Second Sunday after Epiphany

Alison Williams – Second Sunday after Epiphany -  January 16th, 2011 – Year A – Messiah Ln Church

Jesus asked a question. “What are you looking for?” Jesus asked this question of his very first followers. They’d been waiting for John to assure them the Messiah had arrived and this Jesus guy was it. Well, the spirit descended and remained so he must be the Messiah. “Right? Jesus? Is that true?” You can see the question in the disciples eyes as they trail along behind Jesus, hoping against hope that he’s the one. Finally.

I wonder how many times they’d been disappointed before? How long had they been waiting? How long had their parents been waiting? How many generations had been waiting for the Messiah? So you hear about this guy John, hanging out in the Jordon, splashing water on people and assuring you that the Messiah is coming soon. Do you believe it? Do you dare to hope? Dare to believe that THIS TIME might actually be the time that the Messiah shows up?

I’ll confess that I’d be quite skeptical. I’d want proof. Like those two disciples trailing along behind Jesus, I’d be doing some sleuthing of my own. I’d be looking up Jesus on-line. I’d be Googling him. Checking out his Facebook profile. I’d want to see where he lived. What kind of people he hung around with. I would want a video of that baptism where the spirit came down and even then, I’d find an excuse to discredit the video and say that it was fabricated. Just make believe.

Because it’s hard for us to believe. Hard to understand how God could be humble enough and love us enough to become human. And then die. For us.

But Jesus sees us snooping around and skulking behind him, wondering who he is. And Jesus turns it back on us. What are YOU looking for?

Underneath the question are all kinds of other questions. I can hear Jesus asking, What do you NEED? What do you most long for? What is your heart’s deepest desire? What are you looking for from your God? What are you looking for from me, the true Messiah?

Perhaps the disciples realized the depth of the question and were too flustered to answer the real question. Too scared to put their doubts and fears on the line. Too afraid to say, “We seek a Messiah that will genuinely love the world. We are looking for acceptance and love and grace and meaning and some purpose to our lives.” So instead they asked a question, “Teacher, where are you staying?”

And in a way we do the same. We tentatively keep following Christ, desperately seeking our heart’s desire without speaking it aloud. Hoping that each time we say a prayer or show up at church that we’ll get the answer. We seek a God that knows us, understands us… and loves and accepts us anyway. A God that gives us meaning and purpose in our lives. A God that shows us a life worth living.

So how does the story end? Do the disciples wander in vain? Lost? Alone? Absolutely not. They go with Jesus and remain with him. They hang out. They stick around. They stay.

And then there’s this piece about calling. This assignment that Jesus has for Simon: “You are called to be Cephas.” This is translated Peter. This is the Rock on whom Jesus will build the church. This is Jesus’ response: to call Peter. And we are called in the same way.

Now, we aren’t called to be the rock on which Jesus will build his church but we are called to BE the church. Our lives are wrapped up in God’s calling for all Christians as the body of Christ. This is then both corporately and individually. A call for the entire body and a call for the fingernails, lips, legs, eyes, ears and so on.

But “calling” seems to be one of those ‘churchy’ words that lacks meaning in our lives. So the best way I’ve heard it described is by Frederick Buechner and I ofter it to you for some clarification. He writes this:

“There are all different kinds of voices calling to you, all different kinds of work and the problem is finding out which is the voice of God, rather than that of society, say, or the super-ego or self-interest. By and large, a good rule for finding out is this: The kind of work God usually calls you to, is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do, and (b) that the world most needs to be done.”

“If you really get a kick out of your work, you’ve presumably met requirement (a), but if your work is writing TV deodorant commercials, the chances are you have missed requirement (b). On the other hand, if your work is being a doctor in a leprosy colony, you have probably met requirement (b), but if most of the time you are bored and depressed by it, the chances are you’ve not only bypassed (a) but you probably aren’t helping your patients much either.”

… The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

Wise words from Frederick Buechner. A way to see ourselves and how we fit in this world. An answer to Jesus’ question: What are you looking for?

We are looking for a way to have meaning and purpose. We desperately seek to be loved and to have a place in this world. We want to be good. We want to contribute. We want our story to be remembered. We want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.

This is our faith. It isn’t some cheesy billboard filled with perfect smiles and easy living. Rather, it is an every day task. An assignment to be ourselves to the depth of ourselves and to take our place in this great body of Christ.

I am called to preach the good news. My deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet here for me. But I am away from family and friends. I am lonely. And there are days I feel like I am walking through a dark valley, trying to figure out how to love the world when I’d rather escape in a good book or take a nap.

There’s this Ginny Owen’s song called “If You Want Me To” that talks about walking through that dark valley. The line I love the most says, “You never said it would be easy, You only said I’d never go alone.” It’s been a pillar of my faith ever since I heard it.

But what is important about this calling is the strength that God brings with it. Notice how the disciples went from wandering behind Jesus to walking with him and staying with him. In the middle of their calling, Christ was with them. In the middle of Montana, Christ is with me. You are with me.

And each of the stories from the scriptures today point to that same pairing of calling and strength. In Isaiah we read about the difficultly of Israel’s calling and then we hear, “My God has become my strength.” And in the Psalm, we hear, “I waited patiently upon the LORD, who stooped and heard my cry. The Lord lifted me out of a desolate pit. Happy are they who trust in the LORD! I love to do your will, O my God.”

And then Paul assures the church in Corinth, “Jesus Christ will also strengthen you to the end.”

So I say to you, Messiah Lutheran Church:

What are you looking for? Where does your deep gladness meet the world’s deep need? What is your heart’s desire? What is your calling?

And then…

The Lord hears your cries. You’ll never go alone. Your God is your strength. And Jesus Christ will also strengthen you to the end.

Amen.+

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