Sermon January 17 and 18, 2009 John 1:43-51; Psalm 139 It starts with God. So often, we think it starts with us, but it starts with God. As I hear the readings for today, they paint a picture of God, who takes the first step, who is persistent, who seeks us out, who doesn’t give up. God reaches out to us with grace and love In our first reading, we heard about Samuel’s call. Who’s the one who reaches out to Samuel? God. It starts with God. And it took quite a while for Eli and Samuel to figure it out. The Psalm for today is Psalm 139. Would you read the first line with me please: “Lord, you have searched me out and known me.” God searches us out. God doesn’t wait for us to find God somehow. God takes the initiative. God wants to draw us close and God searches us out. And there’s no where we can go to escape God. And that can be comforting. And it can also be scary sometimes. From the heights to the depths, God is always with us. In the Gospel reading from John, Jesus found Philip and said to him: “Follow me.” Jesus found Philip. He didn’t just wait around for Philip to find him. God reaches out to you. God searches you out. God finds you. God says to you and to me: “Follow me.” It all starts with God. And God welcomes us in. Welcomes us as a member of the family. Welcomes us in as a part of the Body of Christ. As amazing as it may seem, God makes us a part of God’s mission. We become God’s hands and feet and mouths in the world. We become little Christs, as Luther put it. And when we Follow Christ, when we reflect God, that means that we don’t just sit around waiting for people to come to us. We don’t just stay safe in a holy huddle. We are not only called in, we are also sent out. Jesus found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” And (after we learn that Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter) what’s the next thing that happens? Philip was sharing the good news, Saying to Nathanael, “Come and See.” Didn’t take long, did it? It’s not like he had years and years of training. He is called and right away— --he’s sharing, --he’s inviting. As Jesus’ hands and feet, we are sent into the world to share the wonderful good news of Jesus Christ. To share what God means to you and to me. And as Philip showed us, it’s not about having all the answers. When Nathanael started showing his prejudice against folks from Nazareth, Philip didn’t argue with him. He just said—what? Come and see. I really believe that when we experience God’s love, it overflows. We get filled up and we can’t help but share. One pastor was telling about a time when he was making a late-night visit to the hospital. He was walking down a somewhat dark hall, with no people around. All of a sudden, a man ran out of one of the rooms. He ran right up to the pastor— --they’d never met before. And the pastor was a little scared. But the man said to the pastor with joy in his eyes: “She’s going to make it. She’s getting better. She’s going to make it.” And then he kept going down the hall. They’d never seen each other before. And they’ve never seen each other since. The pastor doesn’t know who it was who was going to make it. But when that man heard the good news, he couldn’t wait. He couldn’t help but share. He didn’t even know the guy he shared it with, but it didn’t matter. It just flowed from him, because he had good news. And good news is to be shared. Every week we hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The word Gospel means what? Good news. And good news is meant to be shared. And I’d guess in each of your lives, you can think of times, when the good news of Jesus Christ was so good and so real to you, that it overflowed. It just had to be shared. I can think of times like that in my life. When talking about Jesus was the most natural thing in the world. Sharing the good news. Maybe even inviting another to come and see, to experience the amazing love of God. But there are other times in my life, too. Times when I find it hard to share that good news. Times when I don’t do it. Times when I keep the news to myself. I’ve shared before the image that evangelism, sharing the good news, is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread. So, if I know where the bread is, why don’t I tell anybody? Why don’t I share that good news? Sometimes, I suppose, it’s because there are times when my response to God’s love has grown cold. I don’t think that God’s love has changed. I think God keeps on searching, pursuing, and finding, and calling, and loving. But sometimes my sin draws me into myself, where I lose sight of the grace of God. And I lose sight of the wonderful gift, and so I’m not ready to share. And sometimes, I think, my sinfulness does something else. It keeps the focus on myself, and I quit caring about sharing. Someone wrote, “If you’re going door-to-door, be prepared to do more than knock. Be prepared to enter a life.” We don’t actually go door to door very much. And actually, I don’t think much evangelism happens that way. It’s more effective when we talk about our faith with our friends, and our family, and our coworkers and neighbors. But the image is still helpful. Sometimes I’m not ready to enter a life. Sometimes I fill my life up with me. And I’m not ready to take time to care for someone else To share the good news of Jesus Christ is not just about saying words and moving on. To share the good news of Jesus Christ is to enter a life. To take time to care. To give of yourself. They say that each person has a significant impact on about 12 people in their lives. For some it’s more, some less. But somewhere around 12 people. Do you know what that means? That means we need the whole body of Christ involved in loving others. In significant ways. That means that you are being called— --like Samuel, --like Philip. That means that God is working through you. You are a little Christ. Following Christ, Growing in Faith, Sharing God’s Love. And if we are following Christ, we are going to be involved in people’s lives. Because Jesus didn’t just preach a sermon and move on. God didn’t just give us a set of rules and leave us to figure it out. God, in Christ, entered our world. And he gave himself completely for you and for me, even dying on the cross for you and for me. For God so loved the world. That’s you and me— --and more than you and me. Jesus died for the whole world. And God calls us to reach out to that world. And I fill my life with comfort and entertainment, sporting events and video games. Making money and spending money. None of those things bad in themselves. But if the focus is all on me, and I don’t have time to care enough to enter another’s life, then my priorities are all messed up. And I’m not following the one who called me to follow. And God is calling me. And God is calling you. All of you. Calling you to follow. This coming week is historic. The inauguration of Barack Obama following right after the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Kind of neat. And I’m thankful for the witness of Martin Luther King. He said, “Whom you would change, you first must love.” And then in love he gave his life to make a difference through the good news of Jesus Christ. He knew there was more to life than the comforts we have. He could have remained comfortable, but instead he said: “The end of life is not to be happy nor to achieve pleasure and avoid pain, but to do the will of God, come what may.” And he took risks. He spent time in jail. He was ridiculed and hated. And he was eventually killed. He said: “Like anybody, I would love to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will.” When we follow Jesus, it’s not always comfortable, it’s not always easy. We are called to be Jesus’ hands and feet in the world, and sometimes our sinful self fights against that. But God is persistent. God keeps on loving. God keeps on finding us. God keeps on searching us out. God keeps on calling us. And the Good News of Jesus Christ continues to fill us up and to overflow. And as it overflows, God sends us out, and we enter into the lives of those around us. And God is there. And God is there. In Jesus’ name, Amen