A gospel for the already-found
Epiphany 2B | John 1:43-51
This story we just heard from the gospel we call John is described as a call story. Because it shows how Jesus calls his disciples to follow him.
Call is a funny word because it really only is used this way in religious and spiritual contexts. Being called, or having a calling, is a way of speaking to divine guidance, synergy of purpose, and deep connection with who we are made to be.
Outside of the church, however, calling has a different impact. When I call you on the phone, it is quite direct. I act upon you. When you are “being called,” you’re mostly choosing whether to answer the phone. That’s it.
But for us in the church, being called isn’t about picking up the phone. It’s about all that comes from when you do. It is literally just the beginning.
The Bigger Story
This week’s story is the second half of a bigger call story. [Which is, itself, the second half of Jesus’s call story. But that’s a whole other thing.]
And much like the word, call, this story relies on a word that messes with our expectations.
First, though, the bigger story.
The Next Day
The day after John baptizes Jesus in the Jordan, he sees Jesus walking. And he points him out to two of his followers, saying “Look, here is the lamb of God!” And these two ditch John for Jesus. [I can’t help but feel bad for the guy, right? My big fat mouth! That means Jesus was the original sheep-stealer.]
And this scene is actually kind of funny. Because these two former disciples of John are just…following Jesus. Literally following him around. And Jesus turns and asks them “What are you looking for?” [This is an important question.]
Now, their response is weird. They don’t say what they are looking for. But to call him Rabbi (Teacher) and ask where he is staying. This has a kind of “you’re not getting rid of us” vibe. Like, does it matter?
But what it really seems to be saying is YOU! We’ve found what we’re looking for. Now we’re just curious where we’re going.
One of these two disciples is Andrew. He then goes and finds his brother, Simon, and says “We have found the Messiah”. Then he brings him back with him and introduces him to Jesus. And Jesus looks at him, calls Simon by his name [which he probably wasn’t told], and gives him a new name: Cephas (Peter).
And then the next day.
Jesus finds Philip. And it is interesting that Philip is from the same town as Andrew and Peter. It doesn’t say more than that, but the intentionality of Jesus looking for Philip who is connected to the brothers who just joined him is important.
Jesus finds Philip and says the same thing he said to the two disciples yesterday: “Follow me.” And Philip’s response is exactly like Andrew’s. He goes out to find someone. Tell them about Jesus. Then show them the Messiah. And Philip’s words to Nathaneal, the one he found, are the same words Jesus says to Andrew a few verses earlier: “Come and see”!
And just like he did when he met Peter, Jesus shows Nathaneal that he already knows about him. Which leads to Nathaneal declaring:
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Found
That’s a lot of little pieces to this story, isn’t it? But I hope you’re hearing the echoing themes in this intricate call story. Of seeking and finding, knowing and seeing. Of choosing to follow and bringing others with us.
But the word that resonates most, I think, is found.
And much like the secular understanding of call, find and found are pretty passive and narrow words for us. Like get, find expresses a kind of generic meaning.
We usually associate find with lost. We find our car keys. It doesn’t tell us how lost they were. Just that they were somewhere when we chose to look for them. Or even stumble upon them. It is super passive speech.
Being found is even worse. It is generally the active pursuit of waiting for someone else to look for us. Like playing hide and seek. We take five seconds to find a place and then sit there while someone else does the actual work of looking for us.
But the gospel describes the complete opposite. It shows Jesus developing deeply active and committed relationships with people. People seeking each other. Introducing each other. Finding each other.
This story is so communal; it is anything but passive. There is no waiting to be found. To be noticed. No waiting around to be picked.
Andrew picks Jesus. We would say that he was called to follow Jesus, but Andrew chose him! He just did it. Andrew picked Jesus. And then he went and found his brother and said You’re gonna want to meet this guy. And then his invitation to Peter is the same as Jesus’s invitation to him. Come and see.
More than Evangelism
We usually wrap this up in a box and call it “Evangelism”. But I think we are getting this backward. Don’t define this moment as evangelism. Define evangelism by this moment!
This is our calling. To choose Jesus and actively help others figure that out.
And it isn’t something so narrow as inviting someone to church, though that might be part of it. Nor is it something so vague as asking people: Do you know Jesus?
We’re trying to embody that vision, that devotion, that generosity, that trust, and that mutuality, so that we seek and we find. So that these patterns of looking outward toward our neighbors are reflective of God’s active searching. For us and for everyone. With us and with everyone.
That we be the blessed community.
This mutuality is the beating heart of God’s dream, that very beloved world. It is our normal. As a community sharing our very giftedness with one another. Singing and dancing, baking and teaching, crocheting and serving.
So much talent, so much joy, and so much hope.
An Obstacle
Before we leave this story behind, I want to name an obstacle for us. Something that obscures our ability to see what Andrew, Philip, and Nathaneal see. I want to name it so we can move past it and seek a better way for our neighbors.
It is the Sirens of individualism and their song is “Attraction”. We know: the sirens sing and draw all those who hear them to them to meet their doom.
We almost always see our world through a model of attraction. So we use attractiveness as our invitation and attraction as our purpose. We seek to draw people in with “better” liturgy or community. The prettiest esthetics and the right advertisements that appeal and draw others in. And we do so to bring them in and make them ours.
And when a neighbor offers something better, we often follow the siren to that better opportunity. Even if it’s sleeping in or brunch.
Attraction traps us into thinking only about ourselves and what we want.
The teaching from this story isn’t about attraction. It isn’t about having the right words, the right doctrine, or being the best of anything.
It’s about finding each other. Serving each other. Knowing each other. And then following Jesus on his world-changing mission.
Our work isn’t attracting people to our community. It is being the beloved community, centered on the love of Christ, and sharing it with others.
Being Beloved
So we might like to have more people in the pews. More money in the bank. And more stuff for our kids.
And we might want more help with setting up the altar, ushering, or preparing snacks for coffee hour.
It isn’t wrong to want these things. But don’t confuse any of this for the gospel itself. A gospel which invites us to come and see together, not sit and leave alone. A gospel which compels us to participate in the Good News itself; to spread the light in our neighborhood.
So let us share in this work. Inviting each other into small practices of love. Like coffee with friends, sci-fi book clubs, and family game nights.
And instead of waiting to be picked, like a love-sick teenager, make up an excuse and be with somebody. And quit pretending that these get-togethers don’t count! It’s too late to watch the Michigan Wolverines destroy the Washington Huskies, but you can watch the Lions with somebody!
We can all find ways to be together.
This is the beloved community. It isn’t about the words or the rules. It is the seeking and the finding so we can be.
We can all do this. Because all of us have been found. But all of us are called to keep inviting, come and see what I have found!