1 Samuel 3:1-20 • John 1:43-51
Last Sunday, we celebrated Epiphany with the Magi, and I challenged you to consider the importance of curiosity and expectation in our lives of faith together and individually. In the afterglow of the star and the expectation that Jesus is God’s self-revelation, John’s Gospel has us jumping straight into the ministry of Jesus in Galilee.
Of course, John’s gospel is not concerned with mangers or Magi, but it is concerned with revelation. John’s gospel is all about revelation, relationship, and belief. Verse 1 starts with, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… 4In him was life, and that life was the light of all humankind. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
The text goes on to emphasize how God has come to abide with us in the person of Jesus, and it is followed immediately by the introduction of John the Baptizer as the herald of Jesus. After his testimony about Jesus, everything starts to happen pretty quickly. Verse 29 starts with “the next day,” and John saw Jesus. Verse 35, “The next day,” Jesus invites two of John’s disciples (Peter and Andrew) to “come and see” where he is staying and where he is going. Then in verse 43, “The next day,” Jesus goes to Galilee and invites Philip to follow him, and Philip invites Nathaniel to “come and see.”
If you received our Friday E-votion, you may recall that I mentioned one of my favorite Louisiana phrases, “Come see.” It’s a simple phrase often used with children, but it also works well when there is a communication breakdown between marital partners. For adults, it is a way to say, “I just have to show you.” More than a command, though, “Come see” is a promise and an invitation, and that’s what we see over and over in these passages.
There is definitely more to the story with Nathaniel’s super quick transformation, but I think it’s important to walk with him for a minute. In the past I’ve thought of him as being aloof and a little sarcastic, but what if we take the advice of the Magi and see him as curiously expectant? “The Messiah is from Nazareth? This I gotta see!”
I love the way that Jesus calls him out in v47 with, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Nathaniel was probably a little defensive about this when he said, “How do you know me?” It’s not really clear why Jesus’ response about seeing Nathaniel under the fig tree triggered his immediate devotion, but something about it confirmed his expectations about Jesus. Then Jesus said, “You think that’s something? Wait until the stairway to heaven opens up!”
This was, of course, not a reference to Led Zeplin, but rather to Genesis 28:12 where Jacob saw the ladder to heaven and received the promise of God that all people will be blessed by his offspring. Jesus was re-interpreting that promise for those who would “come see” what God was doing in and through him, which even includes you and me.
What about you and me, though? How are we to “Come see?” Are we like Nathaniel, waiting for a Messiah who checks all the boxes, yet ready to be surprised? Are we blissfully unaware, like Samuel? Has our vision dimmed like Eli’s, and are we willing and able to receive bad news from God as faithfully as the good?
Perhaps there is another day that I might make some comparisons to Eli’s dimmed vision, but I feel like we have a pretty strong sense of God’s call for us as a congregation. Results may vary individually – and I’m as likely to miss out on God’s intentions as anyone – but I feel pretty good about the work that we are doing and have yet to do.
If anything, I think the thing that connects our experience with Eli’s lack of vision, and for that matter Nathaniel’s question about Nazareth, is the difficult space we are in culturally. Christian Faith™ has been co-opted by nationalism. Theologies of power have left a trail of spiritual and other forms of abuse. Questions of belief are assumed to be answered with dogmatic surety while the beauty and diversity of God’s creation become more and more consumable if they are to have any value at all. Where is the church that is the Body of Christ in all of that?
Can you see how someone might say, “Can anything good come out of the church?” I sure can. The good news is that we can be like Philip. The good news is that even Eli, whose sight was dim, could tell when the Lord was calling Samuel. Can we be like that, even in our place of need?
I imagine that someone has been that way for you at some point. Take a moment and think about that person – your Philip; your Eli. Maybe it was a parent or a grandparent; maybe it was a child; maybe you have yet to hear it and you’ve come today to be told that you are God’s beloved, and God has good things in store for you!
My Philip was a person named Michelle, who was a mentor and friend when I needed one most. She was someone who recognized God’s work in and through me and empowered me to do more. Through the years our paths seem to continually cross, even without social media, at the right time. We met when she was an intern from seminary and I had just started out as a youth director. Years later I randomly ran into her and her family at a park in Savannah, GA, although she was serving a church in NC, and received exactly the care and counsel I needed while I was in between called positions. Sometime later I found a water bottle from her congregation that had been left on a bus in Cuba. I took it as a sign, whether it truly was or not.
I guess what I’m saying is that sometimes we all need something tangible to help our belief. More than just the words, “Come see,” there must be something to see. While I’m sure that God’s grace and mercy can be found just about anywhere if you open yourself up to it, I have this hope that the church is a place where we set the bar for the rest of the world. It may be as simple as teaching Sunday School, or singing in the choir, or just calling a church member who wasn’t at church. My hope is that these things are not just activities but also opportunities to come see what the Lord is all about.
