our world. We stand on the edge of the unknown. What new directions might unfold within our nation? What will our role be-as followers of Christ- as we seek to ensure that our most vulnerable are defended and cared for? Tomorrow we give thanks for the life and witness of Martin Luther King Jr., a man who’s faith, courage and vision helped mold our society into a more just and equitable place....it is always a bright spot to celebrate all that Dr. King helped bring forth. I wonder what he would say about the current racial tensions that exist in our country...and in our world?

For some time, one of my prayers has been that we might have a visionary like Dr. King or Archbishop Desmond Tutu to rise up in our midst, to help lead us to a better place...where justice rolls forth like a river, and where our divisions might be overcome. Instead, we are confronted with ever widening divisions and pervasive distrust and rampant fear. Our spiritual vacuum seems to have gone into overdrive. Having been a history major, I recognize that it does help to look back, for it is in looking back, that we are able to see how, over and over again, how things have come to a head, fallen apart, and new and good things have eventually emerged. Maybe not so oddly, the spiritual path has a similar pattern. Our path to and experience of God goes through different patterns and cycles-the old gets smashed and the new rises up, just when we need it to...in the nick of time.

When I think of the times in which Jesus lived and worked, there was a similar kind of fragility and rawness and edginess THEN as to our own day. When the writer of John wrote this Gospel-which was written much later than when Matthew, Mark and Luke wrote-it was a time of enormous change for the Jewish people. The Temple had been destroyed, so they had no spiritual center. The Roman government was crushing them. The people were ripe for change.

It was a moment when the question “what are you looking for” might have had special power or resonance. And maybe it is that very ripeness....and John the Baptist’s prep work...that led to Andrew and Simon Peter’s almost instantaneous response to Jesus.

Jesus says to the two: What are you looking for? Such a simple question, but not always so easy to answer. Their response: where are you staying? His response: come and see.

"Where are you staying?" was not meant to be a tour of homes! The Greek word used for “stay” means remain, abide, endure. Andrew and Simon Peter wanted to know in what Jesus rooted himself and dwelled. What was feeding his soul; to what or whom had he given himself? Clearly, he radiated something significantly different, to which they were attracted, but they weren’t sure what it was that he
had, that they lacked. So, they took him up on his invitation to come and observe what that thing was that marked him, that set him apart, that made him so very different from what they knew.

Come and See. There are 12 references to seeing or looking in this passage and many nuances to what “see” might mean: perceive, understand, recognize, experience, understand, notice, contemplate, and behold, among others. Jesus is inviting them to come and be a part of something that is way bigger than they can even begin to imagine. And it is a veritable wellspring, that only deepens and grows with time. So, they followed, and their world was never the same.

There is nothing worse to me that the same old same old. I think that that is why I was drawn to the spiritual path at a fairly early age. What I know about this journey-and today’s Gospel reminds me of it-is that when we answer Jesus’ call to “come and see” that what it means is that we had better buckle our seat belts and get ready for the ride of a lifetime. There is nothing “same old same old” about following Jesus. We are invited to “see” just where and in whom Jesus finds his home, and this God who knows us and loves us is a mystery who we can never completely know. Saints, mystics, poets, wise people remind us of this...God engages us, and takes us on a path that is all about being transformed. It is an epic journey-and “epic” is never easy. Yet, it is also immensely rich, and luscious, and compelling.

In our second lesson, St. Paul knew that following Jesus meant more than just finding answers-it meant finding HOME. He says to the bickering people in Corinth-guess what? You already have all of the spiritual riches that you could ever need. God in Christ has given you all of the tools and gifts that are necessary for you to flourish. Aren’t these words meant for us, too? And so, both Paul and the writer of John remind US that the very thing that WE are looking for is already here in our midst-in our hearts, in the bread and the wine that we share, in our fellowship, in the various gifts that we have been entrusted with, and incarnate in us as we go forth and bear witness in the world.

We already have what we need. Sometimes, we forget that. Sometimes we too lose our way. And even when we are on track, we do not always remember to help point the way for others. As our churches struggle to grow-and to be relevant in a culture that doesn’t always value things in the spiritual realm-we must never forget that this faith that we have is something that has lasted, from age to age. And it will continue to last. What we have to offer-God’s rest, God’s quiet,God’s justice and God’s hope in the midst of all of the chaos-is the very thing that many long for. St. Augustine said it best: our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.

We may not be Martin Luther King or Desmond Tutu, but we too can speak truth to power, we too can shine a light in places that have been overcome by darkness, we too can live and breathe a hope that the world is thirsty for.

So, as we settle into this beautiful season of Epiphany, I offer you that same simple question, to ponder in your own hearts, and for you to share with those who might be seeking something more....”what are you looking for”? Like it or not, our lives and our world will continue to quake and groan. Tragedies break in when we least expect them, and life’s challenges abound. But so does God’s grace and love. The answer we-and others seek-is never very far away. In fact, it is in the very midst of us. Come and See. Thanks be to God. AMEN 

Popular posts from this blog

Lent 3

Easter 2017