1 Samuel 3:1-10
Psalm 139
I Corinthians 6:1-6, 13-18
John 1 43-51
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49 Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
Conversation
How many consider yourselves to be good listeners?
How many have heard God speaking directly to you?
Were God’s first words scary or comforting?
How many recognized God’s voice immediately?
How many did not recognize God’s voice until some time later?
Sermon: “The word of the Lord was rare in those days;”
The story of Samuel hearing God’s voice has always intrigued me. I wonder what we might think if suddenly our name was spoken without any one else being present… I wonder if since God rarely speaks out loud whether we would jump to the conclusion that it might be God speaking our name. I have wondered how we could recognize God?
When I here the Story of Samuel…I am reminded of the Legend on how theQu’appellevalley was named. The legend tells of a young Indian brave canoeing home from a hunting trip one evening when he thought he heard someone calling his name. “Who calls?”, he asked aloud. There was no reply. “Qu’appelle?” he tried again, this time in French. Then came a reply from the hills on the other side of the placid, moonlit lake: “Qu’appelle?” It was his echo.
On his return home the following night he discovered the young maiden he was to marry died suddenly the previous evening. With her dying breath, she called out his name.
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
This past summer Sylvia, our children and grandchildren and I attended the family reunion for my the Mann family…the father and mother of my mother. All of mom’s siblings and parts of their families were present for the reunion. Grandpa and grandma faithfully attended church…and their children have generally also been faithful. So since the reunion was on the weekend…Sunday worship was expected. My gifted sister Carla asked me to do parts of the service. For the message she wrote a puppet theatre play on the book of Genesis and the families in the Bible. It was my job to sum up the production and talk about how God’s grace continues even when they have sinned. I also did the prayers of the people and we shared the Peace of Christ.
In thinking back…I remember seeing my uncles watching me very closely… None of them have had the occasion to see me lead service or to preach. They had taught me in Sunday School through the difficult middle years…grades 6 through 8. Our Sunday School was in the church basement…and the classes separated by blue curtains…were not very sound proof. My uncles were embarrassed by the behavior of our class when the Kindergarten teacher…Mrs. Hanson…came over to scold us for being so noisy…and disrupting all the other classes. Now here was their first opportunity to observe their noisy rambunctious nephew in action. I could see the measured way they watched wondering whether anything good could come out of me.
Similar to Samuel’s time…the word of the LORD is rare in our time…and visions are not widespread…these days. Also similar to the time of Jesus like Nathanael…we are skeptical…about the good God intends. In fact we are even more skeptical… We need more proof about God’s intentions and God’s presence than Nathanael needs. In his encounter with Nathanael…Jesus doesn’t do any great feats which astonish. He doesn’t feed five thousand…or walk on water. He doesn’t change water into wine…or raise anyone from the dead. Jesus just seems genuinely pleased to see and talk with him. Jesus does something very familiar to what he heard when coming up out of the water…and the heaven were torn open. But instead of hearing encouraging words about being the loved son of God…Nathanael hears other words which praise his character… “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”
Instead of doing obvious powerful deeds… for revealing himself as God’s son… Jesus looks into Nathanael’s eyes and enters into conversation. And in the conversation Jesus builds a relationship…which tells him that Jesus knows and appreciates him. Nathanael’s skepticism about Jesus lasts only for a moment…and he needs only for Jesus to see him… as a person of value for it to be melted away. In this very short encounter with Jesus…Nathanael’s disbelief is changed. He believes and becomes a faithful follower of Jesus…
Come and see.
There is another part of Nathanael’s encounter with Jesus…which we have yet to consider. In other disciple calling stories…Jesus did all the work himself. On the shoreof Galileeas Jesus passed Simon and Andrew he said; “Follow me.” And they followed immediately. The same happened for the brothers James and John…and they left their father’s boat and followed. Even in today’s Gospel Jesus finds and invites Philip saying; “Follow me.” But Jesus does not directly invite Nathanael. Rather it is Philip who tells Nathanael… Imagine his excitement as he tells; “We have found him about whom the prophets wrote…Jesus of Nazareth.” And when Nathanael is doubtful…wondering how anything good could come from a nearby village…Philip does not argue or try to prove anything. He does not shame him because he does not believe… Rather Philip puts out an invitation; “Come and see.” …nothing more.
We are living at a time… when it seems that the word of the LORD is rare. We wish that God would speak directly to us and especially to those who need God’s instruction clearly… We are also living in an age…when we are doubtful about whether there is any good. We wish that Jesus would speak to us directly helping our belief.
But when we consider the stories of Samuel and Nathanael…they are also our stories. Even though God was clearly speaking…neither Samuel the boy in the temple…nor Eli the man of God…are able to recognize God’s voice. Neither ever thought that God would speak out loud to anyone much less to them. Similarly, few of us have heard God speaking in a clear voice to us… And like Nathanael we are often skeptical… not willing to believe that God be present in our small community or in our unimportant lives.
But the most important way in which these stories are ours…are the two guides. After it finally dawns on him…Eli guides young Samuel how to listen for God’s voice. And to the skeptical question from Nathanael…Philip gently invites; “Come and see. We are called to be like Eli… encouraging each other to listen for God’s voice. We are also called to be like Philip…gently inviting doubters and skeptics; “Come and see.”
So today let us listen for God’s voice speaking directly to us. Let us hear God words of love for both us and for all the people God has created. Let us be Philip proclaiming; “We have found him about whom it is written.” And let us invite; “Come and see.” Thanks be to God.