One place that we see what the Lord is up to here is in the values we hold dear, and I just happened to look at the values we list on our website as I was preparing this week for Sunday School. I’m not going to read through it now, but I hope you’ll take time to look at it. I gotta say, between this and the God-sized vision through Project Thrive, you guys write some pretty amazing statements!
There is one phrase I do want to lift up. “As a diverse community, we seek to intentionally embody God’s radically inclusive and transformative love for everyone. With love and grace, we are called as a community to grow together as a voice for justice and peace – each as we are, with our unique human stories of joy and struggle.”
It is important that we say things like this, not for the sake of dogma, but for the expectation of revelation, relationship, and belief that these words create. In the same way, it is important that we have a little rainbow flag on our website. It is important because it tells those who have been and are being abused and persecuted by those who say they speak for God that this place is safe.
I can tell you from friends and family that I know that even if a person from the LGBTQ community never darkens the door, that little bitty flag is a beacon of hope that says, “Come see.”
I realize that statements on websites, no matter how well worded, only go so far. In fact, they are meaningless without action. That’s why I want to thank those who work so hard for our Saturday Loaves and fish meals, and I want to encourage you to continue inviting people from the community to come see Jesus in the Fellowship Hall.
Jesus was very active this week, and it’s a good thing as cold as it’s getting. Jesus brought bags of blankets from our siblings at First Presbyterian that we handed out. Jesus served a hot meal and cleaned up. Jesus looked after her friend’s belongings beside a table. Jesus spoke to me about his experience of selling papers and moving into an apartment. Jesus swept up shells from hard-boiled eggs their friends had left behind, and Jesus picked up a guitar and sang about getting into heaven through belief in God’s presence here and now. In a lot of ways, as old and young with a variety of hues and origins worked together, it seemed like we were already there.
I hope you feel the same in this place, here and now, and I pray that God may yet give you the vision that you need – if you are still longing for it – or that God will give you the courage to invite someone else along if you feel that you have found the Messiah yourself. Next Sunday we’ll talk a little more about the call of discipleship. For now, know that God longs to be revealed to you. You are beloved by God, and the beliefs we hold dear will not only save us but will become a beacon of hope for all who dwell in darkness. At least I pray it may be so for the church, and for you, and even me; and to God be the glory now and always. Amen!
Last Sunday, we celebrated Epiphany with the Magi, and I challenged you to consider the importance of curiosity and expectation in our lives of faith together and individually. In the afterglow of the star and the expectation that Jesus is God’s self-revelation, John’s Gospel has us jumping straight into the ministry of Jesus in Galilee.
Of course, John’s gospel is not concerned with mangers or Magi, but it is concerned with revelation. John’s gospel is all about revelation, relationship, and belief. Verse 1 starts with, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… 4In him was life, and that life was the light of all humankind. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
The text goes on to emphasize how God has come to abide with us in the person of Jesus, and it is followed immediately by the introduction of John the Baptizer as the herald of Jesus. After his testimony about Jesus, everything starts to happen pretty quickly. Verse 29 starts with “the next day,” and John saw Jesus. Verse 35, “The next day,” Jesus invites two of John’s disciples (Peter and Andrew) to “come and see” where he is staying and where he is going. Then in verse 43, “The next day,” Jesus goes to Galilee and invites Philip to follow him, and Philip invites Nathaniel to “come and see.”
If you received our Friday E-votion, you may recall that I mentioned one of my favorite Louisiana phrases, “Come see.” It’s a simple phrase often used with children, but it also works well when there is a communication breakdown between marital partners. For adults, it is a way to say, “I just have to show you.” More than a command, though, “Come see” is a promise and an invitation, and that’s what we see over and over in these passages.
There is definitely more to the story with Nathaniel’s super quick transformation, but I think it’s important to walk with him for a minute. In the past I’ve thought of him as being aloof and a little sarcastic, but what if we take the advice of the Magi and see him as curiously expectant? “The Messiah is from Nazareth? This I gotta see!”
I love the way that Jesus calls him out in v47 with, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Nathaniel was probably a little defensive about this when he said, “How do you know me?” It’s not really clear why Jesus’ response about seeing Nathaniel under the fig tree triggered his immediate devotion, but something about it confirmed his expectations about Jesus. Then Jesus said, “You think that’s something? Wait until the stairway to heaven opens up!”
This was, of course, not a reference to Led Zeplin, but rather to Genesis 28:12 where Jacob saw the ladder to heaven and received the promise of God that all people will be blessed by his offspring. Jesus was re-interpreting that promise for those who would “come see” what God was doing in and through him, which even includes you and me.
