Transfigured

Transfigured
Matthew 17:1-9
Sermon Date
Transfiguration of the Lord

© 2008 by Christopher D. Drew

Sermon Focus: Many modern readers have difficulties wrapping their scientifically trained minds around this fascinating story of Jesus’ transfiguration. And yet, we are called by faith to look deeply into the text to discern God’s truth for us – a truth that runs counter to our self-rationalizations and our need to apply the scientific method on everything we encounter.

Sermon Function: To teach listeners that we, as those called into Christ’s church through baptism, are joined with Jesus in such a way that we experience, through our own sanctification by the Holy Spirit, a transfiguration of our minds and bodies and we draw closer to the Crucified One.

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Introduction

I became an uncle this week, and Sara an aunt! My sister, Bethany, who many of you met over the course of the summer, gave birth to Lauren Ryleigh Marvel. She came into the world at eight pounds, one ounce, and measured 19 inches in length. After an intense day of labor, the doctors decided that little Lauren would have to arrive via caesarian section. Mom is resting and recovering. And Dad is beaming. My parents arrived there on Wednesday sometime around midnight, just in time to join with my sister and brother-in-law for the big event of the birth.

God is great, indeed.

And God’s greatness can be seen throughout out lives. Nature itself testifies to God’s creative genius. Our families and friends remind us of God’s steadfast love for us. And the miracle of birth, well, it does something far more profound to us than ever we might imagine. The scientific atheist would view birth through the lens of Darwinian piety. Of course we have children! If we didn’t, humanity would die out! And this is, indeed, true. But the wonders of God transcend even our own human need to replicate ourselves for the sake of having future generations. The act of birth gives rise to changes that permanently alter the landscape. Two married individuals suddenly add to their number, and instead of having a “married couple,” one now sees a “new family.” Parents become, suddenly, grandparents. Brother and sisters are transformed into aunts and uncles, and children suddenly take on the new role of “cousin.” The birth of children brings with it fundamental transformation.

Today we read of a special, and very different, transformation, called by us “The Transfiguration.” This Sunday is actually a feast Sunday in the larger church. By design, the readings we just heard from the Old Testament and 2 Peter should resonate in your minds as you hear this amazing, awe-inspiring story that forms a great hinge in the gospel of Matthew. Listen, and imagine, if you can, the awe that you might feel had you been Peter, James, or John.

Let us listen now to God’s Word.

[Read Scripture - Matthew 17:1-9]

The Scene

It is difficult to talk about this scene using terms we can relate with. Bill Carter, another Presbyterian pastor, recently confessed “to years of transfiguration aversion.”¹ He discovered that for years he had been punting on this text, routinely assigning responsibility for preaching this Sunday to a colleague. Alas, I have no one to assign the text to this week. But I can understand Bill’s issue: How do you talk about this text, this miraculous, wonderful glimpse of Jesus’ awesome majesty, in a way that is relevant for us today?

The initial answer is – you can’t. I don’t think there is any way of collapsing the events Matthew records in a way that we can use our rational 21st century minds to understand. We, instead, are being invited to look in on an event that really happened, but through a lens of language that inherently limits our ability to share Matthew’s eyes to truly take in the full majesty of the Transfiguration event. And that’s okay, really. Because if we try to reduce the majesty of Christ into a nice package, we risk missing out altogether on the mystical, majestic, awe-inspiring core of our faith – a faith that proclaims we can know God, even as conceive of God as being unknowable. Instead, all we can do is point to what this text tells us about Jesus, and then sit in awe that God, despite our sin, would give us the means to know Him through his Son.

The Players and the Mountain of Authority

Matthew records that the ascent to the mountain occurred “six days later.” In the previous days, Peter, at Caesarea Philippi, has just confessed that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (16:16). Right after Peter’s proclamation, Jesus begins teaching that he will be handed over, killed, and then on the third day raised to life (16:21). Peter, who one can imagine was annoyed that the Messiah he had just confessed would be humiliated and killed, rebuked Jesus. Jesus, in turn, rebukes Peter with those piercing words, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things” (16:23). Jesus then tells us that anyone wanting to follow him must “deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (16:24). Jesus concludes his remarks by saying, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (Matt 16:28 NRSV).

