WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:03.279 A reading from Isaiah. 00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:05.839 Listen to me, O coastlands. 00:00:06.080 --> 00:00:09.359 Pay attention, you peoples from far away. 00:00:09.599 --> 00:00:12.320 The Lord called me before I was born. 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:15.759 While I was in my mother's womb, he named me. 00:00:16.079 --> 00:00:18.800 He made my mouth like a sharp sword. 00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:21.839 In the shadow of his hand, he hid me. 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:24.239 He made me a polished arrow. 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:27.039 In his quiver, he hid me away. 00:00:27.280 --> 00:00:33.679 And he said to me, You are my servant Israel, in whom I will be glorified. 00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:36.880 But I said, I have labored in vain. 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:40.479 I have spent my strength for nothing in vanity. 00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:46.240 Yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God. 00:00:46.880 --> 00:01:02.719 And now the Lord says, Who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength. 00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:13.439 He says, It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel. 00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:21.519 I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. 00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:33.120 Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his holy one, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers. 00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:36.239 Kings shall see and stand up. 00:01:36.560 --> 00:01:40.079 Princes and they shall prostrate themselves. 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:49.200 Because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you, the word of the Lord. 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:55.040 A reading from Corinthians. 00:01:55.599 --> 00:02:16.800 Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God and our brother Sosthenus to the Church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are 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. 00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:22.319 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:02:22.879 --> 00:02:30.080 I give thanks to my God always for you, because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus. 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:36.879 For in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind. 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:54.639 Just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, he will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:02:56.960 --> 00:03:04.879 By him you were called into a fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and the word of the Lord. 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:19.439 The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to John. 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:29.360 John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:35.520 This is the one of whom I said, After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he was before me. 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:42.719 I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel. 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:48.479 And John testified, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:59.199 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, The one on whom you see the spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. 00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:03.360 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God. 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:12.159 The next day John again was standing with two of his own disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, Look, here is the Lamb of God. 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:15.759 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:20.959 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, What are you looking for? 00:04:21.279 --> 00:04:27.439 They said to him, Rabbi, which translated means teacher, where are you staying? 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:30.240 He said to them, Come and see. 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:34.399 They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:36.879 It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:42.000 One of the two who had heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:48.079 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, We have found the Messiah, which is translated anointed. 00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:53.279 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, You are Simon, son of John. 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:57.439 You are to be called Cethas, which is translated Peter. 00:04:58.480 --> 00:04:59.839 The Gospel of the Lord. 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:09.120 This is our third opportunity to think about Epiphany. 