Rector's Sermon - Sunday, January 20, 2002

First Reading	Psalm	Epistle	Gospel
Isaiah 49:1-7	40:1-12	1 Corinthians 1:1-9	John 1:29-42

 
      The passage in Isaiah was written either right before or as the survivors of the Babylonian exile returned home to a devastated land. Farms, orchards, and towns all needed to be rebuilt. Jerusalem was in ruins. Yet this prophet, known as second Isaiah, would not just sit among the rubble and mourn for a lost past. Instead he announced an expanded role for the nation on a universal scale. How could anyone believe that little Israel whose immediate future seemed so precarious, could play a universal role in the healing of the world and reconciliation among powerful warring empires? How could anyone but God have such expectations? Yet the prophet's words have inspired generations of peacemakers all over the world, and early Christians saw Jesus and the church's mission as fulfilling Isaiah's promise.

      The church in Corinth was in a real mess when Paul wrote his first letter to them. They were split into bitter factions, siding with one leader against another. They had more petty issues and concerns than you could imagine. Some had become so caught up in their own agendas causing them to act out in some truly bizarre behavior. Paul could have thrown up his hands and written them off, or begun his letter by telling them off. Instead, he reminded them of the grand opportunity God had given them, Paul assured them that they stood in a long tradition supported by the example of many others; they had been strengthened in every way by the grace of God, and they were not lacking any gift. In other words, they had what it took to hold up the light of good news and pass it on to others. They lived in a pivotal time, in a key place, and they had all the resources they needed.

      The Gospel for today is an account of Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist, and the recruitment of Jesus' first disciples. John the Baptist could have become threatened and jealous of Jesus. He could have discouraged his own disciples from having anything to do with this younger rabbi. Instead, John senses that Jesus will be a greater teacher than himself. John points this out to two of his disciples and encourages them to seek out Jesus. John like any true teacher, was delighted and rejoiced that his task of revealing God's word would be carried forward and greatly expanded beyond his own time and limited vision.

      The Book of Psalms originally was the hymnal of ancient Israel. Composed and edited over centuries, the psalms reflect the full range of human emotions. Sometimes we are taken back by their vehemence, but we can be sure that at some point or another all of us have felt the same way. Sometimes a phrase or verse jumps out or frames the rest of our Bible readings. Such is the case with me this morning.

      "Great things are they that you have done, O Lord, my God! How great your wonders and your plans for us." This verse seems to tie together the stories of Isaiah and the vision of a great mission; Paul and the Church at Corinth; Jesus, John the Baptist, and his two disciples. Throughout history, God is always expecting the best for us. God placed great expectations in the tattered survivors of Israel to play a universal role in the welfare of humanity, the small church in Corinth to be an example of faith. and the two disciples of John, learning much greater things with much wider horizons.

      In preparing for our annual meeting, and reading all the reports, I became grateful for all of you who have shared so many gifts. However I suspect we have underestimated, not exaggerated what we have given each other. What seems to one as a small favor, is received and remembered by another as a very valuable gift. What the world may belittle as small choices and insignificant accomplishments, God values greatly. St. John's as a community of faith is much stronger than what's on paper. We are not so bad on paper, I assure you, but we are really better than that. Are there challenges ahead? Sure, but God believes in us and is going to stick with us. We have or will be able to discover the resources we need to continue to improve, to rise up and do what it takes. The exiles returning from Babylon, members of the church in Corinth, and the disciples of John were of no greater or lesser ability than us. If there was ever an appropriate verse on the Sunday of an annual parish meeting, it is this one: "Great things are they that you have done, O Lord, my God! How great your wonders and your plans for us." 

      And I offer this to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen