2nd Sunday of Epiphany
Rev Indrea Alexander
9:1-7 1; Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42
When author Mark Twain learned a newspaper was preparing to print his obituary, he purportedly responded, “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” This week I was interested to see a death notice for Neville Alexander, not the same middle name or age as my husband, and I haven’t received any condolence cards so I presume the death notice hasn’t caused any confusion. Not so for a friend in Timaru however, who shared the same first and last names with two other Timaru men. One of them died, and some time later my friend had a very strange encounter with someone who had thought he was dead. They couldn’t believe their eyes… well actually, that was what they did believe, after the initial shock.
Most of us have had a time when we have really only believed something when we have seen it with our own eyes - whether tragic or wonderful. It is not surprising that we have the saying, “seeing is believing.” Though, perhaps in this era when digital images can be maliciously manipulated, it is actually safest to believe things if we have seen them in the flesh.
At Christmas the shepherds, having been told by the angels about the birth of the Christ child, said, “Let us come and see what the angels have told us.” And they saw God, in the flesh. At Epiphany we had the story of wise men following a strange star to come and see for themselves what it may signify. They too encounter the Christ child in the flesh.
The nativity scenes are now away, and the Church calendar has left both Christmas and Epiphany behind as we work our way through these `Sundays after the Epiphany.’ It is a season in which we are repeatedly invited to “come and see” that Jesus Christ came not just for the Hebrew people, but for all peoples of all nations.
In the opening greetings of 1 Corinthians, it says: you were called into fellowship with Jesus Christ our Lord… together with all those who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and theirs.
Todays gospel reinforces the message of Jesus as a gift for all. John the baptiser prophetically declares Jesus to be “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world”. Not the sins of just one people, nor of one nation, but of the world.
In the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, the synoptic gospels that share a lot of material in common, it tells of Jesus being baptised by John and the Spirit of God then descending like a dove and alighting on him.
The Gospel of John doesn’t tell the baptism story, perhaps because it was so well known by the time the gospel was written about 70 years later. The gospel writer is also more interested in the meaning of events and what they say about Jesus. In todays reading John simply sees Jesus approaching and testifies, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.” And John explained that God had revealed to him that the one on whom the Spirit descended and remained would baptise with the Holy Spirit.
The particular way the gospel speaks of the Spirit remaining on Jesus describes a permanent relationship between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Wonderfully, it is this same Spirit that is gifted by Jesus to his followers, establishing a permanent relationship between us and the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
John the Baptist doesn’t expect his disciples to just take his word for who Jesus is. They go to see for themselves. When Jesus turns and sees them following, he asks, “What are you looking for?” and they replied, “Rabbi/teacher, where are you staying?” And Jesus said to them, “Come and see.”
Andrew is one who “comes and sees,” and he heads off to find his brother Simon to invite him to come and see, “we have found the Messiah”. So Simon comes to Jesus who nicknames him Cephas, or Peter, meaning rock, and as we know, Simon Peter goes on to have a powerful part in the life and proclamation of the early church.
As Jesus began his public life as a teacher, preacher and healer, the good news about him spread by word of mouth – John to Andrew, Andrew to Peter. The good news of his birth had been shared by shepherds and foreign visitors, the good news of his purpose was shared by the prophet John, and then by his disciples, and generations of Jesus’ disciples, across the nations and across the ages.
In many ways the Old Testament focuses on the life and faith journey of the Hebrew people, bit there are glimpses even there that God’s heart is for all people of all nations.
In Isaiah there are passages known as the servant songs. The Christian church has claimed them as prefiguring Jesus. The first song said the servant would be “a light to the nations”. The second expands on this. It says it is “too light a thing” for the servant’s mission to be confined to Israel. God says, “I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth”. And eventually the gospel light spread to Aotearoa NZ at the ends of the earth. The Lamb of God takes away the sins of the whole world.
In art, John the Baptist is commonly depicted pointing, pointing others to Jesus. That is our role also. As individuals and as a church, we need to be pointing people to Jesus. John the Baptist had acquired enthusiastic followers, but rather than keep them for himself he pointed them to Jesus. He accepted that Jesus would increase while he would decrease. That was what needed to happen.
Andrew, having met Jesus, then invited Simon Peter to “come and see”. Are we inviting people to come and see? Maybe we invite visitors to “come and see” this place of worship, or to worship with us, and we hope they will be pointed to God by the beauty, the art, the liturgy, and the sacredness of a place permeated with prayer.
Or maybe we specially invite people to “come and see” the people who are part of our church community, trusting that they will experience something special in our midst. Perhaps, on a good day, people will get a glimpse of Jesus through us. Through our love, our welcome, and the lives we live as Christians.
Some churches very intentionally pair church members with newcomers or inquirers. It can be a powerful form of discipling. Come and see, share my life.
I said a moment ago that “on a good day” people may get a glimpse of Jesus through us. Actually, on a bad day it can be even clearer - when we respond as Christ would respond, with love and forgiveness not hate, with welcome and compassion not fear. The choices we make can give others a glimpse of the one we follow. I know we’re not perfect, but thankfully, Jesus is. All we have to do is give people a glimpse of Christ, make the introduction—and let the relationship blossom from there. As God’s church, we are called to help people encounter the divine. Come and see what God has done. Come and see what God is doing.
As we begin to plan for the coming year, I suggest we have two key targets:
1. To help more people encounter God
2. To help more people encounter God more deeply.
You may have ideas about how to improve what is currently done in the parish, or new things we could try this year. Talk to me. Talk to each other. And as we dream and plan, let’s pray that people will “come and see”, and that more people will encounter God, and that we will each encounter God more deeply.