00:05:09.199 --> 00:05:17.040 Remember, these are moments not just where we discover a new flavor or a delightful new restaurant, but they change the way we see the world. 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:27.199 So we started with the magi, and last week we got to consider what the baptism of the Lord might have meant for the Lord Himself and thereby for us. 00:05:27.439 --> 00:05:30.879 And this week it seems like we've gone back to baptism. 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:33.839 John is telling us something really interesting. 00:05:34.160 --> 00:05:40.959 John differs quite a bit from Matthew, Mark, and Luke often, and in this story it's John the Baptist. 00:05:41.040 --> 00:05:45.839 And there's two phrases in particular that I think are really worth our focus this week. 00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:51.279 The first is behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 00:05:53.040 --> 00:05:55.519 So let's linger there for a second. 00:05:55.839 --> 00:06:06.319 Because usually we hear Lamb of God, and our brain immediately goes to, well, let me ask you, where does your mind go when you hear Lamb of God? 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:13.600 I can kind of hear whispering, but I'm not sure. 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:14.480 Someone be bold. 00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:16.000 I know this is unepiscopalian. 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:19.680 But what is the lamb of God? 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:22.240 A sacrifice. 00:06:22.480 --> 00:06:23.839 Aha, a sacrifice. 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:25.519 That takes away sin, right? 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:30.959 So this I think is really worth our spending a little bit of time on because there's actually a lot of options. 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:37.519 When you think lamb of God, you might think the Paschal Lamb, like the Passover sacrifice, right? 00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:40.079 Except the Paschal Lamb wasn't a sacrifice. 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:43.120 So I want to spend a little moment on that, if you don't mind. 00:06:43.680 --> 00:06:45.279 Passover, this is the night. 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:56.160 This is one of those holy festivals in which the people of Israel who have been enslaved in Egypt are supposed to leave because in the middle of the night, Pharaoh's going to say, get out. 00:06:56.800 --> 00:07:04.319 And the words that God tells Moses is, every family will kill its own lamb. 00:07:04.639 --> 00:07:16.000 This is really unique because in the nation of Israel, the Hebrew people, all meat was slaughtered by priests and by Levites. 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:18.560 They were butchers in the ancient world. 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:20.879 Bakers did not slaughter sheep. 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:23.759 That was the work of Levites and priests. 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:25.839 Passover night is different. 00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:31.279 Every family kills its own lamb, and they have to do something with the blood. 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:32.319 You remember? 00:07:35.120 --> 00:07:39.519 I don't know if you remember your Hebrew Bible, but there's a huge prohibition. 00:07:39.759 --> 00:07:43.439 You're allowed to eat most of the animal, but you can't have its fat. 00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:48.319 That you burn up a sacrifice, and you cannot have its blood. 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:54.079 Because the Hebrew scriptures are clear, the blood is the life of the animal. 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:56.319 You have to pour it on the ground. 00:07:56.720 --> 00:07:59.519 You have to return it to God because it's not yours. 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:02.240 This is a little bit beyond our way of thinking. 00:08:02.399 --> 00:08:05.759 Most of us don't eat blood sausage, unless maybe you're Irish. 00:08:07.199 --> 00:08:14.720 Most of us here in the United States have this, we kind of rancor at the idea of having blood. 00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:22.560 But the understanding is that the qi, the life force, the spirit of the animal was in the blood. 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:27.040 So that people would consume the blood of animals to get their powers. 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:34.559 This may sound strange, but if you're familiar with the Southeast Asian black market, this is why people eat rhino horns. 00:08:34.799 --> 00:08:39.440 They eat it to get the qi of the rhino, the strength of the animal. 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:43.039 The prohibition was really clear. 00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:48.240 Pour the blood on the ground, return the qi of the animal to God. 00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:52.879 Why do you put the blood on the doorpost to prove you didn't eat it? 00:08:54.399 --> 00:08:59.759 There is one animal that takes away the sins of the people every year. 