John 1:43-51 (The Message)
Jesus decided to go to Galilee. When he got there, he ran across Philip and said, “Come, follow me.” (Philip’s hometown was Bethsaida, the same as Andrew and Peter.)
Philip went and found Nathanael and told him, “We’ve found the One Moses wrote of in the Law, the One preached by the prophets. It’s Jesus, Joseph’s son, the one from Nazareth!” Nathanael said, “Nazareth? You’ve got to be kidding. How can anything good come from Nazareth?”
But Philip said, “Come, see for yourself.”
When Jesus saw him coming he said, “There’s a real Israelite, not a false bone in his body.”
Nathanael said, “Where did you get that idea? You don’t know me.”
Jesus answered, “One day, long before Philip called you here, I saw you under the fig tree.”
Nathanael exclaimed, “Rabbi! You are the Son of God, the King of Israel!”
Jesus said, “You’ve become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven’t seen anything yet! Before this is over you’re going to see heaven open and God’s angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again.”
Once we move past the baptism of Jesus, the first couple of weeks of the new liturgical year are always about “call.” The newly Spirit-empowered Jesus rises from the waters of baptism and sets out to call those disciples who will spend the next three years with him. It is always instructive and interesting to reflect on the people Jesus specifically called to follow him. And to reflect on the how’s and why’s of our own callings.
We’ll get back to this bit from John, but first a look into the other lectionary readings for today. The lectionary, you know, takes a reading from the Old Testament, a Psalm, a Gospel reading, and one from that part of the New Testament that is not the gospels. Some churches choose to read them all aloud. We usually focus on just one and as a Disciple, I have the choice to choose which reading to focus on.
These readings are thematically connected. Some Sundays that connection is kind of hard to discern. Other Sundays it is pretty obvious.
As a preacher/teacher I enjoy this season of the year because of the connections – the ties to all the parts of our Bible, the various writings that link over a 1000 years of human history and show our commonality over time and space.
The Old Testament reading for today is the calling of Samuel when he was just a boy, serving Eli, the temple priest. Samuel, who was wakened in the night, repeatedly, by a voice calling his name, and his reply, “Here I am, Lord.” Samuel, who would be a great prophet and the last of the judges of early Israel. The one who would anoint Saul, the first king of the Israelites, and later, that king’s successor, a shepherd boy named David.
It’s a dramatic and obvious story of his call – there is nothing to be interpreted, nothing that reveals itself later. God called, and Samuel answered.
The Psalm reading, Psalm 139, is an entirely different kind of call. Here, there is no voice, no verbal demand for a choice. Instead, the writer celebrates his/her gradually unfolding understanding that God created them for the purpose of serving and following God. It has never really been a choice. God knew them from before they were born because God created them to be exactly that person. Every ounce of their being was designed for this. What else could they do but acknowledge the call that has always been there – and follow?
The New Testament reading comes from Paul’s first letter to the Christ-community in Corinth – one of the letters we studied this past summer. Here, Paul appears to be telling us all that the Samuel-like call and reply is now redundant because by his life and death and resurrection Jesus has incorporated us into his very self – it’s a done deal. There can be no question of responding – which suggests an in and an out – a separation -- when we are already part of the essence of the one who might be calling. The same Spirit inhabits us as inhabits Jesus – as I said, a done deal.
Three readings – three different views of “call.”
And so, back to our chosen reading for today, from John’s gospel. This one is less philosophical than narrative. It is more Samuel-like than Psalm-like. It’s a pretty straight-forward invitational call – but, it’s interesting in that it is a double call.
First, Jesus invites Philip, and then, in turn, it is Philip who actually first issues an invitation to Nathanael – “Come and see what we’ve found – what we’re so enthusiastic about – come and see for yourself!” And, like the other disciples, once meeting Jesus himself, Nathanael drops what he has been doing and follows – then and there.
