2 Epiphany B—1/17/21
1 Samuel 3:1-20; John 1:43-51
Pr. Scott Kramer
When I was young one of the early games we played was “Follow the Leader”: Someone is the designated leader and I do whatever they do.
It’s a simple game that could at the same time summarize the story of our lives. Everyone without exception plays this game. All of us, every day of our lives, choose whom we will follow, even if it’s just ourselves.
43One day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
We don’t know how many times and to how many people Jesus said these words. Hundreds? Thousands? We know that a lot of people did follow Jesus—at least for a while—and Philip was one of those.
Many of you are on Facebook or have other social media accounts, and you choose whom you will follow: individuals, organizations, causes. All you have to do is “click,” and you’re “following.” You may even find that others are following you!
Online, we set a pretty low bar for the words “friend” and “follow.” Online, a “friend” is just someone you allow to view your posts and “follow” means something like, “keep tabs on” or “get updates from a newsfeed.” Can you imagine Jesus saying to people, “All I’m saying is, keep tabs on me”?
What we find in today’s reading is a much higher bar: When Jesus says, “Follow me,” he means: Study me. Learn from me. Imitate me and let that be the pattern for all aspects of your life.
In last week’s worship we studied the difference between confession and repentance. We can confess until we’re blue in the face, but still not follow Jesus. Repentance is the changes we make in our lives after we make confession. “Repentance” literally means a change of direction: We take an honest look at who we’re following, change direction, and follow Jesus. This is not a “one and done”; it’s the work of a lifetime for every single one of us who calls ourselves Christian.
It’s not easy following Jesus! It’s not always easy to discern the voice of God, let alone follow. Today’s story of young Samuel tells the tale. But at least Samuel listened to the right people, who encouraged and
2 Epiphany B—1/17/21
1 Samuel 3:1-20; John 1:43-51
Pr. Scott Kramer
When I was young one of the early games we played was “Follow the Leader”: Someone is the designated leader and I do whatever they do.
It’s a simple game that could at the same time summarize the story of our lives. Everyone without exception plays this game. All of us, every day of our lives, choose whom we will follow, even if it’s just ourselves.
43One day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
We don’t know how many times and to how many people Jesus said these words. Hundreds? Thousands? We know that a lot of people did follow Jesus—at least for a while—and Philip was one of those.
Many of you are on Facebook or have other social media accounts, and you choose whom you will follow: individuals, organizations, causes. All you have to do is “click,” and you’re “following.” You may even find that others are following you!
Online, we set a pretty low bar for the words “friend” and “follow.” Online, a “friend” is just someone you allow to view your posts and “follow” means something like, “keep tabs on” or “get updates from a newsfeed.” Can you imagine Jesus saying to people, “All I’m saying is, keep tabs on me”?
What we find in today’s reading is a much higher bar: When Jesus says, “Follow me,” he means: Study me. Learn from me. Imitate me and let that be the pattern for all aspects of your life.
In last week’s worship we studied the difference between confession and repentance. We can confess until we’re blue in the face, but still not follow Jesus. Repentance is the changes we make in our lives after we make confession. “Repentance” literally means a change of direction: We take an honest look at who we’re following, change direction, and follow Jesus. This is not a “one and done”; it’s the work of a lifetime for every single one of us who calls ourselves Christian.
It’s not easy following Jesus! It’s not always easy to discern the voice of God, let alone follow. Today’s story of young Samuel tells the tale. But at least Samuel listened to the right people, who encouraged and challenged him to stay on the right track.
Since the Day of Epiphany–this year, also known as the Day of Insurrection, January 6th—I have found my mind jumping forward, past Epiphany, through the season of Lent, to Holy Week, which is still ten or eleven weeks away. The whole story of Jesus Christ, you may recall, comes to a climax at his trial before Pontius Pilate. Pilate, the local symbol of Roman and earthly power, finds himself in the strange position of being defense attorney for Jesus! He finds no fault in Jesus but when he attempts to release him, the crowd of religious leaders and their people shout, “We have no king but Caesar!”
It’s been this refrain that’s been running through my mind over the past week and a half. “Follow me,” Jesus says. And the crowds today, including millions of religious people, either by their words, their action, or their silence reply, “We have no king but Caesar!” How different from the confession of Nathanael, who said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Playing “follow the leader” for children can be a fun game. But for grown-ups, “follow the leader” is not fun and games. It can be a matter of life and death. The same people who said, “We have no king but Caesar” are the same people who said, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
The choice seems clear. We either follow Jesus or we follow someone else. But the stories of our faith indicate a sharper choice than that, which is: Either we follow Jesus, or, we crucify him. Again.