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:01.919 It's on the Jewish High Holy Day. 00:09:02.080 --> 00:09:03.519 Do you know which one it is? 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:06.159 The Day of Atonement. 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:08.399 In Hebrew, that's called Yom Kippur. 00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:12.159 It is not a lamb, it's a goat. 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:29.440 And the high priest, that would have been Aaron at the time of the story of the Exodus, lays his hands on the head of the goat and says, All of the transgressions and ritual impurity of the people I am putting on you. 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:32.399 And then do you know what they do with that animal? 00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:35.679 They drive it away. 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:36.720 They don't kill it. 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:38.799 It's called the scapegoat. 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:40.960 It's a goat. 00:09:41.279 --> 00:09:53.120 They put the representative missing of the people onto the goat and they drive it away into exile and they say, you can't even die in our community. 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:56.799 All the stuff we've done does not live with us anymore. 00:09:56.879 --> 00:09:57.679 It goes away. 00:09:57.840 --> 00:09:59.039 We send you out. 00:09:59.279 --> 00:10:03.279 If anybody touches the scapegoat, they and their family die. 00:10:04.080 --> 00:10:09.440 The point is to get it away, not to kill it in your community. 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:13.039 So why on earth did people eat the Paschal Lamb? 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:18.320 Because people in the ancient world didn't eat meat like we do. 00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:22.639 People in the ancient world ate meat on high holy days only. 00:10:22.799 --> 00:10:24.879 There were three or four or five of those. 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:34.240 Or if there was a stillborn animal like veal, veal was only eaten because there was something wrong with it. 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:39.600 These people were getting ready to walk a long way. 00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:49.279 They had their grandma, they had their parakeet, they had their ferrets, they had their small children, they had their luggage, and they were vegetarian most of the year. 00:10:49.360 --> 00:10:51.519 So why did they need the Paschal lamb? 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:53.840 They needed energy for the journey. 00:10:54.639 --> 00:10:56.159 Energy for the journey. 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:01.679 Nothing. 00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:04.639 It's all about energy. 00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:13.840 So when John says, look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, this is a clue to us. 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:16.799 This is not Jesus dying for our sins. 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:18.720 That's something we've done later. 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:27.120 At the time of John, this is John saying, look, energy for the journey to take away the sin of the world. 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:28.159 Now what's sin? 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:29.840 It means two things in the Bible. 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:32.480 So in Hebrew, it's an archery word. 00:11:32.559 --> 00:11:36.399 And it means you aim at the bullseye, but you miss. 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:39.840 Sin means missing the mark. 00:11:40.559 --> 00:11:51.600 It doesn't mean you should stop trying, it means you should recalibrate your aim and give it another go. 00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:56.240 If you quit shooting, that would be worse. 00:11:56.720 --> 00:12:02.879 In Greek, the word is hammartia, and it actually comes from Greek drama. 00:12:03.200 --> 00:12:07.519 So the word sin in Greek drama is about the tragic flaw. 00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:14.399 You probably studied this when you were in the ninth or tenth grade, that in general Greek dramas, people already knew the story. 00:12:14.639 --> 00:12:21.279 It was well known to them, but they wanted to see how it was that the protagonists met usually their sad ends. 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:23.600 So think about Oedipus the King, right? 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:25.279 Or think about Electra. 00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:30.399 If you remember these plays, the tragic flaw was hubris. 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:33.600 That was one type of tragic flaw. 00:12:33.919 --> 00:12:36.799 Making more of yourself than you really were. 00:12:38.080 --> 00:12:44.320 I would tell you another tragic flaw would be making less of yourself than you really are. 00:12:45.039 --> 00:12:47.120 There's lots of tragic flaws. 