2nd Sunday Epiphany 2024
Today we continued to celebrate the season of Epiphany accompanied by Alison.
This Week
Monday 3pm – Vestry in Garden Room
Tuesday 10am – Prayer Group in the Garden Room.
Wednesday 7pm – NWRC All Saints
Thursday 10am – Said Holy Communion followed by coffee in Friendship House
Readings for next Sunday – 3rd Sunday of Epiphany – Genesis 14:17-20 Revelation 19:6-10 John 2:1-11
Today’s readings – 1 Samuel 3:1-10, Revelation 5:1-10, John 1:43-end
This time of year is always associated with countless articles in the press promoting a better, healthier and more meaningful life, of resolutions sort and aspired to. In many ways this is in keeping with the season of Epiphany which is all about revelation – the revelation of Christ in our lives and how that might change the way we live and relate to ourselves, others and our situations.
In essence in Epiphany we are called to live differently. Our readings this morning all focus on this sense of calling.
In the OT Samuel, urged by Eli, is called to return to the Lord and listen to what he says and act on it. Subsequently it was not long before Samuel was widely recognised as a prophet.
The second reading comes from the book of Revelation, Saint John the Divine’s vision of heaven which is the place we are ultimately called to be with our Lord.
In the gospel the story of Jesus meeting Nathaniel and Philip contains many themes associated with a calling to follow Jesus.
Deciding to live a life of faith is a decision we take but we know it is more than a lifestyle choice because the Holy Spirit is involved. It’s also a two way process, people may talk about finding God, but often its God who finds us. This narrative, of a God who constantly seeks out his people, runs throughout the Bible. And that’s the case right from the beginning of Scripture.
When we think of the book of Genesis and the patriarchs, God’s first people, in chapter 3 Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, realised they were naked and were embarrassed, so they hid. Then in verses 8 and 9 we read that God is walking in the garden, looking for Adam and Eve. “But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’” Genesis 3:8-9
Right from the beginning of time, God has been seeking us out and finding us. So let’s never think that we alone chose God: he chooses us too !
As Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:4: “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world…”
In the gospel today once Jesus finds Philip, he issues a single command: “Follow me”.
These words follow a familiar theme – when Jesus calls his disciples to follow him, that is exactly what they do, leave everything behind: work, family, possessions, ambitions. And here Philip too is compelled to follow Jesus.
The point is following Christ is a significant commitment, that demands every aspect of our being. When Philip set out to follow Jesus the first thing he did, according to John, was find his brother Nathanael and tell him about Jesus!
So often, we think we can’t tell other people about Jesus because we don’t know enough or we don’t know our Bibles well enough…but none of that matters. We don’t need to be theologians to be effective. We just need to be enthusiastic and to share that with friends. It has long been known that more people are brought to Christianity through friendship than by any other means.
However, we can easily be put off. Philip had come running over to Nathanael, passionate about sharing this good news about Jesus, only to be met with a rather cynical response. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
In this secular age practising Christianity is often met with cynicism or rudeness or apathy and it can be really discouraging and it can knock our self-confidence. But when it happened to Philip, he just said to Nathanael, “Come and see!”
“Come and see!” It sounds simple enough, but what does it mean in today’s world? If people do come and see us here at St A’s what will they find? A warm welcome? a sense of God changing lives? prayerful and uplifting worship? If they come and see, will they meet with God? All good questions for us to think about.
So today as we are called anew by God to be his disciple, we may ponder what that really involves because being a disciple means being found by God, being a disciple means telling others about him, being a disciple means not losing confidence when the message is not always welcomed. Fourthly and finally: being a disciple means receiving peace and blessing from God.
And, as Christians, we know that peace and blessing can only derive from our relationship with Jesus. The more we allow Jesus to be the centre of our lives, the more we know peace in our hearts.
We are called into a life of peace and blessing with God: Jesus sees us, he knows everything about us and perceives our deepest needs. And if we follow him, as he says to Nathanael, “we will see heaven opened…” John 1:43
Jesus Christ is, indeed, a Saviour to be followed – and it is a lifetime’s work for us to live out these two simple instructions: “Follow me!” and “Come and see!”