And hear we are, now, at the base of the mountain. Peter, James and John, the “inner circle” of Jesus’ disciples, are present. And now we’re present with them, through the eyes of Matthew. Jesus takes them and leads them up to the high, unidentified mountain. Throughout Matthew, the high mountain is the place where Jesus exhibits his authority. Three times in the gospel, Matthew takes us to the mountain. The first time we’re taken up a mountain is way back in chapter five, when Jesus proclaims the beatitudes. While there, he preaches as one with authority. “You have heard it said,” Jesus says, “But I say to you…” and he gives his authoritative interpretation of the law. At the conclusion of Jesus’ teaching, Matthew records this: “Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matt 7:28-29 NRSV).

The second mountaintop experience happens at the end of Matthew, in chapter 28:

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:16-20 NRSV)

Note that Jesus is the one acting in the first verse of our text. Jesus takes them, and Jesus leads them up. This isn’t an accident. Jesus does take us, and he leads us. Now, where is he leading us? And why?

Jesus Christ, Messiah, and Lord of All, God’s Very Word Incarnate

And the answer comes to us spectacularly in verse two. Matthew records that he was “transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white” (17:2-3). The critical word here is “transfigured.” It comes from a rare New Testament Greek word, the same word that gives us the term metamorphosis. Apart from Matthew, this word appears in only three other places. The first is in Mark’s account of this same event. The other two occurrences are both from the writings of Paul. Somehow, Jesus was transformed into something fundamentally glorious and awe-full. Eugene Peterson writes in The Message that, “His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes” (17:2 MSG). Like the piercing light of the Sun breaking over the horizon, his countenance became so bright that we cannot imagine looking at it without singeing our retinas. This must have been a shocking surprise, and electrifying event, and explosive scene, even more explosive than the time I once lit a gas log after letting the gas run a bit too long. Bam! Glowing white, shining Son, altogether beautiful, glorious, amazing, eye-burning, hair-singeing wonder! Imagine yourselves there with them. Imagine the look of surprise, confusion, and wonder.

And that’s just verse two! Matthew writes that two other people were suddenly present at the scene: Moses and Elijah. Moses, the chosen one of God who brought the law, the Ten Commandments, down from the mountain to the people of Israel. Elijah, the great prophe, who was miraculously taken up to God without having to first suffer death. Moses here represents the Law of God that Jesus has proclaimed earlier that he would fulfill. Elijah represents the prophets of God, those who proclaimed the day of the Lord. Both are present with Jesus in his wondrous glory. They have their own glory, to be sure, but it is nothing compared to the One who has been transfigured. One can imagine that even Moses and Elijah would have been awestruck at the sight, even given their intimate knowledge of God. Here is the very One who was promised to us!

Now, what do you do when you directly experience the in-breaking of the divine into our common reality? What do you say when your eyes are being blinded by God’s glory? If you’re Peter, you want to prolong the experience, and memorialize it. “Let’s stay here for awhile and enjoy this spectacular goodness,” Peter says. “Let’s build some tents so you, Moses, and Elijah will stay for awhile.” Sounds grand, but the plan is interrupted. This time by something profoundly serious – the very voice of God.

A voice calls out from the cloud that overshadowed them saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” (Matt 17:5 NRSV). And with these words, we see what authority Jesus really has. He is, in fact, God’s very Word. The divine voice did not say, “Listen to me,” but “listen to him!”² Jesus is the Word, the fullest, most complete revelation of God to us human mortals.

The transfiguration event has now become overwhelming for Peter, James, and John. They collapse from the fear. First it was Jesus’ transfiguration, then suddenly the arrival of Moses and Elijah, and finally the very presence of Almighty God on the mountain. God told Moses that no one could see God’s face and live. I’d duck for cover as well. And that’s what they did. Overcome by their fear, they literally, according to the Greek, fell down on their faces.

Jesus then came over and touched them. He reached out to them. Notice how Jesus works here? Jesus took them up the mountain, he led them there, and now he touches them. Jesus always moves first in the Bible. God always moves first and remains steadfast in his love for us even when we flail about in fear. Jesus reaches out, touches them, and says, “Get up and do not be afraid” (17:7).

