Sermon on the Second Sunday after Epiphany: What are we to do with the Holy Spirit?
Jesus says to “Follow me.” What does that mean for us? How do we hear and live into it?
Our scripture today gives three examples. First, we have Samuel hearing the Lord speak directly. And Samuel doesn’t even understand that the Lord is speaking to him. What we do not read today is that the Lord was calling him to be a prophet. That meant a new kind of hard life of speaking up and being shouted down; of pointing out the truth and have others ignore it, and, sometimes, of seeing the Lord’s good will be done.
Second, we have Paul, whose story of being called by the Lord is elsewhere, when he was confronted on the road to Damascus. Today he is again explaining how he thinks we should be doing the Lord’s will. The distinction of having all things lawful, but not necessarily beneficial makes things complicated. How do we decide which is which? I’ve noted before that Paul sometimes gives his own opinion, and today he shows again his discomfort with sex. While today’s advice against fornication with prostitutes is quite common, Paul’s admonitions elsewhere against most sexuality seem more troublesome.
Third, we have Jesus calling some apostles. As we read in the gospels, the apostles did not entirely stop their whole lives when they followed him. Many continued to fish professionally, to feed their families and their neighbors. Yet they also started a new journey of faith, toward this person they considered a Rabbi, the son of God, the King of Israel, the Son of Man, the Messiah.
Today we are tempted by many different calls to be followers of some passion or another. From Paul’s sexual desires, to wealth and material goods, to sports and entertainments, to politicians and their agendas. Yet we share with Samuel, Paul, and Philip and Nathaniel the problem of choosing exactly how to live out our lives as Christ’s followers.
Have you heard him call you? Maybe not in person. Maybe in dreams, feelings, barely heard words in prayer?
Whether you have heard him directly, our church and scripture teach us what Jesus is constantly telling his followers: To repent of our sins. To do what is right for our neighbors and the most vulnerable in society (those in broken families, the poor, the prisoners, the sick, the foreigner). To proclaim the Good News of salvation. Following Jesus means trying to prioritize these heavenly things above worldly things. And we are then rewarded with the glory of God.
Written for the parish of St. James & St. George 2021 January 17
URL: <http://therev.brianpavlac.org/srms/20210117.html