2nd Sunday after the Epiphany

 I Corinthians 1:1-9

John 1: 29-42

"Concern your calling"

1:1* ¶ Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,
 2* To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
 3* Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
 4* I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,
 5* that in every way you were enriched in him with all speech and all knowledge--
 6* even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you--
 7* so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ;
 8* who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 9* God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

 29* The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.’
 31* I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
 32* And John bore witness, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him.
 33* I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
 35* The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples;
 36* and he looked at Jesus as he walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”
 37* The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.
 38* Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”
 39* He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying; and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
 41* He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ).
 42* He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “So you are Simon the son of John? You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter).

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen
    ,
    "When I have a poor case," said an attorney,"I prepare an eloquent speech, when I have a good case, I simply call the witnesses."

The gospel of Jesus Christ  simply needs to call its witnesses.

Our gospel lesson and our second lesson about people being called by Christ. Peter, James and John were called to be disciples in our gospel lesson. In the lesson from 1 Corinthians, Peter speaks about his calling.

Peter was called to 'be an apostle, called to change his life, called to serve the Lord Jesus w as a witness to God"s grace in his life. Paul's watchword became, 'Not I, but Christ.  His only concern was to be sensitive to the voice of God who had called him.

As members of the body of Christ, we have been called by God to be his people, called to be saints, called to be his church, called to be the ones who bring God's grace into this world.  We think of God coming to us in his means of Grace, his word and the sacraments of baptism and holy communion.  But the other means which we often ignore is ourselves.  We are called by God to be his means of grace in this world. We are called by God to be sacramental, to be a means by which his love, his forgiveness is brought into this world.  Have you ever thought of yourself as a sacrament of God?? You are, you are a holy temple, a means by which God comes to those who are hurting, a means by which God comes to those who need to be  forgiven, a means by which those who need love are loved.  God works through people, we see that every Sunday morning as he works through the brokenness of this person to bring his grace to you. God uses me to bring his forgiveness to you at the beginning of the service when I.declare that your sins are forgiven, it is my words, my body, my arm in the air, but it is God's action working through these things that makes you not guilty, that forgives you of your sins.

I have been called by God to be an apostle, as one sent forth, just as all of you are called by God to be sent; forth into this world, just as Paul says in  our  first verse from I Corinthians that he was called  by the will of God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. We are sent, we are not kept safe in these four walls, we are not kept safe in our homes, at our jobs,but we are called to be sent out into the world to be with those who do not know the love of God in their lives, to be with those who. are hurting, to be with those who need forgiveness, to be with those as they are in their everyday lives, as they struggle with all the brokenness of this world.

As we see in these two lessons, the church is not these four walls, but the people inside who are called by God through Christ and his spirit to be the church.

"A little boy had fallen asleep in the nursery and as the pastor was shaking hand at the doorway, an usher brought him out of the nursery into  the church. It seemed like his parents had forgotten about him. As the lad woke up in the church, he looked around and saw that the church was empty and he said, where did the church go.

Where did the church go is an apt phrase as this little boy knew it was the people inside the church's four walls that made up the church.  He knew that the church was people, people called by God through Christ and the Holy Spirit to be followers of Jesus. This little boy understood what the church was all about and I wonder why do adults see the church only as a building, or as the pastor or as a location? I wonder.

Our lesson from I Corinthians tells us we have also been called to be saints, called  to be believers in God, called to be ones who believe the promises of God are true for our lives.  We know that the covenant we have with God is a covenant between a greater party and a lesser party, God being the greater and we-being the lesser. God has called us to live in his covenant, called us to be his people because he wills it for our lives. We don't seek God, He seeks us. God claims us to be his because he wills it for us who are inferior to him. Why?? That is the unanswerable question of time. Why would God call people who reject him, who would rather believe in their own selves, in their worth, in their own pride? Why would God call people who have only selfish motives in life, people who cannot see beyond themselves, why God calls that kind of people to be his we will never know. But he has, that is the amazing grace in which we live. God bas called us to be his, called us to believe in the promises he  has made for us, called us to be his children. He calls us not when we can respond, but as Ryan will find out this morning in the Baptismal service, he calls us as babies, as those who have no choice, as ones who do not even understand what is happening. God calls us to be his, to believe in his promise for our lives.