In Dale Brunner’s acclaimed commentary on Matthew, he writes:

In a way, the entire gospel is present in this text of the disciples' reaction, for the church believes and teaches that God himself "came up to us, gripped us, and told us to get on our feet and not be afraid anymore" in the Incarnation, person, and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. He came to us at Christmas, he grabbed us by his helping words and deeds in his ministry, he put us on our feet by his Good Friday death for us, and he banished fear from our hearts by his resurrection. Everything is in that little seventh verse, and in some ways this little grab-and-list at the end of the transfiguration story, often neglected in exposition as if a mere after-effect, may be one of the most important points in the story. For Jesus shines not just to shine, not just to impress, not even in the final analysis to make us obedient or trembling, but especially to help us up, to put us on our feet, to enable us to breathe again so that we can be obedient to his Word.³

And they looked up and saw no one except “Jesus himself alone” (17:8). And then their fears evaporated. There is, as Bill Carter aptly notes, “Nobody else we have to deal with” apart from Jesus.⁴

Back Down the Mountain

And the importance of this fact is highlighted when Jesus asks the disciples to keep quiet about what they have seen until “after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead” (17:9). It won’t all make sense, says Jesus, until after Easter. But you’ve seen a glimpse of the true glory of God, and you’ve seen that same glimpse here this morning. And what awe and wonder it is, that God’s Word would dwell with us each Sunday, right here in Portland, Texas. Having had the mountaintop experience, Jesus descends and continues with his ministry. We ought to do the same as we leave our worship encounter with Jesus today.

The final lesson for us to remember is this: Jesus of Nazareth, the great Son of God who lives among us having been born into our human condition, and who can relate to us directly through his humanity is, still, the Christ, the anointed one, the very Word of God. He is not as we are, thank God!

Let us pray.

O God, in the transfiguration of your Son, you confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the witness of Moses and Elijah; and in the voice from the cloud you foreshadowed our adoption as your children. Make us, with Christ, heirs of your glory, and bring us to enjoy its fullness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.⁵

Given at First Presbyterian Church, Portland, Texas.

¹Carter, Bill. “Homiletical Hottub.” GoodPreacher.com. Sponsor: Lectionary Homiletics. Accessed January 31, 2008. . Entry dated 1/28/2008. ↩

²Ibid. ↩

³Ibid., quoting Brunner. ↩

⁴Ibid. ↩

⁵Theology and Worship Ministry Unit. Book of Common Worship. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993, p. 215. ↩

Technorati Tags: Presbyterian Church USA, PCUSA, Sermon, Matthew 17:1-9, Year A, Transfiguration of the Lord

Google Maps Takes Over

Clever.

High noon ...

High noon ...
Originally uploaded by asmundur

An inspiring image for pondering the Transfiguration of the Lord, observed this Sunday throughout Christendom.

Technorati Tags: Transfiguration of the Lord, Matthew 17:1-9

Prophetic Vision(?) - Super Bowl XLII

Imagine how many hours I might have wasted this Sunday afternoon attending to the simple matter of watching the Super Bowl to see who actually wins the game:


If you must, it's available here.

Oh, and there's this, too, for those of you cheering for the other team:


Available here.

Technorati Tags: Super Bowl XLII, Prophecy, Ridiculous

Grand view ...

Grand view ...
Originally uploaded by asmundur

I've always wanted to visit Iceland. This picture took me one step closer. When I found it over at Flickr, I checked online for fare information. Saving has begun...

Follow Me

Follow Me
Matthew 4:12-23
January 27, 2008
3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

© 2008 by Christopher D. Drew

Sermon Focus: The events recorded in this passage prepare the reader for the great exposition of Christian morality encapsulated by Jesus’ “sermon on the mount.” Having heard that John was put into prison by the governing authority for preaching the good news, Jesus moves to a region where both Jews and Gentiles reside together. He then calls the first disciples, who obediently turn away from the drudgery of their fishing occupation to join with Jesus in a new kind of fishing operation. Jesus then begins to teach and preach about the kingdom of God with His clarion call to “repent.”

