Jan 17, 2021

 Today, I’m starting with the good news.  God sees us, knows us, and calls us. 

God sees and knows the boy, Samuel, even though he’s just a boy, even though he doesn’t know God, even though he has no special skills, even though he’s afraid. God sees and knows Eli and how he’s allowed his sons to ridicule and tell lies about God.  God calls Samuel—we’re used to sets of three, especially in literature.  But, this time God calls four separate times, indicating the extraordinary lengths God will go to, to communicate with us and make God’s message clear.  It isn’t a literal four, but whatever is expected, God goes far beyond that and continues to call and call to get through to us. 

God’s call of Samuel is to get through to Eli.  God has given this same message to Eli before.  This is no surprise to Eli.  But I think it coming through this young boy, Samuel, is something new.  Eli has dismissed this information before.  When it comes from an equal, Eli can discount the message by pointing to that person’s shortcomings.  When it comes in a dream, he can interpret it however he wants.  But here, Samuel comes to him, completely innocent, not even knowing it is God calling, Eli eventually perceiving what is happening.  At this point, maybe Eli could say to Samuel to ignore the voice.  He knows what’s coming.  He doesn’t want Samuel listening, because God has hard truths to share.  But Eli knows that what God has to say is true and that he’s not going to be able to avoid it.  Eli tells Samuel how to properly respond. This shows that Eli does know how to properly respond, but he has been choosing not to.  So now God gives this message to Samuel.  Samuel may be young, but he knows where his food comes from.  He doesn’t want to hurt his mentor.  Eli has to beg Samuel, to threaten him, that he has to speak the truth that Eli has been ignoring.  So now that Eli has threatened Samuel if he doesn’t say what needs to be said, he is going to face real consequences.  Samuel of course does say the hard truth that God gave him and grows up a faithful servant of God.

The Psalm tells us that God sees us and knows us from our infancy, how our bodies were formed from within the womb.  God knows our family history, our birth order, our parents’ stories that shape us.  God sees and knows who we are at the very core, sees our innocence and sees us beloved children, while still being completely aware of all the things we’ve done that we shouldn’t have, the things we didn’t do that we should have, and all the fleeting thoughts of evil and self-justification that have crossed our minds.  God sees and knows and still calls us flawed creatures to serve God, to be in covenantal relationship with God, to learn from God, to learn from our mistakes, to use our gifts in God’s service.

God sees and knows all the desires and needs of our bodies, and still calls us into the body of Christ.  We Christians seem to focus most on sexual sins, but our bodies can tempt us into all kinds of unhealthy habits and our fear of sinning can also keep us in unhealthy relationships that God would never wish us to stay in.  Anytime we make anything else our god, we are sinning.  Sometimes that is food or fitness or a certain weight goal or our cell phones.  Sometimes it is other people’s approval of our shape or age.  We could even make our marriage our god. But the truth is, God made our bodies good and even our desires good.  It’s when those other desires replace God that we get ourselves in trouble, and not because God is jealous and angry, but because that isn’t good for us, it isn’t healthy and when we are hurting, God hurts with us.  God sees and knows us fully with all our desires and flaws and God still calls us.  God calls us to do what is healthier—maybe cut down on the drinking or get some help for that internet porn addiction or put the phone down at meals or eat more vegetables or be ok with the body God gave you.  When we can find a balance, we can be healthier.  However messed up we are, God manages to work through us.  God continues to call us to balance and health and service and new life.  Incredible!

So now we come to the Gospel.  Jesus sees Nathanael.  He sees him under the fig tree.  Jesus knows him.  “Now here is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”  I can’t help thinking we’ve missed something here.  Is this an inside joke?  Is this sarcastic?  Does this refer to some incident we don’t know about?  How does Nathanael go from, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” to, “Rabbi! You are the son of God, the King of Israel!”  Clearly Jesus has made some connection, even though we can’t see it.  Nathanael feels completely seen!  And being seen, allows him to see and name Jesus as king and to live that reality as one of the disciples. 

We, too, are seen by God.  God sees every hair on our head, every stress in our life, every fear, every hope and dream.  God knows every stomach ache, every nightmare, every relationship that’s strained.  And God sees and knows all our shortcomings and failings.  And still Jesus calls to us 3, 4, 100 times.  God calls to us that we would know God’s voice, that we would know we aren’t alone, that we would know new life and relationship with the one who made us.  God calls to us to hold us accountable, to give us second chances, to help us turn around and respond to our shepherd.  God calls to us from infancy, to the baptismal waters, to new life, young children who have gifts of truth-telling, of innocence, of a lack of agenda.  God calls to us in young adulthood to follow.  God calls to us in old age to do and say what is right and what is the truth.  God calls to us and uses us with all our distractions and other gods, all the weaknesses, and goodness, and desires of our bodies.  God calls us as individuals and more importantly, God calls us in community as the body of Christ, along with others to follow God and be in relationship.

Now that we are seen, we want to know how we can be like Philip and Nathanael and learn to see Jesus.  How can we recognize Jesus in our midst?  One thing we can see from today’s readings that God or Jesus won’t be telling us what we want to hear.  Don’t look for the easy.  Look for what is difficult.  In the reading from Samuel the message is not pleasant.  Eli needed to hear the urgent message that he was continuing in a mistake and would face consequences.  Even Nathanael will be disappointed.  He is looking for the King of Israel.  What he finds is so much more than that—the Creator of the Universe, the Prince of Peace, the Spirit of Life.  What he wants is someone who will make Israel great again—rule with an iron fist and raise armies to defend Israel from all sides.  What he gets is a man who will be tried and convicted and die on the cross a criminal, mocked with the title King of the Jews.  Jesus comes to lead us all to peace by example, giving his life to show us how to give our lives for each other, and to serve the poor and forgotten.  Many longed for the glory days of Israel.  What they didn’t realize is that the glory days of Israel was not a time of prosperity and ease, but really the 40 years in the wilderness, learning to trust God.  The return of the Messiah meant a return to the wilderness, being unsettled, building relationships with God, learning the covenant, learning from mistakes.

I can’t help feel that we are in the wilderness.  Spirit of Life has often walked those wilderness roads, has responded with faith in unsettled times, and always found God there.  These roads are rocky.  Sometimes it feels like we’re lost.  Sometimes we wish were more prosperous or settled.  We’re replacing the roof.  We’re meeting on Zoom.  We miss each other desperately.  Yet, the people here respond with faith and generosity and hope.  We see Jesus everywhere—in each other, in the hungry, in the children.  We see Jesus and we respond.  We make hats and blankets, we bring socks and gloves.  We donate food and soap and toothpaste and toilet paper.  We check on our neighbors.  We call the homebound and sick.  We help with storm cleanup.  We pray for our country and our world.  You see Jesus all around.  And people look to this place and they see Jesus responding to their needs and give thanks for these ministries that give life.

A couple of years ago I said to my 3 year old neighbor, when were riding in the car, “Keep your eyes peeled, Rebekah, there’s a bridge coming up.”  She says to me, “I don’t want to peel my eyes, Aimee!”  Sterling and I repeat that joke almost every week.  I say to you, “Keep your eyes peeled, Spirit of Life.  God is here.  God is in your homes.  God is in the waters.  God is in the silence.  God is in the storm.  God is in the laughter.  God is in the mess.  God is in the wilderness. God is in you.”