Sunday, January 15, 2023

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Isaiah 49:1-7
Psalm 40:1-11
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
John 1:29-42a

He said to them, ‘Come, and see.’

I have developed several different studies over the years that I have presented at workshops or retreats. One of those has to do with spiritual gifts. I prepared for weeks and had plenty of materials; I was excited about the subject matter because I had recently discovered my own spiritual gifts. I was surprised because I had gifts I did not expect. I’m happy to have learned these things about myself because I’m now using those gifts to the glory of God. I was excited for those who attended the workshop the first time I presented it because I wanted to help expand their understanding of spiritual gifts so that they might see that they, too, had much more to offer the Church than they realized.

That first audience was made up largely of older church women. Those who are actively involved in church functions know that this group are those in most congregations who are always in charge of making the coffee and organizing potluck dinners. They all began the workshop believing that their gift was hospitality. It made sense; the tasks of hospitality always fell on their shoulders. It was also something they did well.

After I made my presentation, we gave the women a spiritual gifts assessment. We wanted them to see that God may have given them something more than they realized. We get stuck in the idea that we have one specific gift and we do not see the possibilities and potential that God has given to us. Some of the women did find hospitality high on their list of gifts, but it was not the only gift that was discovered that day. Some of the women were very surprised to discover that they had other spiritual gifts and even more surprised at what those gifts were. They shook their heads at the results and some even said, “I can’t do that.” This was particularly true of those who found high marks for the pastoral gift.

In my presentation, I made it clear that there are many ways for us to live out our gifts. The pastoral gift does not necessarily mean that we have to become ordained clergy. The pastoral gift is given to certain members of the Body of Christ to assume a long-term personal responsibility for the spiritual welfare of a group of believers. This doesn’t have to be a congregation; a person with the pastoral gift can mentor a small group or even an individual. If you have ever watched the Christian movie “The War Room,” you see the pastoral gift in action. The older woman takes a young wife under her wings, teaching her how to pray. She was not an ordained pastor, but she assumed a long-term personal responsibility for the spiritual welfare of the struggling young woman. I knew many of the women at that workshop would have been wonderful mentors to young Christians, and their gifts assessments showed it to be God’s intention for their lives. Yet, they continued to believe their gift was hospitality and they weren’t willing to go further.

I was disappointed. After spending a couple hours talking about how we are able to do what God gives us the gifts to do, most of the women left that workshop unchanged. They were unwilling to see themselves as everything God created them to be. It seemed as though the whole thing was fruitless. Why do we bother? I have experienced that kind of disappointment in other ways. I’ve seen it when I have tried to teach preschoolers about faith or older students about God. My words are often met with frozen faces and a lack of comprehension. I have felt like Isaiah, laboring in vain for nothing.

However, I have learned that we don’t always see immediate change, that sometimes what we do is simply plant a seed. It is God who brings change to people’s lives. I will never know how many of those women went back to their churches and were given opportunities to do something different. Perhaps something I said gave them the confidence to boldly accept.

I might have thought nothing was getting through to those preschoolers when I was a teacher, but I often heard from parents later about how their son or daughter made a comment that surprised them. It surprised me, too, because it was something we had talked about in class, and I didn’t think they were even listening. I have nearly broken down in tears as I have seen others developing a deeper relationship with God. God has helped me to see that He is able to use the ministry we do each day, no matter how insignificant and inadequate it may seem to us. It is not in vain to help others to learn about faith and grow in Christian maturity, because God is the mover and source of our ministry. It doesn’t matter how we use the gifts He gives. What matters is that we use them, knowing that He is faithful and that He will give value to our work.

The words of the psalmist are the words of a child of God who has realized his own sinfulness and has cried out for the saving grace of his God. He is the teacher that tried for many generations to speak the truth into their lives, but they did not hear. They did not see the truth even as the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, stood and spoke in their presence. So, He went to the cross and took the wrath that was released by our self-centered behavior. He brought us out of the mud, made things new and gave us a new life to live in Him.

