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Second Sunday of the
Epiphany
January 15, 2006
Sermon by Rev. Barb Hauck, Deacon
Readings
Come and see…
Grandma Brown took her two youngest grandchildren to the zoo. They stopped in front of a large cage of storks. Grandma told the two youngsters that these were the birds that brought them both to their mom and dad. The two children looked at one another… then the oldest leaned over and whispered into his sibling’s ear: “Don’t you think we ought to tell Grandma the truth?”
* * * * * * * *
The readings today have a common theme… in each one people find themselves called to something beyond what they have yet known… something mysterious, something awe-inspiring, something joyous. In each of the readings we are told the stories of people called by God, and the truth they are called to share.
In the first reading we saw what had become of the child Hannah wept and prayed for – and then returned to the Lord as she had promised she would do. The boy had been serving in the temple at Shiloh with an old priest – Eli. Visions (prophesying) had been rare under Eli’s leadership. We’re told Samuel was sleeping in the temple where the Ark, which symbolized the presence of God, was kept. Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!”… and three times Samuel ran to Eli, for he thought the old priest was calling him. Finally, Eli caught on – God was calling Samuel, and Eli told the boy to listen.
Listen… seems like a little thing, doesn’t it? But in this day and age when we always rush from here to there… from this meeting to that one... taking the time to listen, really listen, seems almost a lost art.
Samuel did listen, though… and some of what he heard brought pain to his heart. You see, Samuel’s mother, Hannah, had long been barren and had prayed to the Lord that she might conceive and deliver a child. If she had a male child, she promised to loan him to the Lord… and as soon Samuel was weaned, that’s exactly what she did. She returned to the temple at Shiloh and offered her child to the Lord’s service under the priest Eli. So through the years Eli had become Samuel’s surrogate parent, mentor, and friend.
But Eli’s sons, who also served as priests at Shiloh, were scoundrels. They took what was the Lord’s – the tasty, fatty portion of the sacrifices, rather than the one forkful of boiled meat that was allotted to them – and then threatened those who tried to do the right and honorable thing. They also lay with the women who served at the entrance to the temple. And the Lord had had enough. The Lord told Samuel that Eli’s house (his family) would soon be punished forever – because Eli had not responded appropriately to his sons’ blasphemous behavior. And then, the next morning, Eli asked Samuel what the Lord had said to him. After considerable prompting, and with a heavy heart, Samuel told him… told him the truth that Eli knew was coming, but certainly had to have been painful to share and to hear, nonetheless.
The Gospel is also concerned with call. In the passage which immediately precedes today’s reading, John the Baptist was standing with two of his disciples when Jesus walked past. John exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” and with those words of proclamation and guidance his two disciples turned and followed Jesus. One of those two was Andrew, who, the next day went and found his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah!” and brought Simon to Jesus. Clearly, there was some listening going on there. John’s disciples listened to him… and then, having heard his proclamation, followed Jesus. After spending a day listening to Jesus, Andrew found others, talked to them and brought them to Jesus.
The story continued in today’s Gospel passage, where we learned that Jesus found Philip in Andrew & Simon Peter’s hometown… and then Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Now Nathanael was less than impressed. In fact, he was downright skeptical. Can’t you just see him standing there, hand on his hip, brow furrowed, responding with an almost sarcastic, “can anything good come out of Nazareth?” How hard it must have been for Philip to share such important news with a friend – the truth as he knew it… indeed, his own fervent belief – and then receive that rejoinder! And Philip’s response? A simple invitation – come and see.
Later in the passage Nathanel’s eyes, ears and heart were opened when he learned that this son of Joseph from Nazareth saw him, saw Nathanel as he truly was – an Israelite in whom there is no deceit. And this had happened even before Philip called him and invited him to come and see this Jesus. How inspiring! Skeptical no more, Nathanael saw Truth he could no longer deny; and then Jesus assured him that there was even more to come, for the pathway to heaven would be through the Son of Man.
In Paul’s image of the body we caught glimpses of what it is to be not only called by God, but also joined with God and the responsibility that entails. Paul warned the Corinthians against behavior that did not honor God… admonishing them to recognize that even though something was lawful did not mean it was beneficial. For if something began to control them – causing them to base decisions on their desire for it rather than their desire to please God, it most likely would prevent them from truly listening to (and following) God’s deepest desires for them. That’s a truth that continues to be difficult to hear. In other words, Paul was also reminding us that to be called by God is to live in a manner worthy of that calling…. for as the adopted children of God we have been joined with God in Christ and the Holy Spirit dwells in us.
Last Sunday, we celebrated the Epiphany… the arrival of the three wise men at the dwelling place of the Christ child. As Peggy told us then, the word ‘epiphany’ means “to show,” “to make known,” or even “to reveal.” In celebrating the Epiphany we remembered the coming of the wise men (called Magi in their day) bringing gifts to the baby and who, by so doing, “revealed” Jesus to the world as Lord. How our imaginations cranked into gear at the 10:00 service last week when we witnessed a re-enactment of the Magi arriving bearing their gifts!
Magi were people of significance – and Gentiles who were strangers to the beliefs of God’s covenant people. They were people who, instead, scanned the heavens hoping to find evidence of Divine purpose. Since he was a small child, our son, Steven, has trained his eyes toward the heavens. Now, as a scientist, he continues to do so – studying the data gained through the Mars orbiting spacecraft and the Magellan surveyor in order to learn more about our fragile planet. (Though I admit, considerable motherly pride aside, I’ve often thought of him as more of a “wise guy” than a “wise man”!). However, two thousand years ago people saw the Magi as almost magical – for they seemed to understand things others found impossible to comprehend. To these scientists of their day – astrologers with perhaps some knowledge of astronomy, too – the phenomenon of a bright light in the night sky, a star, had great meaning. It signified the birth of a new king – and because this “star” was over the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people, they drew the natural conclusion the new king was for the Jews. Following this star for several months, it led them to the Christ child – and as representatives of the world, they acknowledged Jesus as Savior. Today their story signifies the spreading of the news of Christ to all nations – all people, everywhere.
So now the challenge before us. Like the grandchildren in the fictional story I shared earlier, how will we tell the truth to those who need to hear it? In this season of Epiphany, how will we, like John the Baptist and so many others before us, respond to God’s call to us by revealing Christ to others? How will we make known to loved ones the sometimes painful truth God is calling us to share? How will we plant the seeds of faith in our children – children who are the object of a barrage of media attention focused on a conflicting message? How will we reveal the Light of the world in the midst of darkness – the darkness of poverty, hunger, homelessness, and injustice? How will we reveal Christ to those who don’t know where to look? How will we make known the good news of Immanuel – God with us – through all the trials and tribulations this life can present to us? How will we reveal the hope we have in our hearts through our faith in Christ Jesus? And how will we, when people seem skeptical, perhaps even hateful, offer the eloquent invitation to come and see? Questions to consider as we ponder how and where God is calling each one of us. May we ponder it well, by faith and with thanksgiving. AMEN.