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:50.960 So what is the tragic flaw of the world? 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:58.159 What tragic flaw do we need the energy from the Lamb of God to take away? 00:12:58.399 --> 00:12:59.360 I would put it before you. 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:02.559 I think that is what John is suggesting about Jesus. 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:11.279 Jesus is there to strengthen us to turn the world a different way. 00:13:23.679 --> 00:13:25.360 No, that's too little for God. 00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:29.039 It's about a light for the whole world. 00:13:29.919 --> 00:13:35.360 I put before you last week some of the tragic flaws of the world as I see them. 00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:44.639 And listen, depending on where you are in life or where you are physically, you uh you can experience these yourselves. 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:49.440 Like if you really want to experience some chaos, go try parking at Costco. 00:13:49.679 --> 00:13:57.279 You might really discover the tragic flaw of the world when you see drivers who have no patience. 00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:07.600 But you might also experience tragic flaws of the world when you experience things like ageism and racism and sexism. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:11.279 You might just experience the tragic flaw of the world. 00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:14.879 I'll tell you another one that I think the text beckons us to today. 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:20.799 And listen, this is really helpful to hear that the people who need knew Jesus best said the dumbest things. 00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:25.279 Jesus, they say, What do you want to Andrew? 00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:28.399 And Andrew says, Where are you staying? 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:33.759 You know, I mean, if you could ask Jesus one question, would you ask him where he's staying? 00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:36.000 That's what they ask. 00:14:36.480 --> 00:14:38.399 We want to see where you're staying. 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:44.159 And Jesus says something really interesting that I don't think any of us would put up with today. 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:46.399 Come and see. 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:48.799 Come and see. 00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:54.960 I might be making more of this than I should. 00:14:55.360 --> 00:15:11.120 But it seems to me, especially as I've gotten older, that what we actually really like to do, and this is a tragic flow of the world, is to flatten people as soon as we can into some kind of preconceived notion. 00:15:12.320 --> 00:15:14.320 You drive a really big truck. 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:17.360 I'm gonna make a snap judgment about who you are. 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:21.519 You drive one of those plug-in cars. 00:15:21.679 --> 00:15:25.120 You must be some kind of granola tree-hugging person. 00:15:26.399 --> 00:15:35.519 You voted Republican in the last election, so I've already made up my mind about who you are and what you stand for. 00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:53.039 And maybe Jesus is saying we don't have to live into that tragic flaw of the world in which we label people so that we can negate them and make them flat, so that we can take subjects and turn them into objects of our desire and judgment. 00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:57.200 Maybe Jesus says, I'm not gonna give you any words to flatten me out. 00:15:57.279 --> 00:16:00.080 So if you want to know, come and see. 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:03.200 Come and see for yourself. 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:07.919 I'm not going to be the best CEO. 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:12.480 I'm not going to be the one who dies on behalf of your sins only. 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:13.840 You come and see. 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:16.720 Don't listen to what other people say. 00:16:17.519 --> 00:16:18.639 You come and see. 00:16:19.440 --> 00:16:31.440 What's interesting is when Andrew comes and sees, he has an experience big enough to tell Peter, his brother, he uses the same words, to come and see. 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:34.399 Come and see. 00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:39.200 Like I've seen something worth your seeing. 00:16:40.720 --> 00:16:41.759 Come and see. 00:16:42.080 --> 00:16:45.919 Actually, the Gospel of John uses these words a couple of times, these same words. 00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:50.879 When Jesus goes to see his dead friend Lazarus, where have you laid him? 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:53.519 They say come and see. 