What about you and me, though? How are we to “Come see?” Are we like Nathaniel, waiting for a Messiah who checks all the boxes, yet ready to be surprised? Are we blissfully unaware, like Samuel? Has our vision dimmed like Eli’s, and are we willing and able to receive bad news from God as faithfully as the good?
Perhaps there is another day that I might make some comparisons to Eli’s dimmed vision, but I feel like we have a pretty strong sense of God’s call for us as a congregation. Results may vary individually – and I’m as likely to miss out on God’s intentions as anyone – but I feel pretty good about the work that we are doing and have yet to do.
If anything, I think the thing that connects our experience with Eli’s lack of vision, and for that matter Nathaniel’s question about Nazareth, is the difficult space we are in culturally. Christian Faith™ has been co-opted by nationalism. Theologies of power have left a trail of spiritual and other forms of abuse. Questions of belief are assumed to be answered with dogmatic surety while the beauty and diversity of God’s creation become more and more consumable if they are to have any value at all. Where is the church that is the Body of Christ in all of that?
Can you see how someone might say, “Can anything good come out of the church?” I sure can. The good news is that we can be like Philip. The good news is that even Eli, whose sight was dim, could tell when the Lord was calling Samuel. Can we be like that, even in our place of need?
I imagine that someone has been that way for you at some point. Take a moment and think about that person – your Philip; your Eli. Maybe it was a parent or a grandparent; maybe it was a child; maybe you have yet to hear it and you’ve come today to be told that you are God’s beloved, and God has good things in store for you!
My Philip was a person named Michelle, who was a mentor and friend when I needed one most. She was someone who recognized God’s work in and through me and empowered me to do more. Through the years our paths seem to continually cross, even without social media, at the right time. We met when she was an intern from seminary and I had just started out as a youth director. Years later I randomly ran into her and her family at a park in Savannah, GA, although she was serving a church in NC, and received exactly the care and counsel I needed while I was in between called positions. Sometime later I found a water bottle from her congregation that had been left on a bus in Cuba. I took it as a sign, whether it truly was or not.
I guess what I’m saying is that sometimes we all need something tangible to help our belief. More than just the words, “Come see,” there must be something to see. While I’m sure that God’s grace and mercy can be found just about anywhere if you open yourself up to it, I have this hope that the church is a place where we set the bar for the rest of the world. It may be as simple as teaching Sunday School, or singing in the choir, or just calling a church member who wasn’t at church. My hope is that these things are not just activities but also opportunities to come see what the Lord is all about.
One place that we see what the Lord is up to here is in the values we hold dear, and I just happened to look at the values we list on our website as I was preparing this week for Sunday School. I’m not going to read through it now, but I hope you’ll take time to look at it. I gotta say, between this and the God-sized vision through Project Thrive, you guys write some pretty amazing statements!
There is one phrase I do want to lift up. “As a diverse community, we seek to intentionally embody God’s radically inclusive and transformative love for everyone. With love and grace, we are called as a community to grow together as a voice for justice and peace – each as we are, with our unique human stories of joy and struggle.”
It is important that we say things like this, not for the sake of dogma, but for the expectation of revelation, relationship, and belief that these words create. In the same way, it is important that we have a little rainbow flag on our website. It is important because it tells those who have been and are being abused and persecuted by those who say they speak for God that this place is safe.
I can tell you from friends and family that I know that even if a person from the LGBTQ community never darkens the door, that little bitty flag is a beacon of hope that says, “Come see.”
I realize that statements on websites, no matter how well worded, only go so far. In fact, they are meaningless without action. That’s why I want to thank those who work so hard for our Saturday Loaves and fish meals, and I want to encourage you to continue inviting people from the community to come see Jesus in the Fellowship Hall.
Jesus was very active this week, and it’s a good thing as cold as it’s getting. Jesus brought bags of blankets from our siblings at First Presbyterian that we handed out. Jesus served a hot meal and cleaned up. Jesus looked after her friend’s belongings beside a table. Jesus spoke to me about his experience of selling papers and moving into an apartment. Jesus swept up shells from hard-boiled eggs their friends had left behind, and Jesus picked up a guitar and sang about getting into heaven through belief in God’s presence here and now. In a lot of ways, as old and young with a variety of hues and origins worked together, it seemed like we were already there.
I hope you feel the same in this place, here and now, and I pray that God may yet give you the vision that you need – if you are still longing for it – or that God will give you the courage to invite someone else along if you feel that you have found the Messiah yourself. Next Sunday we’ll talk a little more about the call of discipleship. For now, know that God longs to be revealed to you. You are beloved by God, and the beliefs we hold dear will not only save us but will become a beacon of hope for all who dwell in darkness. At least I pray it may be so for the church, and for you, and even me; and to God be the glory now and always. Amen!
Comments