So many forms and styles of “call.” Each one unique. The one constant among them is the invitation to become part of the good life God offers us all – a life in God – and also to become who we were created to be – each with our own unique gifts, our own life story, our own understanding of ourselves as precious children of God with a call to live out God's beautiful purposes for our lives.
In a commentary on the Psalms, professor James Limburg tell a story of "young Rabbi Zusya, who was quite discouraged about his failures and weaknesses. An older rabbi to him, 'When you get to heaven, God is not going to say to you, “Why weren't you Moses?" No, God will say, "Why weren't you Zusya?" So why don’t you stop trying to be Moses, and start being the Zusya God created you to be?'"
A good reminder to us all. Stop trying to be Moses -- or anyone else you think you should be like. Start being the you you were born to be.
We’ll get back to this bit from John, but first a look into the other lectionary readings for today. The lectionary, you know, takes a reading from the Old Testament, a Psalm, a Gospel reading, and one from that part of the New Testament that is not the gospels. Some churches choose to read them all aloud. We usually focus on just one and as a Disciple, I have the choice to choose which reading to focus on.
These readings are thematically connected. Some Sundays that connection is kind of hard to discern. Other Sundays it is pretty obvious.
As a preacher/teacher I enjoy this season of the year because of the connections – the ties to all the parts of our Bible, the various writings that link over a 1000 years of human history and show our commonality over time and space.
The Old Testament reading for today is the calling of Samuel when he was just a boy, serving Eli, the temple priest. Samuel, who was wakened in the night, repeatedly, by a voice calling his name, and his reply, “Here I am, Lord.” Samuel, who would be a great prophet and the last of the judges of early Israel. The one who would anoint Saul, the first king of the Israelites, and later, that king’s successor, a shepherd boy named David.
It’s a dramatic and obvious story of his call – there is nothing to be interpreted, nothing that reveals itself later. God called, and Samuel answered.
The Psalm reading, Psalm 139, is an entirely different kind of call. Here, there is no voice, no verbal demand for a choice. Instead, the writer celebrates his/her gradually unfolding understanding that God created them for the purpose of serving and following God. It has never really been a choice. God knew them from before they were born because God created them to be exactly that person. Every ounce of their being was designed for this. What else could they do but acknowledge the call that has always been there – and follow?
The New Testament reading comes from Paul’s first letter to the Christ-community in Corinth – one of the letters we studied this past summer. Here, Paul appears to be telling us all that the Samuel-like call and reply is now redundant because by his life and death and resurrection Jesus has incorporated us into his very self – it’s a done deal. There can be no question of responding – which suggests an in and an out – a separation -- when we are already part of the essence of the one who might be calling. The same Spirit inhabits us as inhabits Jesus – as I said, a done deal.
Three readings – three different views of “call.”
And so, back to our chosen reading for today, from John’s gospel. This one is less philosophical than narrative. It is more Samuel-like than Psalm-like. It’s a pretty straight-forward invitational call – but, it’s interesting in that it is a double call.
First, Jesus invites Philip, and then, in turn, it is Philip who actually first issues an invitation to Nathanael – “Come and see what we’ve found – what we’re so enthusiastic about – come and see for yourself!” And, like the other disciples, once meeting Jesus himself, Nathanael drops what he has been doing and follows – then and there.
So many forms and styles of “call.” Each one unique. The one constant among them is the invitation to become part of the good life God offers us all – a life in God – and also to become who we were created to be – each with our own unique gifts, our own life story, our own understanding of ourselves as precious children of God with a call to live out God's beautiful purposes for our lives.
In a commentary on the Psalms, professor James Limburg tell a story of "young Rabbi Zusya, who was quite discouraged about his failures and weaknesses. An older rabbi to him, 'When you get to heaven, God is not going to say to you, “Why weren't you Moses?" No, God will say, "Why weren't you Zusya?" So why don’t you stop trying to be Moses, and start being the Zusya God created you to be?'"
A good reminder to us all. Stop trying to be Moses -- or anyone else you think you should be like. Start being the you you were born to be.
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