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:57.519 This is a catchphrase for John. 00:16:58.080 --> 00:16:59.679 Come and see. 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:05.680 And I think Eddie I think the invitation for us is very, very real. 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:11.920 I mean, I think we can spend a lot of time saying, oh, look, sin is when we do something that makes God mad. 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:14.880 And that certainly is the way I grew up. 00:17:17.440 --> 00:17:20.079 I just think it's probably bigger than that. 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:30.799 The truth is if God loves us as much as we're told and as much as Scripture seems to believe, then God actually isn't very mad at us very often. 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:35.839 God is probably very disappointed with the decisions that we make. 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:39.279 But that's not the same as being mad at us. 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:52.240 And here I suggest to you that Jesus and John the Baptist are saying, look, we don't have to settle for living like this. 00:17:55.279 --> 00:18:06.400 Not just as a country, not just in the next state congress election, but you know, even in the workplace and with our families, we can say, hey, not my experience. 00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:09.039 I hear you saying that about that other person. 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:10.720 Not my experience. 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:13.839 Maybe you should come and see. 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:18.079 Maybe you should come and see about that. 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:37.039 There is something, I think, really, really hardwired in us about being tribal, about spreading gossip, because gossip is one of those ways in which we say, I'm different from them. 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:39.920 Different, like better. 00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:42.400 And we do it really quickly. 00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:46.960 And here is Jesus saying no to that. 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:50.160 You will not flatten me. 00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:54.160 You come and see, or I have nothing to say to you. 00:18:55.519 --> 00:19:00.160 Now, what does this have to do with 1 Corinthians? 00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:10.079 My thinking is that Paul does something here that we have kind of grown, uh, well, it's become antiquated. 00:19:10.240 --> 00:19:14.240 Paul's writing a letter, which has become very antiquated. 00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:29.920 And uh what's really interesting about looking at Paul's writings, whether it is 1 Corinthians today or 1 Thessalonians or books like Galatians, is that there is standard letter writing practice that happens in every one of Paul's letters. 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:35.119 Like when we were in elementary school and we learned you write dear, so and so, right? 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:36.960 We start with dear. 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:41.839 Well, what Paul always starts with is gratitude. 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:48.240 First he says, Grace and peace to you, and then he says, I give thanks to God for who you are. 00:19:48.400 --> 00:19:52.799 And I've got to tell you, I had this really, really interesting teacher in seminary. 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:56.079 Um, she made us read a monograph every week. 00:19:56.160 --> 00:19:59.279 So that was like a 300-page book we had to read every week. 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:00.559 And this was one class. 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:03.920 And we also had to write a three-page paper about that book. 00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:06.319 That was in order to come to class. 00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:08.720 Most people didn't read the book. 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:23.359 When we wrote that paper, we had to initially spend a whole page discussing the author's unique contribution to the theological world. 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:28.160 We had to say, what did the author do appreciatively? 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:35.359 Now I can tell you that was difficult for me because I am super good at being analytical. 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:38.640 In fact, I think I have the spiritual grift of criticism. 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:44.720 And when we were doing this, I thought, aha, this is just buttering the author up for what's coming next. 00:20:44.880 --> 00:20:47.599 And of course, that's the sin of the world. 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:49.440 That's the sin of the world. 00:20:49.759 --> 00:21:00.880 There was instead this opportunity before criticizing and before evaluating to say, thank you for the gift of your thoughts. 