We have just been reintroduced to
three important biblical characters: Samuel from the Old
Testament, Philip and Nathaniel from the Gospel of John. These
people of God are important examples for us as our faith takes
shape, and if you are ever playing trivial pursuit or a game
show, it might be helpful to remember why with some details,
like:
-
Who was one of the first
recruiters for Jesus in the Gospel of John? Philip.
-
Who was the skeptic sitting under
the fig tree? Nathaniel
-
What boy, while ministering to God
under Eli, heard God call him by name? Samuel.
If you ever do give those right
answers in some trivia game, you don’t have to say my preacher
taught me that. Just smile, look very smart and accomplished,
and it will be our secret.
But I do want you to remember these three: Samuel, Philip, and
Nathaniel. Their stories, how God reached out to them. I think
those stories connect to the way God is reaching out to you,
too. Reaching out, creating believers, transforming hearts—these
are the themes for this church season of Epiphany. From a few
around the manger, to many more on the banks of the Jordan, to
those whom Jesus met going town to town—the stories of Epiphany
show the ever-expanding household of faith…all the way to right
here…and more!
First, Samuel. In the Old Testament story today, Samuel is a
boy. A gift from God at his conception because his mother Hannah
had been barren…and prayed to God for a son whom she would
dedicate to God. Here he sits, years later, ministering to God.
Dedicated to God. It’s night, but he’s up. Everyone else is
asleep. The way the story is told, it sounds symbolic: everyone
else is spiritually asleep. Not Samuel.
From what we read in the Old Testament this am, it seems the
word of God had been asleep too. “Rare” the word from the text.
“Not widespread.” Eli, the head minister or prophet, was not
expecting anything more today than he had yesterday. He’s lying
down in his room—self-separated from the holy of holies. But
Samuel sits in the Temple…by the ark. Childlike faith, you say?
Then again remember what Jesus says years later: “you must have
faith like a child to enter the kingdom.”
There the child Samuel sits. God calls to him: “Samuel!” Not
once, not twice, but three times.” First thing to note…Samuel is
listening. He’s not talking--running off a laundry list of
needs. He’s listening. When God does call, it takes some time to
register in Samuel’s mind…that God would actually talk to
him…even for one whose job it is to listen for God. Yes, he
hears the voice the first time, but mistakens it for Eli’s,
until...until even dull-minded Eli perceives what he had known
personally, but forgotten: God’s call.
Second thing to note is that Samuel is in the right place, the
faithful place geographically and spiritually to hear God’s
call. He’s not in the next room over or outside in the streets.
He is positioned to listen. We learn from this example that
there is something about place and readiness that is
important—for him and for us.
Being in the right place geographically, like you are today—here
in the church—not in the next room or at home—that is important.
For sure, Samuel had been in that temple room time and time
again—and nothing. But in his faithfulness, Samuel did not quit,
did not get tainted. He kept is duty to God. He was obedient.
I know it would be easier not to come to church some days. It’s
too cold. It’s too early. When do we ever get family time if not
Sundays. Yeah…but what if Samuel had said that…and not been in
the temple that night…had given up ministering to God. What if
God were speaking…wanting to speak…and no one was there.
What if God were waiting to see commitment and obedience before
speaking…if being in the right place week after week was
building up a rapport with God. Because in some sense, church is
not about what you need; it’s about what you give to God.
Yourself. Your sacred duty. Presenting yourself week after week.
Opening yourself week after week to hear what God has said
before in Scriptures, in Eucharist. Being open, ready, for what
God might say to you personally, directly.
Let’s move on to another Biblical character: Philip. We know
less about Philip than we do about Samuel. Philip is a New
Testament guy…a man from Bethsaida, the same town in Galilee (a
good ways north of Jerusalem) where Peter and Andrew grew up.
What we hear about Philip in the Gospel of John is short and
sweet: “Jesus found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’”
You have got to think there was something more than those two
words, really, to that recruiting…and there probably was. Read
on a few more lines, and Philip says to his friend Nathaniel:
“We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also in the
prophets wrote.”
So Jesus’ call to Philip was not a cold-call. Philip was
grounded in the faith, in studying what scripture he had: Moses
and the prophets. However, the bottom line for discipleship in
this story is not book learning, but hearing the call and
following. It didn’t take Philip three times to get the message.
