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First
Reading
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Psalm |
Epistle |
Gospel |
1 Samuel 3:1–10 |
Psalm 139:1–5, 12–17 |
1 Corinthians 6:12–20 |
John 1:43–51
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The story of old Eli and young Samuel always remains a fascinating one. I envision Eli as a crusty, stubborn, and demanding taskmaster, and Samuel a smart, sensitive, and respectful young man. Eli, while proud and set in his ways, is not a fool, and Samuel, while young and deferential to age and position, is not a coward. Eli recognizes that he has reached the limits of his wisdom and that Samuel will be the one to carry on and further God’s Word to the people. Samuel realizes that the dreams of the past will be brought to fruition and that he has become an instrument in bringing such dreams to reality. Eli and Samuel came to respect each other, not through force or coercion. Eli could not deny Samuel’s dreams and Samuel had no power within himself to persuade Eli beyond his will.
The Gospel lesson today is about the call of Philip and Nathaniel. Philip doesn’t seem to have developed a grand strategic plan for recruiting disciples. Operating on a person-to-person basis, he said to Nathaniel, “I have found someone I think you should meet also. I believe in this person, I believe in his dreams, and I think when you get to know him, you will, too.” (Incidentally, all the research I have read on so-called church growth admits that person-to-person contact is much more important than clever advertising campaigns or enticing programs.) Nathaniel is not readily convinced. He comes with Philip and meets Jesus, but his skepticism is evident. Jesus does not try to intimidate him; he doesn’t use psychological guilt trips or coercion. Jesus, like Philip, repeats an invitation to come and see.
Some commentators would suggest that Nathaniel is a symbol of the great body of Christians who came to believe in Jesus. It was by gentle persuasion and open invitation. One’s doubts were not made fun of or denied. With Jesus, questions were never forced to be left at the entrance to Christian fellowship. “You have questions, that’s OK,” Jesus seemed to have said, “Come and let’s get to know each other.” From that meeting in Galilee, the community of faith grew and flourished through all sorts of tragedy and setbacks. Whatever dreams Philip and Nathaniel had for people of faith, they became realized in Jesus more than they could comprehend.
In many ways we are now carriers of Jesus’ dreams. What does it mean to answer the call of Jesus and to proclaim to all people the Good News? What does it mean to be baptized and to be a member of the church? In a society and culture that thinks of itself as Christian, one doesn’t necessarily have to face such questions, for it’s easy to conform and melt into the crowd. Answering the call of discipleship in such a situation may well mean very little
But when one lives in a culture that does not assume everyone is a nominal Christian, but one in which Christianity and its values may be one religion among many, then the question becomes more difficult to avoid. In such a situation, if you “stand up, stand up for Jesus,” you might become aware that you are one of a small group who is standing up.
Now I’m told that more people still go to church on Sunday than watch professional football, although you would never know that from reading the newspapers. Indeed, church-going is treated by some forces of opinion as in poor taste to mention. We can’t pretend that we won’t be challenged for our beliefs. We can’t expect that we will slip by unnoticed as we try to live moral Christian lives. As children, we may be teased; as teenagers, there is some risk of not being seen as cool; as adults, there is danger of not fitting in and perceived as not being a good team player. We all struggle with the decision of when it is proper to roll with the punches and when we need to take a stand. A healthy Christian community does not need to deny this struggle or pretend the choices are always clean cut. It does need to be willing to hang together and acknowledge there are tough pressures out there, and that it is a gift for us to talk to one another and understand one another’s dilemmas.
The invitation to be a Christian today is an invitation to be different, and not to be intimidated by forces that try to define who we are. Beware of being fooled by the loaded definitions of contemporary society.
This extended weekend we are also aware of two others who have been involved in dream making. The first is Martin Luther King, Jr., a person of strong faith, who had dreams of justice, equality and the end of racism being such a prevent force in American society. The official holiday for him is tomorrow. The following day is the inauguration of a person who happens to be a person of color. May we see a parallel between the dreams of Eli and the passing of the future to Samuel, with the dreams of King and the inauguration of Barrack Obama? To many of us who grew up with the racial violence and tragedy of the sixties, the popular election of a president of the United States who happens to be black, really is a watershed event, and it has nothing to do with what party we may identify with. There is a new chapter of American history beginning.
All of which is to say, that for people of faith dreams still come to pass. It takes people like Eli and Samuel to have the integrity and respect to listen to each other. It takes the example of Jesus to invite rather than force, and to accept doubts and not deny them. . It takes the courage of people like Philip to say to others, “Come and see.” It takes faith of Martin Luther King to believe that people can change and that nonviolence is not a weak alternative. For history tells us that dreams are kept alive and indeed blossom into a harvest beyond our hopes, by those who are open to the call of God.
And I offer this to you in the name of the Living God, Amen.