Sermon Function: What does it mean to be a fisher of men and women? It means that we should remember that our baptismal vocation calls for a complete turn away from sin and a return to the road leading to the Kingdom of God.

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Introduction

This morning we’re going to continue our discussion of our baptism vocation. About three weeks ago we observed the Baptism of the Lord. Last week, we began to explore what Jesus’ baptism implies for us and in our baptisms. This week, we’re going to explore further what it means to be a baptized disciple of Jesus Christ. For me, discipleship has always meant something much more than “servant.” Discipleship is something bigger. If we really consider ourselves to be disciples of Jesus Christ, we are challenged to seriously take account our lives and our existing priorities and ask ourselves the question: “Is how I am living representative of the light of the kingdom of God?” This is a very big question. For those claimed in baptism, it is one of the paramount questions of Christian living. It just so happens that Matthew is exceedingly concerned about Christian morality and faith. He is also concerned with this important question. And as it happens, today’s scripture passage is laying the groundwork for the Jesus’ wonderful exposition on kingdom life known to us as The Beatitudes.

As I read the gospel this morning, listen for Jesus’ words about light, repentance, teaching, and preaching.

Let us now listen to God’s word to us this day.

[Read Scripture - Matthew 4:12-23]

Prayer for Illumination

Blessed are you, Lord, gracious Father, O Lord, whose love is revealed in your Son. O Lord, whose love is the delight of all life, and whose Word we love as the light of life. Pour out your Spirit as we read from your prophets and Apostles, that in mediating on them, our hearts might be illumined and our days filled with peace. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.¹

Three Stories – Story One

There are three significant movements in today’s text in the gospel of Matthew. First, we learn that John the Baptizer has just been arrested, literally handed over, for the crime of preaching the good news that the kingdom of God had come near. In response to this news, Matthew records Jesus moving his home, or perhaps his home base, to the town of Capernaum. This was done, according to Matthew, for the purpose of fulfilling the voice of the prophet Isaiah. Interestingly, the move had another important consequence: The “land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali” (v. 15) were areas where Jews and gentiles lived together. Jesus, then, moves deliberately into an area not just filled with those of his own ethic group, but with others, in the very “Galilee of the Gentiles.” He goes there in order to bring light to the people who sit in darkness, and to be the dawn for those who sit in the region of shadows and death. Connected intimately with that light is the clarion call of Jesus, the proclamation which forms the first set of words preached by our Savior:

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matt 4:17 NRSV).

It has been come passé to insist that people repent while they sit in the pews in church. But we live in an era, an epoch, really, when true repentance is utterly lacking in our society, and in our church.

I was asked recently about all of the “political problems” we currently face in the Presbyterian Church (USA). My answer to the question is very straightforward: The divisions that anger us or threaten us are deeply rooted in our sinful nature as fallen human beings. To be a sinner means to be actively turning away from God. We should not be surprise that turning away from God and His word causes fundamental divisions and conflict. Moreover, we have forgotten, as a people, what it means to truly repent. If I were to ask someone at random what the word “repent” meant, the likely response would be “to express sorrow at some sin that had been committed.” But such an answer underestimates the power of sin and the necessity of repentance. To repent means to turn away from the sin, turn to the light of forgiveness, and then not turn back again. This is a slightly more complicated process than simply saying, “I’m sorry,” which is really only the first part of repentance. But the need to repent isn’t rooted in the Christian attempt to quash all of the fun you might think you’re having. Turning away from sin IS the positive option for us. Turning away from sin is moves us toward the open door of the light of pure joy. Matthew makes this point very clear – there are many who sit in darkness, the stark night of sin. But there is great hope in store for all the people – a light will come to penetrate the darkness of our sin! And who is this light? Jesus is the light. And what are the first words that the Light of the World proclaims after his baptism and temptation by Satan? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Being a disciple and honoring our baptismal vocation means we need to repent of our sins – all those things that keep us from knowing Christ and His light. And the sins we have to contend with aren’t necessarily any different from what our brothers and sisters have experienced, but there is one difference, and that is we have entire systems built up to exploit our sinful tendencies. Internet pornography is one of these systems. There are other, more subtle forms of porno out there too – while surfing the local TV channels the other night, Sara and I came across a show where the contestant is hooked up to a lie detector and then asked some of the most invasive questions imaginable, all the while with the spouse prominently featured as the key spectator. If the contestant asks the invasive questions “truthfully,” he or she wins the big bucks. “But at what cost?” asks the announcer. Good question. Your stable family life? Your marriage? We were both so repulsed by what we saw that we switched off the television. We still live in a world filled with darkness, a darkness that persecutes the Body of Christ, the Church (that’s you and me), and threatens to swallow up those who have not yet seen the light of the world.