But then again, he had the luxury, the privilege, of Jesus
standing right there and calling him by name to follow. I’m sure
we all would have done the same, right?
Well, you have done that really—started following—or you
wouldn’t be here. Maybe it was your mom or your dad who really
got you following…who taught you to walk with God and not just
sit around following no one, or possibly, following only the
self-centered human heart. No, discipleship is about following
Jesus. Plain and simple. Philip gives us that today—and I’m
thankful for that.
Philip also shows that following means recruiting…not keeping
the message, the call, to ourselves. When Philip reaches out to
Nathaniel, we are reminded that many times, most times, our call
from God comes not from God or Jesus directly, (like it did for
Philip or Samuel) but through someone who said in one way or
another: “Come and see.”
What great words: Come and see. An invitation. Not coercion. Not
with the additional, “or you’ll go to hell.” But a “guess
what?!?” “How good!” “Come and see!” Following Jesus means
recruiting for Jesus means inviting—not scaring. A good lesson
to us from Philip.
Which takes us to our third person: Nathaniel. Nathaniel, the
skeptic. Not quite in the right place geographically: he’s under
a fig tree. He has been studying the scriptures—which is
good--positioning himself to be ready, but he seems more
oriented to disproving that accepting. Hear his skeptical words:
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” He said that because
the scriptures themselves didn’t have good things to say about
Nazareth—so his friend Philip must have something wrong. Thanks,
but no thanks, he suggests.
That type of skepticism is alive today. Maybe you battle it with
a friend or family member who just can find their way to
church…to following Jesus…because it doesn’t fit the road map
they have in their mind…as if they had the best sense of
direction. Maybe there is skepticism inside each of us that
creates resistance. I believe we have to be aware of the
skepticism in both places—out there and in here—to be good
followers and good inviters.
Along those lines, I was handed a book this week about the
skepticism of the unchurched—the way those outside the church
see us. The book’s premise is that if we Christians are ever
going to reach out to the “unchristian”—to be the Philip calling
the Nathaniels of the world—it’s good to know something about
Nathaniel and his skepticism.
One quote from the beginning of the book—which is where I still
am—defines a big part of the skepticism that we face:
“Christianity” it reads, “has become bloated with blind
followers who would rather repeat slogans than actually feel
true compassion and care. Christianity has become marketed and
streamlined into a juggernaut of fear mongering that has lost
its own heart.”
I have issues with some of what he says, but that skepticism is
not unfounded. The church is not perfect and pure. We can’t say
“Come and See” and not expect for people to see the our warts or
our weakness—like the tendency of blind followers, or at least a
little near-sighted from time to time.
Simple slogans…we have them…but some are not so bad: Like God is
love or love your neighbor. But if these are just slogans and
not a way of life, we grow skepticism and not faith.
Fear-mongering: if fear and not grace is the first thing
non-Christians believe about us, then we do have work to do.
However, that work, my brothers and sisters, can not first be
about addressing the skepticism out there. It has to be about
addressing it in here, in us. To address our blindness so that
we see God…and that others, then, can see God through us. Like
Nathaniel saw God first through Philip.
If we feel skeptical like Nathaniel, do not let that skepticism
rule you, to set the pace. Please remember that from this story.
Nathaniel did not remain under the fig tree, saying something
like, “Oh yea, if you feel that way, bring him to me.” No, he
got up and went with Philip, met Jesus, and had his heart turned
inside out. Again, showing up, making the effort—like the boy
Samuel did—is an important part of meeting God and growing in
relationship to God.
So this in this season of Epiphany, here are these three:
Samuel, Philip, and Nathaniel. Each called by God, though in
different ways; each following God, even while battling
resistance of some sort. We are not so different from them. Our
names are not in the Bible, of course. But our names, our souls,
are on the lips of God.
God is calling you—by name. Jesus is calling, he’s watching for
us, waiting eagerly just as he waited on Nathaniel to come
around that corner with Philip—to say to us, “I saw you. I’ve
hoped you come. Now stay…and follow…and before you know it,
you’ll be leading others to their epiphanies…and their faith…and
their God.”