With a story so incredible, why do we reject the gifts and opportunities that God has given us to help others find the faith that gives them new life in Him? We are too afraid of getting splattered with the mud of this world that we turn away from God’s calling on our lives. In doing so, we reveal our own lack of trust in the God who can use the most ordinary people to do the most extraordinary things.

I was in a store the other day and there were teams of people resetting all the shelving. They were changing everything to make room for a new department. As I wandered those half-finished aisles, two things came to mind. The first was that it would take me forever to find what I needed until I got used to the new layout. Why do the stores do this to us? The second thing was how much I missed being part of that type of team. See, I worked in retail for a few years and my favorite task was setting shelves. I even worked for awhile on a store set-up team. Retail had its negative aspects, but I’d go to work on a that type of team again.

I loved to set up shelving. We were given a picture of a shelving unit filled with merchandise and it was our job to make our inventory look like the plan-o-gram. Someone in the corporate office developed the plan using the merchandise that was ordered and sent to all the stores. This helps to keep stores uniform, which is helpful to our customers as they shop in different places. If a certain item is in one place at one store, it is supposed to be in the same place in another store.

It was not always easy. It was often like trying to place the pieces of a puzzle together. Though the stores used shelving units that were supposed to be identical, they weren’t always the same. The developers in corporate had a perfect shelf unit or pegboard to work with. We often had shelving units that were falling apart or pieced together from leftovers. In one store, we still had ancient display tables that were completely different than usual shelving units. We had to lay half the merchandise on the tables even though it was meant to hang from hooks. If the pegboard was cut even a fraction of an inch differently than the one in the plan-o-gram, the entire display went off kilter.

We ran into another problem. The plan-o-grams were designed with a specific item in mind for each hook and shelf. However, manufacturers are constantly changing and redeveloping their products. The stationary aisle was especially difficult. We would set the hook up to hold a hanging card with one pen, but the manufacturer changed that item to ‘buy one, get one free.’ Instead of a package of two inches by six inches, the package arrived as three inches by six inches. That one inch difference made it impossible to fit that item where it belonged in the display. The manufacturer did not know the impact of their decision.

We don’t know what impact something we do will have on the lives of others. There is a theory called the “butterfly effect” which says that the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil could cause a tornado in Texas. This seems absolutely impossible, but the flap of a wing changes the world around it which causes ripples that grow and grow and grow until the conditions are perfect for a tornado to form. That might sound extreme, but it could happen.

John the Baptist had a big impact on the world. His preaching made a difference in the lives of a few and those few went on to make a difference in the lives of others. We certainly know what an impact Peter had on the Church and the world. We also see it in Andrew, but not so much. He is remembered in the scriptures as the one who had faith enough to give Jesus five loaves and two fish to feed thousands. He is also remembered for inviting his brother Peter to “come and see” the Messiah. Even though Andrew is not one of the better-known apostles, his invitation had far reaching impact.

Small actions can have huge effect. This is why it is important for us to follow God’s will in our lives. He gives us our gifts for a reason, and then He presents us with opportunities to use those gifts. Even if we don’t believe we have a gift like the pastoral gift, or even want a gift like that, He is able to use that gift through us to make a difference in someone’s life. Even if we use our gift to impact the life of just one person, that impact will spread like the ripples that grow from the flap of a butterfly’s wings.

John had a pretty good thing going. He was followed by many, sought out by men for baptism and to hear his teaching. Even the Pharisees and Sadducees seemed to be interested in what he had to say. Herod was fascinated by his teaching. He had disciples, men who had committed to his cause, who were with him as he ministered. He could have been a powerful force in and around Jerusalem, perhaps even as a military leader. Certainly, there were others who were fighting the Romans, and a powerful leader was what the people sought to save them from Rome.

