The Second Sunday after Epiphany
Sermon by Rev. Bernadette Hartsough
We are in the season after the Epiphany. An in-between church season. In-between Epiphany and the beginning of Lent. Each season of the church highlights an aspect of Jesus’s life and invites us to focus on something different. Our prayers change and sometimes the liturgy changes. We are back to green on the altar and with our vestments for a few weeks. During this season after Epiphany, we focus on understanding who the person of Jesus was by what he said and what he did. In the coming weeks, we will read about the calling of the apostles and the beginnings of Jesus’s ministry to gain a deeper understanding of who this divine and human person was.
In the reading from First Samuel today we hear about the calling of Samuel. The voice calling the boy Samuel was clear. But Samuel did not yet know who the Lord was, so he went to what was familiar. He went to Eli whom he knew. He had no experience in God speaking to him through a voice. He would get to know the ways of the Lord in time with experience.
We have another calling in today’s Gospel from John. Jesus calls Philip. Then Philip invites Nathaniel to come and see for himself. In the other Gospels when people encounter Jesus, they undergo a conversion of their life. In the Gospel of John, John invites the apostles, the listeners, and the readers to decide for themselves who Jesus is. When asked if Jesus is the messiah, Jesus does not answer them directly. It is a process of learning and discovery. Like the prophet Samuel who had to spend time with God in order to know God, Jesus’s apostles in the Gospel of John were invited to “Come and see.” Come and see to determine for yourselves who Jesus is.
The apostles had many titles for Jesus,: Rabbi, Messiah, Lamb of God, Son of Man. Each disciple who enters into a relationship with Jesus has different expectations and needs that they want Jesus to fulfill. Jesus meets all our needs. But none of them individually or collectively show us the complete God in Jesus. I see God through Jesus one way. Eduardo sees God in Jesus another way. Mary Pat sees God in Jesus another way. Jesus is all of these and more. To insist on one name or imagine or idea misses the fullness of his identity. We cannot limit Jesus to one title, one image or, one idea. Like the Magi who kept looking for Jesus, we too must keep looking to grow in our understanding of God.
As we continue to bring our needs to God through Jesus, our needs are met as our image of God expands. The way we live our life reflects our image of God. This image and belief in God comes from our experience and our relationship with God.
We as individuals and as the church can act like we have the one best title or image or idea for Jesus. We have it all figured out. It is a comfortable, familiar image. It is an image that has been with us for a long time. It is a beautiful image, and it may bring us comfort in times of distress. We need comfortable images, but we also need new images.
The apostles would experience and see Jesus in a new way after the resurrection. They wanted to hold onto him. Jesus tells them not to hold onto him. Holding onto to one image closes the window for us to encounter God in new images.
There are many ways to expand our image of God through Jesus but first we must ask ourselves do I want to expand my image of God? Am I holding onto an image? If I am, why? Am I afraid? God’s revelations can be unsettling. They shake us up. They also connect us more deeply with Jesus, other people, and all of creation.
When we are ready to expand our image of God there are many things that we can do.
The first is to ask God to show us. We can prayerfully read scripture for new revelations about God. Imagine the scenes in scripture and become a part of them. Look for Jesus in places and in images that are different than what you are accustomed to. Look at the differences. Look at the place, the clothes, the ethnicity. Does Jesus appear to be having a particular emotion? What surprises you? What does it say to you?
You can ask these questions in unfamiliar places and when looking at images of Jesus.
I am going to end my sermon by asking you to look at some pieces of art depicting Jesus at various times in his life. These images were emailed to members of St. Thomas/Santo Tomás. These images were obtained from the Artstor account through the University of the South at Sewanee. The images will be on display this week in the entryway of the church.
1-Jesus in Gethsemane by Francisco de Goya Spain -15th century.
- Sagrada Familia Charles M. Carillo -USA New Mexico- 2004
3- Ecce Homo -Behold the Man-Jesus at the Crucifixion Antonello de Messina -Italy- 1470’s
4-Flight to Egypt -Zurbarán- Spain- 1598-1664
5-Jesus Carrying the Cross -Francesco Di Bosio Zananelli -Italy- 1454-1475
6-Jesus being Ministered to by Angels- Fr. Jerome Xavier -Spain- 1549-1617
7-Jesus raising the Daughter of Jairius -Johann Friedrich Overbeck- Germany- 1815
8-Baptism of Jesus -Christopher Anderson- USA. Biloxi, Mississippi. 2005. A mural depicts a black Jesus being baptized by a black John the Baptist in the baptistry of the Nance Temple Church of God in Christ in Biloxi. The church was completely flooded by the storm.