00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:04.400 Even if I disagree with them, you put them out there. 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:08.319 I see what perspective it is you're trying to engage. 00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:10.319 I make room for that. 00:21:10.720 --> 00:21:16.160 Even if I disagree, I'm able to be grateful for you putting it out there. 00:21:16.640 --> 00:21:23.440 Because anytime someone writes a book, having just done one, they're sharing part of themselves. 00:21:25.359 --> 00:21:27.680 And Paul does this every time he writes a letter. 00:21:28.000 --> 00:21:35.599 Before he takes any group of people to task for what they're doing, he says, I give thanks to God for you. 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:50.000 And I wonder if that would be just a little bit of an easy practice for us to do when we think about how it is that we resist the sin of the world. 00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:59.440 What if either we wrote a letter writing mails? 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:04.079 In general, the emails I tend to write look more like text messages nowadays, right? 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:05.759 Get to the point. 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:09.119 The point is, I need these copies by Friday. 00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:12.079 Or where's my book? 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:19.680 What if we said, hey, I really appreciate blank and I need these copies by Friday. 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:25.759 What if this one would be even harder? 00:22:27.279 --> 00:22:37.680 What if somebody said, doesn't that drive you crazy when whoever Nancy Pelosi says this or your co-worker does that? 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:39.759 What if you before you said yes? 00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:40.960 What if you say, you know? 00:22:44.799 --> 00:22:50.400 I really appreciate that she puts herself out there. 00:22:51.039 --> 00:22:55.200 You know, I really appreciate he shows up on time every day for work. 00:22:55.440 --> 00:22:56.880 I really appreciate Blank. 00:22:57.440 --> 00:22:59.920 And yeah, I do share your concern about that. 00:23:00.640 --> 00:23:12.160 What if what if we did something really difficult and appreciated somebody that drives us crazy before we took him to task? 00:23:12.319 --> 00:23:13.519 What if we did that? 00:23:17.599 --> 00:23:22.799 I think if we can do that, it would turn something in ourselves. 00:23:29.119 --> 00:23:33.279 In fact, they are three-dimensional beings that do both things. 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:41.839 And if we don't have room for other people to please us or to appreciate them in any way, that says something more about us than it says about them. 00:23:44.559 --> 00:23:47.440 This is the kind of journey I want to tell you. 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:53.039 That I am not good at, and that it's very, very hard. 00:23:53.279 --> 00:23:56.880 You know, it's sort of like starting a new exercise routine. 00:23:57.119 --> 00:24:00.799 I can try it and I will get hurt very quickly because I just don't have energy. 00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:03.200 I need to consult my doctor before doing it. 00:24:03.359 --> 00:24:08.240 But um, uh it's a good thing you're here. 00:24:09.119 --> 00:24:24.000 I'm pretty sure the whole reason we come to God's table every week is so that we can have spiritual energy from the Lamb of God to journey forth in new ways that would light up our lives and would light up the world. 00:24:26.559 --> 00:24:40.000 Behold today at the Eucharist, the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world and would give you the energy to go forward in that journey. 00:24:44.160 --> 00:25:00.079 Today we continue in the season of Epiphany, this time when we celebrate these big ideas that change us, change the way we view the world, and thus changes our responses to the world around us. 00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:07.839 For the last two weeks, we looked at the epiphanies of who Jesus is and who we are in relationship to God. 00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:14.240 Two weeks ago, we've reflected on the story of the Magi's visit to the young Jesus child. 00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:21.119 Mike offered the big idea that God desires our everyday selves. 00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:26.480 And God desires what we can offer up right now in the present. 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:43.680 Those proverbial common things like deodorant, loose coins, and vitamin C, those things that we have here and now with us, not just some huge, extravagant gift that maybe someday in the future we will be able to offer. 00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:55.359 Last week we reflected on the baptism of Jesus and the epiphany that God loved Jesus even before Jesus' public ministry began. 00:25:55.680 --> 00:26:04.559 And in part, this is why we celebrate infant baptism, because God loves us before we do anything. 00:26:04.880 --> 00:26:06.559 God loves us first. 