Did John think twice before pointing out Jesus to his disciples? Did he reject his gifts and calling from God because he thought he was meant to do something else? He must have known he would lose followers. But John knew that he had to do what God intended. He was not meant to be the Messiah, but instead was born to point toward Jesus. He even told his disciples that he must be diminished so Jesus could flourish.

When John saw Jesus, he proclaimed the Good News. Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. In the verses preceding our text, John answered the question of the Jewish leaders that he was not the Christ. He admitted that he’s really a nobody compared to the One who was to come; he was just the messenger proclaiming the coming of the One for whom they were waiting. They wondered why he was baptizing if he’s a nobody, but he said, “I baptize in water, but among you stands one whom you don’t know. He is the one who comes after me, who is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I’m not worthy to loosen.”

Last week we heard about John baptizing Jesus even though he thought himself unworthy to do so, but Jesus gave him the gift and the opportunity to do what was right according to God’s Word. With that act of obedience, John was blessed to be there when Jesus appeared on the scene. He witnessed the very thing that God told him he would see: the Holy Spirit rested on the one He sent. John saw the fulfillment of the promises; the One whom God planned all along was finally breaking into the world to accomplish His work of salvation. In today’s passage, John pointed to Jesus and told the crowds that Jesus was the One he was talking about. “See, that’s Him.” That confession of faith had eternal consequences because it pointed some of the first disciples to Jesus.

The Epiphany season is when we get to know Jesus before we begin the penitent period of Lent. In the next few weeks, we’ll study the Sermon on the Mount, focusing heavily on Matthew chapter 5, but before we get there, we are reminded that Jesus is the fulfillment of all God’s promises. He is the One we seek. He is the One God named even before He was born. He is the One who was chosen even before the beginning of time.

Today’s Old Testament lesson is one of four servant songs from Isaiah the prophet. These servant songs describe the Messiah, whom we identify as Jesus Christ our Lord. Today’s song is from the servant’s perspective and in it we see that the servant was not only sent to restore Israel, but to draw the whole world into God’s heart. Everyone is invited to experience God’s salvation. His grace reaches to the very ends of the earth. God knew from the beginning that He would send Jesus to save us. The promises begin in Genesis and continue through the books of Moses, the history of Israel and the words of the prophets. They are found in the poetic books, like the Psalms.

The disciples had expectations based on their understanding of those Old Testament promises. They were looking for a king that would save them from Roman occupation. They wanted to return to the glory days of David. It didn’t turn out as they expected. As a matter of fact, it ended horribly. Israel never got a new king. They weren’t saved from Rome. Jesus did not fulfill their expectations. Instead, He was slaughtered like a lamb on the altar of sacrifice, just as God intended. God was not sending Jesus to save them from earthly troubles, but to save them from sin and death. Jesus was the Lamb who was slain, He was the final sacrifice that made all things right again. Faith in the Lamb brings forgiveness and life just as God promised and John proclaimed.

When those followers of John first approached Jesus, He asked them, “What are you looking for?” They didn’t know how to answer at first, but then said, “Where are you staying?” That seems like a strange way to answer Jesus, perhaps their answer to the question is not unreasonable. After all, if they are going to follow Jesus they need to know where to find Him. Yet, Jesus’ question begs a much different answer, particularly in light of the message of John’s Gospel. John writes to prove that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Messiah for whom they were waiting. He writes to prove that even though Jesus did not fit the expectations of the people, He was exactly what God promised.

Jesus answered, “Come and see,” inviting them into a relationship with Him. Jesus answered their question with the words that every generation of Christian evangelist would use to invite others to know Jesus. They are the words we are to use as we do the work God calls us to do with the gifts He has given us. Perhaps we can help them discover what it is they are looking for.