This text from Matthew teaches us several things. As those called by Christ in our baptisms, we are called to repentance, and we are also called to appeal to others to repent. Not by being overly confrontational and judgmental. Instead, we are called to be beacons of light ourselves. People should be attracted to the church because they see that there is light there, a light that will overcome the darkness that drives people to despair and lost hope. And we are called to be that light, by repenting from sin, loving our neighbors, and exhibiting God’s kingdom through our response to his call to be missionaries of his light to the world.

Story Two – Following

So the first story in our text, about Jesus moving in with the gentiles and proclaiming that the light of the kingdom of heaven is best seen repenting and rejoining the way of the kingdom of heaven, we now move to the next scene, the call of Simon, called Peter, Andrew, James and John.

Most readers of Matthew’s gospel are captivated by the radical acceptance of Christ’s call to follow him to become his disciples responsible for spreading the good news throughout the world. But wait! To say that now is putting, in a way, the cart before the horse. At this point of Matthew’s gospel account, the disciples have no idea what it is there are being called to do. All they hear are the words “follow me,” and they follow. By accepting the call without condition, their acceptance turns out to be even more radical than we tend to image. All we know is they follow him, and that they remain with him. As retired Presbyterian Pastor John C. Purdy puts it:

They are like soldiers who have enlisted in an army to fight in a war yet to be declared; like actors who have signed up to perform roles in a play that is still being written. Jesus' call to them is a summons to step out into the unknown; it is a call to adventure.²

Peter, Andrew, James, and John are being called into a great adventure, great because it is heading towards a completely uncertain destination. All they do is leave their worldly occupations behind and zoom into the unknown.

Some commentators on this passage suggest that not everyone is called to leave their day job to pursue their baptismal vocation of faithful discipleship and service to the church. And I think this is true, to an extent. The fact is that the nature of God’s call frequently does call us into some kind of radical change. God’s call might cause you to leave your job. It did with me. Or, rather, the job left me. But maybe the call involves radical revision of how your approach the work you do, so that you’re no longer just a doctor, or a lawyer, or an investment banker, or a farmer, or a nurse, or an accountant, or a husband, or a wife, or a son, or a daughter. Instead, you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, willing to follow Him wherever he might lead, taking comfort in the fact that, while He may lead you to uncertain or even uncomfortable places, you nonetheless never go it alone.

Perhaps you’re in a situation that needs to change. Are you ready to embark on what will likely be the greatest adventure of your life? That’s the question prodding us as we read about Jesus’ call to the first disciples. I can promise you this – if you take Him up on the call, He will never be absent from you, because God’s faithfulness endures, even when our faithfulness wanes.

And just as the Light of the World is connected intimately with the call to repent, so is his call to repent intimately connected with his call to follow him. And that brings us to the third part of this story.

Story Three – Teaching First, then Proclaiming, then Healing

Matthew takes a slightly different approach to Jesus’ than found in Mark’s gospel. For Mark, Jesus’ miracles are an important witness to the word of Jesus. For Matthew, the miracles are important, but they always come after the teaching and preaching. Teaching, preaching, and healing are almost always referred to in order of importance, as is found in verse 23:

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. (Matt 4:23 NRSV)

Teaching first, then proclamation of the news, and then healing.

In fact, this is the key to understanding an important aspect of our calling as those baptized into Jesus’ death and resurrection. The model for discipleship and evangelism in Matthew’s gospel is based on a persuasive model, not a coercive model. Jesus’ work begins with about teaching basic moral Christian lessons, relates those lessons with the good news that God’s kingdom has come near and is breaking.