00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:19.359 Reflecting on today's gospel reading of John's retelling of the baptism and the start of the ministry of Jesus, offer another possible epiphany. 00:26:20.240 --> 00:26:24.640 Jesus doesn't go it alone, and neither do we. 00:26:26.000 --> 00:26:32.960 Even Jesus, God made flesh, isn't some lone wolf making it completely on his own. 00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:44.799 While the Western world that most of us are part of is something where we praise independence, we glorify self-reliance, and encourage the personal choice. 00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:49.920 Jesus shows us the goodness of going with one another. 00:26:51.599 --> 00:27:09.680 I recently went to view the powerful movie Just Mercy, based on the true story of Brian Stevenson, the lawyer who offers his service to the poor and the marginalized, who often get poor representation and are unable to obtain a fair trial. 00:27:10.559 --> 00:27:21.920 One of the imprisoned who Stevenson represents is Walter MacMillan, a man who is falsely accused of murder and imprisoned and even put on death row. 00:27:23.119 --> 00:27:33.680 Throughout the movie, the viewers experience the closeness that Macmillan has with the two prison inmates who are in the cells on either side of him. 00:27:34.400 --> 00:27:41.119 While each of them are in a single cell, concrete walls on three sides and bars on the fourth. 00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:50.079 Over and over again, you see them coming up close to the bars to be in relationship with one another, to talk with one another. 00:27:50.319 --> 00:27:53.359 It is clear that they have a close friendship. 00:27:53.519 --> 00:28:01.680 They share with each other their struggles, and they encourage and uplift one another when they hit their low points. 00:28:03.680 --> 00:28:14.640 This image then is in contrast at one point in the movie where Macmillan is placed in solitary confinement for about 60 days. 00:28:15.680 --> 00:28:22.160 The realities of isolation on the human psyche are quickly realized by the viewer. 00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:29.200 In that cell that has no windows, no bars, four concrete walls. 00:28:29.759 --> 00:28:42.720 Macmillan begins to be extremely agitated and even begins to hallucinate, seemingly losing his mind because of this long-term isolation. 00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:52.400 The severity of the harsh punishment is extreme, for humans are not meant to be in isolation to this extent. 00:28:54.000 --> 00:29:13.680 Reflecting on my own life, in the periods in which I have found darkness, the periods were that were most hard for me, I can reflect on those and know the truth that not only was God with me through those moments, but so were significant people. 00:29:14.559 --> 00:29:19.039 In those darkest periods, I was never truly alone. 00:29:20.640 --> 00:29:25.200 In today's gospel, we see that Jesus does not go it alone. 00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:31.759 First, we see that Jesus remains in relationship with the other two members of the Trinity. 00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:41.680 The image of the dove, the Holy Spirit, descends upon Jesus and not only for a moment, but then remains with Jesus. 00:29:42.160 --> 00:29:49.839 This is an image that in even in human form, Jesus is not separated from the rest of the Trinity. 00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:56.559 The three are in a forever dance, one with another, that cannot be stopped. 00:29:56.880 --> 00:30:02.000 At no time is Jesus going it alone, in isolation from the rest of God. 00:30:03.839 --> 00:30:16.319 Jesus' ministry on earth is not a solitary journey either, for we see that he has John the Baptist going before him, announcing Jesus' coming and pointing towards Jesus' identity. 00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:26.000 John's testimony to his disciples and to those religious leaders is a testimony that directs them towards the importance of Jesus. 00:30:26.559 --> 00:30:32.480 John's work is to help prepare the way for the work that Jesus is about to do. 00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:39.279 John isn't the only person in today's gospel that is involved in the ministry of Jesus. 00:30:39.599 --> 00:30:48.160 We have Andrew, arguably the first evangelist in John's gospel, at least after John the Baptist himself. 00:30:48.960 --> 00:30:57.680 After Andrew meets Jesus, Andrew goes and brings his brother so that he too can witness the Messiah. 00:30:58.160 --> 00:31:06.240 It's Andrew's brother, Simon Peter, who becomes the rock, the foundation on which Jesus builds his church. 00:31:07.119 --> 00:31:14.319 If Andrew doesn't come and see, then he won't share this discovery that he has with Peter. 00:31:14.640 --> 00:31:21.039 And can you imagine the shape of the early church if Peter is not there to be a leader of it? 00:31:22.559 --> 00:31:31.920 Surely Jesus, being God in all, can successfully pull off the mission he has in mind all by himself. 00:31:32.720 --> 00:31:39.359 But he chooses to be part of humanity and chooses to be with humanity intimately. 00:31:39.759 --> 00:31:42.480 He chooses to not go it alone. 00:31:44.079 --> 00:31:48.319 Part of not being aloner means that Jesus is not standoffish. 