John 1:43-51
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 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.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
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This sermon was preached for a certain people in a certain place in a certain time. But we believe in a God who transcends time and space, so I hope that it might speak to you here. You can read my original manuscript below, or listen to the unedited audio at this link.
Let us pray. God who knows us and has named us beloved, be with us as we move into the journey of hearing your call for us in your lives. Give us the courage to follow you, in the life of your son Jesus Christ. Amen.
In any normal year, last week we would have celebrated the baptism of hundreds, maybe even thousands of people throughout the diocese and throughout the country in honor of the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord. It would have marked the beginning of a new life for those baptized, and a new beginning of new life in our own community as a people of God as we renewed and affirmed our own baptismal vows.
Of course this year looked a bit different for many of our congregations— communities deciding it was too intimate to be baptizing babies and touching touching while a pandemic continues to ravage our country.
But that does not stop God from reminding us this week that we are God’s formed, known, named, and called people. It does not stop God from reaching into the depths of our despair and calling us forth to say, “you are meant for more than just surviving.” You are meant for life and life abundant alongside God in Christ Jesus.
In each one of the readings this morning, we hear about a God who calls people into a new vocation. Samuel is called into relationship with God and becomes an incredible prophet. And we hear about Jesus calling new disciples at the beginning of his ministry— Philip and Nathanael— to make a sacrifice and follow him.
In the Psalm, we hear about God who knows God’s people intimately even before they are born, God who knows everything about us, a la Santa Claus — he knows when we are sitting down and rising up, knows when you are sleeping and when you’re are awake. God who knows all of our words and our movements, even our inmost thoughts.
On the one hand, we might find deep deep comfort in being so fully known by God. If no one else in the entire world knows us deeply and intimately, we can rest in the assurance that God knows all of the intimate parts of us. Not only that, but God has a wild and deep love for each part of us that God designed.
But on the other hand, knowing that God knows us completely and totally can be really intimidating and even downright scary. That means that God knows all of the yucky, gross, mean, sinful inner parts of us too. God knows our past and our secrets and the stuff we wouldn’t share with even our closest friends and family. And knowledge of that can be enough to keep us running from God and God’s love for the majority of our lives. And all that running away can also mean that we might miss God’s call for us… thankfully, God is mighty persistent…
You might remember that we are parenting a two year old right now, and if you’ve ever had a two year old in your house, you might know that they can sometimes become fixated on things, almost to the point of obsession. It can be a certain toy, a song, a meal, or a TV show. For us right now, it’s the movie Frozen II. This means that I watch that movie in whole or in parts about three times a week and we are constantly listening to the soundtrack in the car. I know this movie and the songs pretty well by now.
The first really big musical number that Elsa, one of the two main characters, sings is about being called by a strange, persistent voice. She has been hearing this voice for some time now, but she keeps ignoring it and ignoring it. Somehow she has the sense that this voice, knows her in some deep way and she continues to hear it until one night she can’t sleep because it’s ringing in her ears so loudly. Of course no one else can hear this voice, but she gets out of bed and begins singing back to it and it grows louder and louder.
I know it might sound silly that I’m talking about a Disney movie in a sermon, but this song is, more or less, the calling of Samuel that we heard in the first reading this morning. If you haven’t seen the movie or listened to the music, I highly recommend both because they are fantastic in their own right— even if you don’t have small children around.
But when we think about the implications of what Elsa is going through here— we understand that she is being called by a spirit, the Spirit, into something new and unknown, and ultimately her new vocation— just like Samuel was called by God and just like Philip and Nathanael were called by Jesus into a new life.
The scary part, for Elsa, for the disciples, and for us— is that we had a life before this calling and we don’t know how being called into this next thing is going to change our lives. In Elsa’s song, she grapples with this idea of going from what is comfortable into something completely different and unknown. She sings:
You're not a voice, you're just a ringing in my ear
And if I heard you, which I don't, I'm spoken for I fear
Everyone I've ever loved is here within these walls
I'm sorry, secret siren, but I'm blocking out your calls
I've had my adventure, I don't need something new
I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you into the unknown.
Elsa is being called into a very dangerous place, where she will have to confront her weaknesses and faults, her past and what it would mean to move forward into the future. And this is all because the Spirit that is calling her knows her even more deeply and fully than she knows herself. And yet, this call is so strong that even with all of those fears she is unable to deny it and resist it— she must follow the Spirit into the unknown.
This is the promise of new life in Christ. This is the promise of following God’s call in our lives. It could be a calm but urgent voice in the middle of the night, it could be a chance encounter with someone who seems to know us deeply, leading us on a new path. It could just be the beautiful reassurance of the psalm that God formed us and created us for a purpose and will continue to draw us into the purpose throughout our lives.
Whatever form the call takes, we can be assured that it will lead us into a new, risky, and beautiful life in Christ Jesus. It is what we have been designed for from the very beginning— reconciliation and deep communion with ourselves, with one another, with all of creation, and with God.
It will not be without risk or challenge. It will not always come easily or feel totally comfortable, but it is the way of following Jesus into the unknown of God’s incredible love for you. And it is the better way, the best way… and ultimately it is the only way to truly know ourselves and our God. Amen.
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