Douglas Hare, in his wonderful commentary, illustrates the importance of teaching and preaching to the reader of Matthew’s gospel. He writes:

Matthew is deeply concerned about the mixed state of the church. There are too many Christians whose lives do not match their profession. They have heard the gospel but have not headed Jesus’ teaching; they are quick to cry “Lord! Lord!” but slow to do what Jesus said. For the health of the church, Jesus’ teaching about life in the kingdom must be given the fullest emphasis.³

The “mixed state of the church.” There are “too many Christians whose lives to not match their profession.” They have heard the gospel but have not headed the teaching. Does any of this sound familiar? I once attended a conference where Eugene Peterson was a speaker. He has a nifty saying, “chronological snobbery,” which is uses to describe the conceit where we “modern” Christians are so much smarter and better informed than our brothers and sisters now singing in the great choir invisible. The facts are different. The challenges the Church faces are frequently persistent in nature – so persistent, that for me it proves John Calvin’s case for our total depravity.

But the good news is this: Despite the fact that we are not really any better or superior than our ancestors, we still have the hope and promise of a Savior who calls us into a grand adventure – an adventure that might, at first, appear mysterious or troublesome, even unwanted, but one that tugs at us while we’re sleeping, or perhaps while we’re daydreaming at home or at work. It comes to us in the still, small voice of the breeze, even the chilly breezes we’ve been experiencing lately. And if you listen carefully, you’ll hear that the voice saying – “Follow me.” Are you ready to take the path of adventure ahead, as one baptized by Christ? If you are, pull me aside after the service and let me know, or let one of the Elders know. The adventure of teaching, preaching, and healing will take you down paths of hope and joy that you might otherwise miss. May we all repent, turn to God, and enter into the adventure of living fully for Christ.

Let us pray.

Loving God, through your Son you have called us to repent of our sin, to believe the good news, and to celebrate the coming of your kingdom. Like Christ’s first apostles, may we hear his call to discipleship, and, forsaking old ways, proclaim the gospel of new life to a broken world; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.⁴

Given at First Presbyterian Church, Portland, Texas.

¹Old, Hughes. Leading in Prayer. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans, 1995, p. 163. ↩

²Purdy, John C. “Returning God's Call: The Challenge of Christian Living.” Religion Online. Accessed January 25, 2008. Available online here. ↩

³Hare, Douglas. Matthew. Richmond: John Knox Press, 1993. ↩

⁴Theology and Worship Ministry Unit. Book of Common Worship. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993, p. 207. ↩

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What Are You Looking For?

What Are You Looking For?
John 1:29-42
January 20, 2008
2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

© 2008 by Christopher D. Drew

Sermon Focus: Testimony. Identification. Discipleship. The three words captures the essence of the action in this text. John the Baptist, having just given his testimony regarding Jesus as the Anointed One, then identifies him as the very “lamb of God” to two of John’s disciples. Having heard John’s pronouncement (and directions?), they follow Jesus. And Jesus, having seen the two former-disciples of John, asks the paramount question of the text: “What are you looking for?” The question is answered with another question, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” And Jesus answers, in almost cryptic fashion, “Come and you will see.”

Sermon Function: To teach listeners that discipleship and evangelist (“come and see”) to hand in hand, and that discipleship isn’t something you can figure out entirely on your own. You just have to obey the injunction, “come and see.”

[Click to Show/Hide Sermon Text]

Introduction

Last week, at the conclusion of the sermon, I invited all those present to participate in a corporate reaffirmation of baptism. The theme for this week is the exploration of what it means for us to say that we are baptized. What is the nature of our baptismal faith, our covenant, our calling, in Jesus Christ? What is one of the patterns by which Jesus is known, followed, and then shared with others? These are some of the big questions that arise from the reading today from the Gospel of John.

Let’s listen now to God’s word to us.