00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:56.000 When he notices two of the Baptist's disciples following him, he engages them. 00:31:56.400 --> 00:32:02.720 The first words that Jesus says in the Gospel of John are a question. 00:32:03.599 --> 00:32:08.079 What is it you seek, or what is it you need? 00:32:09.039 --> 00:32:15.359 And then he waits to hear their answer before inviting them to come and see. 00:32:16.559 --> 00:32:30.079 From the beginning of the incarnation, there is an invitation for exploration, an invitation for the disciples to honestly answer what it is that they are seeking, what it is that they are in need of. 00:32:30.559 --> 00:32:42.000 And then an invitation to experience how Jesus fulfills these needs through being in relationship with him, through abiding with, through dwelling with. 00:33:24.960 --> 00:33:33.519 And not only that, but he needs something that's all-wheel drive because there's a lot more snow than this Georgia boy knows how to handle. 00:33:34.960 --> 00:33:44.079 So he wanted to get something that not only would be good in the snow, but something that in the long run that I too would be comfortable driving. 00:33:44.640 --> 00:33:52.559 So he narrowed it down to two car choices and asked if I would go to the local dealership here in Texas to look at those models. 00:33:53.599 --> 00:34:02.000 Before I even had my car in park at the dealership, there was someone at my door ready to help me. 00:34:03.599 --> 00:34:13.679 I was up front from the beginning, apologetically knowledging that what I was the help I was looking for was not going to lead to a commission for him today. 00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:30.239 I tried to be clear that all I wanted to do was sit in two different models, see how they felt, mainly make sure I could see over the dashboard, because that's an issue for short people like me, and ask a few questions. 00:34:30.559 --> 00:34:45.280 I wasn't even asking to do a test drive, and yet, at least four times in that 15 minutes, he tried to convince me that I needed to turn in my car and get a new one. 00:34:45.599 --> 00:34:54.639 I know my car doesn't look like much, but it's a Honda and it needs to get me through a lot more miles before I'm willing and ready to give up on her. 00:34:55.679 --> 00:34:58.880 Now I didn't take any offense at this man's approach. 00:34:58.960 --> 00:35:03.119 I recognize that this is his job and his livelihood. 00:35:04.960 --> 00:35:12.159 But he never did stop to listen, to hear what it was that I was truly looking for. 00:35:14.000 --> 00:35:28.000 Jesus, though, first asks questions and then invites the disciples into a space to come and see and experience for themselves what it is, in fact, that they need. 00:35:29.280 --> 00:35:38.079 Jesus, while always offering eternal life, does it not in some way that is forcible but invitational. 00:35:42.079 --> 00:35:49.840 Jesus remains with the other two members of the Trinity and is dwelling with those early disciples. 00:35:50.079 --> 00:35:58.239 And in the present today, Jesus doesn't go it alone either, because Jesus goes with us. 00:35:59.039 --> 00:36:04.320 Jesus abides now in us and works in and through us. 00:36:05.440 --> 00:36:17.280 Jesus continues to be the light of the world, inviting people to come and see and experience transformation of the here and now through you and me. 00:36:18.880 --> 00:36:26.800 Part of this dwelling means that Jesus is asking us at the present, what is it you seek? 00:36:27.039 --> 00:36:28.639 What is it you need? 00:36:29.920 --> 00:36:36.239 And then invites us also to ask this question for our neighbors. 00:36:37.199 --> 00:36:41.920 Jesus asked this question to many, and the crowd said they wanted more bread. 00:36:42.079 --> 00:36:48.960 The religious leaders wanted a trap to trap him and find ways to remove Jesus from the situation. 00:36:49.519 --> 00:36:56.239 But these first disciples wanted to simply experience Jesus and dwelling in their reality. 00:36:57.440 --> 00:37:07.840 Jesus is asking all of us today, what is it you seek as Jesus continues to abide in relationship with each of us? 00:37:09.119 --> 00:37:11.280 What is our response? 00:37:12.320 --> 00:37:26.880 Whether our need is for love or rest or peace or healing or fulfillment, or the list could go on and on, Jesus' response to us is come and see. 00:37:27.920 --> 00:37:33.039 The response to our needs is found in the abiding with Jesus. 00:37:34.880 --> 00:37:42.000 A possible epiphany for today then is Jesus does not go it alone, and neither can we. 00:37:42.800 --> 00:37:48.880 Jesus goes with us, and we go with Jesus, and we go with one another. 00:37:49.920 --> 00:37:55.039 As we continue to accept this epiphany, how does it then shape us? 00:37:55.199 --> 00:37:59.920 How does it shape how we respond to both God and to the world? 00:38:00.400 --> 00:38:09.360 Does it help us to balance out our Western cultural leanings of independence with a way of interdependence? 00:38:10.320 --> 00:38:22.960 Does it help us to value the other, to stop, ask and listen, and only after listening, inviting others to come and see? 00:38:24.239 --> 00:38:32.239 Does it remind us that Jesus dwells within us so that we are never alone? 00:38:34.800 --> 00:38:38.960 Jesus doesn't go it alone, and neither do we.