St. John 1:43-51
February 5, 2009
New Hampshire is a uniquely political place. We’ve just come through a cycle that is repeated every few years, where we have presidential hopefuls in our midst with some frequency. As citizens, we are very fortunate that, without much trouble at all, everyone can meet them firsthand, for free. This is a real gift, but speaking only for myself, as someone who has lived in New Hampshire for many years, it is a gift that can quite easily be taken for granted and, in fact, downright ignored. When I call this a gift, I mean that the opportunities are there. We can attend local events or not, just as we choose, but gift is on offer to all. We can accept it or not.
I think faith is a lot like that—a gift—God’s gift—offered to all, and it can be accepted or not.
So if that is true, then it opens up a lot of questions about faith. I chose the verses from John that Liz read because they illustrate a framework for faith, as I understand and experience it. I would like to highlight three elements for your consideration.
We could begin, actually, in the verses just before the ones that were read today, where two of John the Baptist’s disciples were following Jesus. When they asked him, “Where are you staying,” he replied, “Come and see.” And then in the passage read, when Nathaniel asked Philip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip replied, “Come and see.” In both cases, there was physical movement, action; the disciples had to do something, before there was the relationship of faith. Nathaniel didn’t find Jesus while sitting under the fig tree. He only found him when he got up and came toward him. In all the Gospels, it is clear that the early disciples followed after Jesus with various levels of understanding. This first chapter of John is unique in that it provides the reader with quite a bit of dialogue between Jesus and these first contacts that illustrate this range of perception. As readers, we know that Jesus will go on to lead the disciples from where they begin to a deeper understanding of who he is and what it means to be part of the family of God.
Sometimes, when asked why they joined a particular faith community, people confess that they first came, not for religious reasons at all, but because someone asked them to, because something good was happening. Perhaps there was a special event, a musical program, or a community project. But they came and saw and came again. So the first element of faith for me is action. The journey of faith is life-long, but like all journeys, it begins with a single step. At any given time, the step may be to be willing, and sometimes the step may be to be willing to be willing.
The second and related aspect of this action toward faith modeled in our reading today is that none of these people came on their own. Following Jesus is not a solitary endeavor. The model of the early disciples and the early church is one of community, companionship. The term “community of faith” as a descriptor is not static, but dynamic. Life in community is full of complexity, richness, love and grace.
The fact that the disciples did not understand from the outset is not the important point. They still function here as a model for discipleship: open, willing to answer the call to “come and see,” and then, the third facet of faith, they were willing to remain in Jesus’ presence and look to him for revelation.
The Gospel of John describes Jesus by many names—bread, water, door. Jesus self-identifies in this passage as a ladder—a ladder between heaven and earth. If a ladder is a way to get to an otherwise inaccessible place, then Jesus is offering himself as a way to connect humanity with God. His words about angels ascending and descending bring to mind the story of Jacob’s ladder, connecting us with humanity through time as well. These deep connections to God and one another are made possible only because of the presence of Jesus. I believe that faith is fueled by his presence. So the third element of faith to me, that which moves it forward to growth and fruit, is being intentionally in God’s presence.
As I conclude my reflection, I feel as if I should make a disclaimer. I want to make sure you know that I am not speaking for all Episcopalians. I am only speaking for me. Faith for me is active—not so much in the head as in the heart, bidding me to action; faith is enriched and nourished in community; and it is enlivened and brought to ever increasing fullness by being intentionally in God’s presence.
Wherever we are on our journey, may our faith be alive, and may it increase as we share it with others by inviting them to come and see. Amen.