Paul says further that the promises we are called to believe in enrich our lives with every spiritual gift. Paul says that the grace of  God gives direction, gives purpose, gives meaning, gives vocation to ones life.  We are called by God to give honor and glory to him in all areas of life. All of us have been given gifts by God with which we support our families, take care of our homes, or learn knowledge for future use.What ever we do, we have been granted that skill, that ability by God in our lives. With that gift comes a responsibility, to use these gifts to a worthwhile end, to use those gifts for the honor and glory of God and in service to our neighbor.

Finally Paul says we are called into fellowship by the grace of God. We are called into the church, we are called into this place so that we might receive support, encouragement, forgiveness, love and respect one another. It is within the church that we are to care for one another. It is a feeling that needs to be kept alive in our church. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our selves, that we cannot see the hurt, the frustration, the loneliness, the sorrow, the pain, the despair, or the anger in the heart of our brother or sister in Christ.

But the Christian community is a place, should be a place, where brothers and sisters can come and share their brokenness, where they can come and gain peace and comfort from a brother and sister, where one can tell to another the pain of live and know there will be support, concern and compassion. The church in its beginning was a very compassionate entity, but I wonder if we have lost some of that compassion through out the  centuries.  I wonder if the members of the church have turned more inward, more concerned about themselves than about their brother or sister in Christ?

Paul says we are called by God to be sent forth to be witnesses in this world for the grace of God. He says we are called to believe, to be saints, to trust in the promises of God for our lives. He says further that we are called into a fellowship, called into the church, called into the body of Christ to care for one another. We are called to be compassionate, to be loving people to our brother and sister in Christ. We are called to reach out to others in this world who need to feel the grace of God through us.

What we are talking about this morning can be summed up in one word, discipleship. We are called to be disciples, or followers of Jesus as members of the body of Christ.

Discipleship isn't what you do. Being a disciple is who you are-it changes everything. Being a disciple of Christ changes you from the inside out.

A closing story sums this all up for us as we contemplate what it means to be a disciple of God.

Let’s imagine that you want to learn to dance. Being the rational, cerebral person you are, you go to a bookstore and buy a book on dancing. You take the book home and get to work.

Finally, you think you’ve got it, and you invite your wife to come in and watch. You hold the book open and follow the instructions step by step. You even read the words aloud so she’ll know that you’ve done your homework. “Lean with your right shoulder,” and so you lean. “Now step with your right foot,” and so you step. “Turn slowly to the left,” and so you do.

You continue to read, then dance, read, then dance, until the dance is completed. You plop exhausted on the couch, look at your wife, and proclaim, “I executed it perfectly.”

“You executed it, all right,” she sighs. “You killed it.”

“What?”

“You forgot the most important part. Where is the music?”

Music?

You never thought about music. You remembered the book. You learned the rules. You laid out the pattern. But you forgot the music.

“Do it again,” she says, putting in a CD. “This time don’t worry about the steps; just follow the music.”

She extends her hand and the music begins. The next thing you know, you are dancing-and you don’t even have the book.

We Christians are prone to follow the book while ignoring the music. We master the doctrine, outline the chapters, memorize the dispensations, debate the rules, and stiffly step down the dance floor of life with no music in our hearts. We measure each step, calibrate each turn, and flop into bed each night exhausted from another day of dancing by the book.

Dancing with no music is tough stuff.

“Let God have you, and let God love you-and don’t be surprised if your heart begins to hear music you’ve never heard and your feet learn to dance as never before.”(1)

Amen

Written by Pastor Tim Zingale January 14, 2008

 You may freely use this but please give credit. Not for commercial use.


(1) as seen in Max Lucado’s weekly email devotional. From “A Gentle Thunder: Hearing God Through the Storm,” © 1995, Max Lucado
from firstIMPRESSIONS
by  Senior Pastor Timothy Satryan