Jesus’ question encourages us to consider why we are following Jesus. What do we seek when we go to church on a Sunday morning? Are we looking for entertainment? Are we seeking a place where we feel like there is someone who cares? Do we expect that God will hear our prayers and give us what we need to survive another week in the world? What are we looking for when we open our bibles to read at home or study with others? Are we looking for the answers we want or are we open to the answers God has for us? Are we willing to embrace the gifts and opportunities that God has set before us? We might just discover that God has something completely different planned than what we expect. The disciples learned that Jesus was never meant to be an earthly king when He was nailed to the cross. Will God nail our expectations to the cross, too, and give us the Savior we really need?

It did not take very long for the disciples to realize that following Jesus was not going to be the easy path. Jesus drew great crowds, but they disappeared when His words became hard to accept. “We have to eat His flesh and drink His blood? That’s ridiculous.” The words of the Sermon on the Mount are certainly not easy. Jesus’ expectations often set us on edge, even divides us, especially when we follow our own ways and not use the gifts and opportunities God has given to us.

We are beset by divisions, immorality, and the other troubles just as those in Corinth to whom Paul was writing. We need to read the words of Paul’s greeting to that congregation, for it sets our hearts and minds in the right direction. Paul had some very real issues to deal with in his letter, but he began by pointing the people back to their salvation, our Lord Jesus Christ.

By God’s grace, the Corinthians had a sense of self-assurance about their faith, an almost haughty understanding of their spirituality. They were a gifted congregation, both in word and in deed, able to do amazing things in the name and for the sake of the Gospel. Yet, they were also arrogant, thinking that they were more spiritual and gifted than others. They also began to credit their gifts to something they did rather than what God had done. Paul wrote the first letter to the Corinthians to point them back to God, to remind them that He is faithful.

How easy it would have been for Paul or John the Baptist to take credit for the salvation of millions. Paul’s words have been read for nearly two thousand years and he has been a witness who has pointed a multitude of people to Christ. Yet, when John’s disciples were drawn toward Jesus, he did not try to hold on to them. He told them that He was not meant to be the Messiah, that Jesus was the anointed one. He pointed out Jesus and sent them on their way. Paul always pointed his readers that the grace they knew came from Jesus.

I can just imagine Jesus giving Andrew and his companion a sweet smile, knowing that they would be His followers and that they would eventually learn the right questions to ask. He asked, “What are you looking for?” because He wanted to know what they thought they might find with Him. Were they looking for the Messiah? Were they looking for the easy path? Were they looking for the latest, greatest prophet in the land? He wanted to know why they would leave John to follow Him. “What are you looking for?” is the same question He asks us.

We might not always like what we find when we follow. We might think that we’ve chosen the better way, whether it is the easier or harder path, but when the circumstances become difficult, we begin to question our choice. I wonder how often the disciples thought about returning to their fishing boats or their homes. I wonder if they ever regretted the choice, they made to leave John and follow Jesus. I wonder if Jesus ever wished that He could take a different path. I wonder how many times any of them thought that the work they were doing was in vain.

The words of Isaiah remind us that when we are disappointed and discouraged, we need only look to the promises and remember that God is with us to help us do everything He has called and gifted us to do. While we do not see evidence of success in our work in this world, we can trust that God is doing something we can’t see, and He is faithful. Our little acts, whatever they might be, can have a huge impact on our world. We are most blessed, as is the world, when we accept what God has planned for our lives and act obediently with the gifts He has given us.

Peter found Jesus because Andrew pointed to Him. Andrew found Jesus because John pointed to Him. John found Jesus because God Himself pointed to Jesus and revealed Him to be the One for whom they were waiting. We are called to do the same. We aren’t called to be saviors. Rather, we are called to be witnesses to what we have seen; pointing to Jesus so that He might draw them into a relationship. It isn’t about us, it never has been. Like the butterfly, we flap our wings and God brings change to the world we may never really see. Like John, we are nothing more than voices crying out in the wilderness with a song in our hearts and praise on our lips, pointing the way so that the world might see that which has been revealed in Christ Jesus. Like Andrew, we are called to invite others to “Come and see,” so that they will experience the amazing grace of the God who is faithful, who fulfills all His promises.