For Sunday
Epiphany 2A
Collect
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Reading
From John 1:29-42
“He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah””
Reflection
We are now into the season after the Epiphany. A time in which we look for what God is doing in our world. An idea that at once seems both passive and active.
- Look is a verb, isn’t it? It’s an action! So looking is active.
- It also seems a lot like waiting for something to happen.
This is because the work of being open, watching, and anticipating the work of God is essentially reactive. You are doing something, but it is in anticipation of doing something else later.
It reminds me of the midwives attending to Rose when she was giving birth to our daughter. They were just sitting in the next room. Rose was laboring away and they were sitting there, rocking in chairs, knitting hats.
Except, of course, that they weren’t just sitting. Or just knitting. They were actively listening and anticipating what was going to happen.
It was such an odd experience. Each moment felt important and serious to me. And they seemed passive and uncaring. But every time I checked with them, they just smiled and said, she’s coming along just fine.
And yet, they could also tell when it was time to move or change positions. And when she was getting close to delivery.
Prepared to Act
John prepared for the coming of Jesus by proclaiming the Good News of his coming, preaching repentance, and baptizing people in the river. And yet, as we were reminded last week, even John was surprised at the opportunity to baptize him. It felt backward.
Then after the Messiah does arrive, things change for John, don’t they? His work also has to change. He was anticipating a Messiah who was going to arrive. And now that the Messiah has arrived, his message, for one, has to change. Slightly.
Prepared to Change
We also see that his followers change. Which can’t be good for John’s ego, can it? He could choose to see it as if they are abandoning him, like its a competition. Or he could recognize that they’re all there to serve. And he gets to show them.
And then, one of his followers becomes one of Jesus’s first disciples, Andrew. Who invites his brother to meet the Messiah.
Every bit of this is active. We are similarly called to multiple kinds of active participation in this divine project.