[Read Scripture - John 1:29-42]

Opening Comments

As a reminder, we’re in the midst of the first of two periods of Ordinary Time. The first period runs from Epiphany, which we have just observed, through the first Sunday of Lent, the Great 40 Days preceding Easter, which is earlier this year than it has been in 32 years. The next period of Ordinary Time runs from the Sunday after Pentecost all the way through to our next Advent. Lent is historically the great time of preparation for Baptism, which would commonly occur during the Easter vigil in the wee hours the night prior to Easter morning. It is my hope that those of you present who are not baptized might prayerfully consider this step of faith in Jesus Christ. And for those of you who are baptized, I hope these weeks and the weeks of Lent instill within you a renewed sense of your baptismal obligations and their associated Joy.

Testimony. Identification. Discipleship. These three words describe the three-fold movement in today’s scripture passage, a passage filled with interesting images that highlight the importance of faith and our baptismal vocation. At the same time, the gospel gives us a good indication of what it means to be obedient to the Anointed One of God, Jesus. Today, I’m going to address each one of these movements and how, together, the form the foundation of our baptismal covenant.

Testimony

Let’s talk about testimony.

Testimony is a word that, in our culture, is most often associated with the courtroom. The courtroom testimony theme is actually a big part of the Old Testament, and it should come as no surprise to us that this theme extends into the New Testament as well. And in fact, that is what is likely the connotation here in our gospel reading.

John quotes John the Baptizer as saying “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). This is a bold opening statement. The term “Lamb of God” seems to a loaded one – the early readers of the gospel would have likely thought of the Passover Lamb that was sacrificed for the sins of the people each year during the annual Jewish festival of Atonement known as Yom Kippur. John says that he baptized with water so that “he,” the one who ranks ahead of him, might be revealed to Israel. At first, John didn’t recognize him, but then he received a clear message: “He on whom you see the Sprit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit” (John 1:33). Jesus was revealed as the one anointed by the Spirit when John baptized him with water. John concludes by saying, “And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34 NRSV).

Testimony is the starting place for evangelism. Testimony comes to us in a variety of forms. It is given to us in the way commonly seen in courtrooms, but it’s also given in stories we tell each other, the stories we share from Holy Scripture, and the personal stories we share while together in worship and fellowship. In testimony, we commit ourselves to telling the truth. Telling the truth about who God is, and how we have experienced his presence in our lives. Truth-telling is at the heart of evangelism, because we open our hearts to others to let them know about the wonderful things that God has promised in his Son Jesus. We heard such a testimony this past Sunday. And I want you all to know that you, too, are welcome to share your testimony to the people of God. Just see me to make arrangements. Such testimony is a wonderful offering to God of a portion of that bounteous grace he has given to us.

Baptism itself is testimony. And as those who have been claimed by God in our baptisms, we become human vessels of God’s good news in Jesus Christ. The first component of our baptismal vocation, then, is testimony, both given and received.

Identification

The next part of our three-pronged view of our baptismal vocation is identification.

One of the reasons we have the sacrament of baptism is that it marks us, it visibly identifies us, as recipients of God’s amazing grace and members of his body, the Church. Baptism has another function, too. Through baptism, we are given gift that helps us to see Christ, because it is Christ himself who instituted the sacrament, and it is Jesus himself who baptizes us with His Spirit.

So our baptisms are kind of like an ID of sorts, but with along with that ID is an associated responsibility of our vocation, to point out Christ has the Lamb of God, just as John the Baptist does in our text today. We testify to the wonderful things that God has done for us, but then we extend that testimony to the next step: Who is the one that is the fullest revelation of God’s grace and love? The answer is Jesus Christ. And we are charged to spread this terrific news. By ourselves, we are unable to achieve any sort of redemption, but through Christ, we not only have the assurance of pardon for all of our sins, but the promise of being with him in resurrection life when he returns to renew all of creation.

Our baptismal vocation, our calling, as three parts: Testimony, identification, and discipleship.

Discipleship

Discipleship is the trickiest part of our vocation, but it’s at the very heart of Jesus’ call to his disciples.

Let’s look at our text again.

