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The Gospel of Matthew Bible Studies
The Gospel of Mark Bible Studies
The Book of Acts Bible Studies
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
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2nd Sunday after Epiphany (B) Text: John 2:43-51 January 18, 2009 In the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace, mercy, and peace be with you! Amen! As we heard in today’s gospel: “The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 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.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Or to put it in a more contemporary way, can anything good come out of SIDNEY? Sidney, Montana?! Sidney is just a little town in the middle of nowhere without a mall or even a Wal-Mart to call its own! At least, that is what I heard (and thought) six and a half years ago when I was first contacted about possibly coming here to be your pastor. Can anything good come out of Sidney? The answer for me, as it was for Nathanael, was to “come and see” and experience it for myself! Needless to say, Carol and I really liked what we saw and experienced – and we are so glad that we are a part of this community and this congregation – our roots here have grown deep – even if this area is not as big and important as other places. Like Sidney, Nazareth was not exactly an important town in ancient Judea. Nor was Cana where Nathanael came from. Jerusalem was the big city where all the action was – especially religiously. Jerusalem was where the temple was and where all the priests lived. Jerusalem was the place where every good Jew wanted to make a pilgrimage to. And finally, Jerusalem was the place where people expected to encounter God and to be overwhelmed by God’s majesty in the midst of all of the glorious shrines and buildings there. But Jerusalem, with all of its pomp and circumstance, also lacked some very important qualities – such as humility and sincerity. As a whole the city and the religious institutions there knew that they were special and important – and acted accordingly. Their religious festivals may have been great and awesome spectacles, but the “personal touch” of welcoming and communicating God’s love to people was often lacking. Martin Luther found the same thing when he made a pilgrimage to Rome as a monk in the early 1500’s. He came expecting a wonderful spiritual experience, but instead found almost everything BUT God there! He participated in over a dozen masses, and visited all kinds of religious shrines, but came away feeling spiritually empty. And the same can sometimes still be true with big and “important” religious institutions today! I have been to some “mega-churches” that have been portrayed as being models of success that we should strive to emulate. And at those churches, the services were extremely well done, and their buildings were packed with people – but I must admit that it was easy for me to feel out of place. It was hard to feel the “personal touch” of being noticed and welcomed and valued as an individual. Nathanael in today’s gospel was looking for a life with God (I think that is what Jesus’ reference to his “sitting under the fig tree” meant), but he was not finding it in any of the expected places. Nathanael obviously had not found it in Jerusalem or in any of the big synagogues of his day. So he was intrigued when his friend Philip, bubbling with excitement, came to tell him about Jesus. He was more than a little skeptical, needless to say – it was hard for him to believe that anything good could come out of the small town of Nazareth – but at least he was willing to take Philip’s advice to “come and see” for himself. But when he met Jesus Nathanael found more than he could ever have hoped for! Suddenly, UNEXPECTEDLY, in this man he experienced the love of God! It was not because Jesus was anything special outwardly. Jesus was just a peasant carpenter who acted like and looked and dressed like anyone else. But when Nathanael met him, he immediately sensed that Jesus was the “real deal”. Jesus radiated God’s love in a way that touched the depths of Nathanael’s soul. Instinctively, Nathanael knew that here was a man who could understand and meet his deepest needs – a man to whom he could trust his life. In talking with Jesus, Nathanael suddenly knew in a way he never had before that God was indeed very real and cared for him very much. And so he cried out, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” But, what does this gospel story mean for us today? One thing it does NOT mean is that we should “try” harder to witness about Jesus. When doing research for this sermon, I read several Biblical commentators who wrote that we should strive to be like Philip and be more open and intentional about inviting our friends to come to church. In my opinion, however, these commentators are missing the point. The fact is, if we EXPERIENCE God’s love, God’s joy, God’s power, and God’s peace here – and if we experience welcome and friendship when we come – we will very naturally be telling our friends about this. “Come and see,” we will say. “Come and see” what our worship, or Sunday School, or Faithweaver Friends, or confirmation, or other activities are like. “Come and see,” we will be saying – not because we have to but because we WANT to. And in many ways, I know that this has been happening among us – thanks be to God! The other main “point” that I get from this gospel story is the absolute importance of genuineness and sincerity in being God’s people. I think that is what Jesus is referring to when he calls Nathaniel “an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit.” That is what people everywhere are yearning for in the depths of their souls, just like Nathanael was. Ultimately, it does not matter whether a church is big or small – or in an important city or out “in the middle of nowhere” like Nazareth (or Sidney, Montana)! A church that is genuine in its love for the Lord and in its care for people is truly a church of our Lord Jesus Christ – and it will be attractive for people, no matter where it is. If we are simple and genuine in our love for God and others, people will sense that our faith and joy is indeed the “real deal” and will want to be a part of this community. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Can anything good come out of Sidney? Yes, it has. And yes, it can – and will! Thanks be to God, in Jesus’ name! Amen! -------------------- Pastor George Karres 418 W. Main St. Sidney, MT 59270
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