Here is where both our first reading and gospel reading offer good news. If it’s left up to us—if we’re on our own to figure out who to follow—there’s an excellent chance we’ll get it wrong. But Samuel knew who to trust. He knew an older and wiser person who recognized the voice of God, who helped Samuel understand how to follow. But easy to miss in this story is that Eli also took Samuel’s story seriously. The older one listened to and recognized the voice of God in the younger one.
Philip likewise understood, and invited Nathanael to follow Jesus. Nathanael was skeptical, though, relying on his prejudice against “those people” like Jesus. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” he asks. And Philip replies, “Come and see!”
This, dear friends, may be the most important message of all. Philip doesn’t argue with Nathanael. He doesn’t try using reason or defending his beliefs. He says, simply, “Come and see.”
In a time such as ours in which millions (including many who claim the name “Christian”) have abandoned truth for lies, chosen fear over courage, embraced violence instead of peace, and have rejected self-giving love in favor of hate and fear, who have given in to “me and mine, first and only”; in just such a time, reasonable arguments seem to have little effect. Yet, one of the best things we can do is learn from Philip and encourage others simply to “come and see.”
We do so by being Christ to the world, being the one that people see, study, learn from, and imitate. You and I may not be comfortable with the idea that people might be watching us, might depend on us to find direction, but who else will they follow? There are plenty of other choices. Plenty of other bad choices. Why, for example, do “good” people follow–and swallow—spiritual garbage like Fox News, except that you and I have not been bold enough to speak the truth in love?
Following Jesus is not passive work. It will require risk. It will mean being more public about what we believe. You’ve heard it said that all it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. We have no choice but to do something, to follow someone.
Dear friends, this is Epiphany, the Season of Light. And Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” To the extent that we follow Jesus and become Christ to the world, we are indeed light for the world–and, to that extent, we have hope. The world has hope. Thanks be to God!
AMEN
him to stay on the right track.
Since the Day of Epiphany–this year, also known as the Day of Insurrection, January 6th—I have found my mind jumping forward, past Epiphany, through the season of Lent, to Holy Week, which is still ten or eleven weeks away. The whole story of Jesus Christ, you may recall, comes to a climax at his trial before Pontius Pilate. Pilate, the local symbol of Roman and earthly power, finds himself in the strange position of being defense attorney for Jesus! He finds no fault in Jesus but when he attempts to release him, the crowd of religious leaders and their people shout, “We have no king but Caesar!”
It’s been this refrain that’s been running through my mind over the past week and a half. “Follow me,” Jesus says. And the crowds today, including millions of religious people, either by their words, their action, or their silence reply, “We have no king but Caesar!” How different from the confession of Nathanael, who said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Playing “follow the leader” for children can be a fun game. But for grown-ups, “follow the leader” is not fun and games. It can be a matter of life and death. The same people who said, “We have no king but Caesar” are the same people who said, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
The choice seems clear. We either follow Jesus or we follow someone else. But the stories of our faith indicate a sharper choice than that, which is: Either we follow Jesus, or, we crucify him. Again.
Here is where both our first reading and gospel reading offer good news. If it’s left up to us—if we’re on our own to figure out who to follow—there’s an excellent chance we’ll get it wrong. But Samuel knew who to trust. He knew an older and wiser person who recognized the voice of God, who helped Samuel understand how to follow. But easy to miss in this story is that Eli also took Samuel’s story seriously. The older one listened to and recognized the voice of God in the younger one.
Philip likewise understood, and invited Nathanael to follow Jesus. Nathanael was skeptical, though, relying on his prejudice against “those people” like Jesus. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” he asks. And Philip replies, “Come and see!”
This, dear friends, may be the most important message of all. Philip doesn’t argue with Nathanael. He doesn’t try using reason or defending his beliefs. He says, simply, “Come and see.”
In a time such as ours in which millions (including many who claim the name “Christian”) have abandoned truth for lies, chosen fear over courage, embraced violence instead of peace, and have rejected self-giving love in favor of hate and fear, who have given in to “me and mine, first and only”; in just such a time, reasonable arguments seem to have little effect. Yet, one of the best things we can do is learn from Philip and encourage others simply to “come and see.”
We do so by being Christ to the world, being the one that people see, study, learn from, and imitate. You and I may not be comfortable with the idea that people might be watching us, might depend on us to find direction, but who else will they follow? There are plenty of other choices. Plenty of other bad choices. Why, for example, do “good” people follow–and swallow—spiritual garbage like Fox News, except that you and I have not been bold enough to speak the truth in love?
Following Jesus is not passive work. It will require risk. It will mean being more public about what we believe. You’ve heard it said that all it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. We have no choice but to do something, to follow someone.
Dear friends, this is Epiphany, the Season of Light. And Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” To the extent that we follow Jesus and become Christ to the world, we are indeed light for the world–and, to that extent, we have hope. The world has hope. Thanks be to God!
AMEN
Leave a Reply