John is with two of his disciples, and then sees Jesus walking by. Having given his testimony that Jesus is the Anointed One, he then exclaims to his disciples the identification of Jesus as the very Lamb of God. The gospel then reads, “The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus” (John 1:37 NRSV). Without any other prompting other than John’s declaration, the two cease to be disciples of John and begin following Jesus. One can imagine the two wondering what exactly it was they were doing, leaving the known quantity John for the largely unknown quantity named Jesus. And Jesus turned around and saw the two following. The Greek verb here translated as “saw” is one of the typical verbs describing the act of seeing. But the gospel here uses the word θεάομαι, which a couple of particular meanings. First, the word describes the action of seeing, but with the implication that what is being observed is something unusual. Might it have seemed a bit unusual for the two disciples of John to suddenly change course and follow Jesus? Yes, one could imagine such a response. The second nuance associated with this verb is “to go see a person on the basis of friendship and with helpful intent.” I like that. Jesus looks at them on the basis of friendship and helpful intent. And the two disciples, one of them Andrew, the other unnamed, are asked by Jesus the same exact question most of us ask we encounter someone who doesn’t seem to know where they are going. That is, they appear lost, and unsure of the way. Perhaps they were getting along okay, but now they’ve taken a wrong turn, and are wandering in the wilderness. I remember the first time my family traveled through the famed desert known as Death Valley National Park. I was freaked out just by the name. “We’re going through Death Valley? Isn’t there another way?” I remember that one of my chief worries about the trip was that somehow we would get lost, and then we would become, tragically, another reason why this particular valley was called “Death Valley.” The fear of getting lost, having been unleashed by one prophet, John, will we now hitch ourselves to this new guy, Jesus?

So, perhaps our two disciples appear lost. And now they are being asked what they are looking for. You can imagine that they might have been unprepared for the question. When they reply to Jesus’ question with their own question, “Rabbi … where are you staying?” it is almost as if they are hedging for time, time to consider what they really might be looking for. But, as it turns out, the place where Jesus is staying, where he abides, is where they need to be. “Come and see,” answers Jesus. And then they came “and saw where he was staying.” And then they “remained,” they “stayed” with him that day. The place where they are staying isn’t identified geographically for us. Instead, we learn simply that the disciples stayed where Jesus was staying. And that is the nature of discipleship. You don’t necessary have a place to stay, but you do have a person to stay with.

This is also, for us, the concern of discipleship. Because discipleship, that third part of our baptismal vocation, may send us places we’re not familiar with, to be with people we’re not familiar with, to participate in worship and sacramental acts we’re not familiar with, to sit in classes with people we’re not familiar with, to take a new job we’re not familiar with, etc. You get the idea. The place isn’t as important as the person who is with us, regardless of where we physically may be, and regardless, even, of our own spiritual condition. Discipleship is about abiding, “staying” with the one about whom we have heard testimony, and the one who as been identified to us as Jesus, the Son of God, and the one with whom we abide no matter where he takes us.

So there is a choice, then, that must be made. Perhaps you’re starting to feel the necessity of that choice in your heart and soul. Perhaps you, too, are lost, and looking for someone who will abide with you no matter where you are right now in your life. You’ve heard the testimony about this great God who has done great things for us. This advent and Epiphany, you have heard that the full revelation, the full identification, of God with us is Jesus the Christ, the Anointed one, the Lamb of God who takes away not just your sins, but the sins of the whole world. Maybe you’ve been baptized, and are now trying to understand where God is leading you next in your own baptismal vocation? Is it to testify to what God has done? Is it to point out and identify Jesus as the savior of the world in some form of evangelism? Or is it do live out your discipleship by taking on a desperately needed mission of the church, which is sometimes an uncertain tasks that can take you to foreign places, but places where Jesus abides, where he is staying.

Or perhaps you are not yet baptized, but through the Word and Sacraments of the church you are wondering what to do. If you happen to be such a person, I pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit you might be able to see Jesus turning, and looking at you with that look of friendship and helpful intent as He asks you the question, “What are you looking for?” And, like the two disciples, you may come up a bit short with the answer. But that’s okay. If you’re simply willing to take the next step to follow Him, just ask Him where he is staying. Jesus will smile, point to the water of the font, and will say these words: “Come, and see!”

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, to whom be all glory and honor forever and ever. Amen.

Given at First Presbyterian Church, Portland, Texas.

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