Epiphany 2A
Sarah Renfro, @RevRenfro, M-Bodied.com
Richard Bruxvoort Colligan, Psalmimmersion.com, @pomopsalmist, Patreon
Resources referenced:
Bryan Odeen, @BryanOdeen, https://bryanodeen.wordpress.com/
Richard Bruxvoort Colligan Psalmimmersion.com, @pomopsalmist, Patreon
Musician:Jonathan Rundman “Lamb of God (Agnus Dei)” from his album A Heartland Liturgy, website, facebook
The Work of Christmas Begins by Howard Thurman
When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
then the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal those broken in spirit,
to feed the hungry,
to release the oppressed,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among all peoples,
to make a little music with the heart…
And to radiate the Light of Christ,
every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say.
Then the work of Christmas begins.
John 1:29-42
Initial Thoughts
Season After Epiphany - Epiphany - the manifestation of God as human
epiphaneia (Gk) - from “to appear” mean “manifest” or “appearance”
Acknowledged by Kings - Matthew 2 (Western Church)
Acknowledged by God - Baptism
Acknowledged by humans - John the Baptist and disciples & Wedding of Cana (Eastern Church)
David Toole (Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary - Feasting on the Word – Year A, Volume 1: Advent through Transfiguration.) - Epiphany and the following Sundays are the celebration of incarnation - birth, baptism, miracles. The baby in the manger is not enough of a case for incarnation, we need Epiphany.
This string of Sundays that we encounter in the lectionary as "after the Epiphany" serves to remind us that a baby in a manger is not enough to support our theological claims for the incarnation. We need more than Christmas, even if we wait patiently for the arrival of the magi. We need to see Jesus walk into the Jordan. We need to see the clouds part. We need to hear the booming voice name Jesus a beloved Son. We need to hear Jesus himself ask us, as he asks Peter and Andrew in this passage from John, "What are you looking for?" (John 1:38)
According to D. Mark Davis, Greek words “εἴδω” “ὁράω” and “βλέπω” all roughly mean “to see”, but much more. There is a play between “βλέπω” which is the most mundane of the words, and εἴδω and ὁράω.
Throughout John’s gospel, the connection between “Seeing,” “knowing,” “witnessing,” are important.
This culminates in the end of John, where it is declared that those who know without seeing are the ones who are truly blessed.
A very different John the Baptist than the synoptics - can be easy to think - “Oh, I know this from RCL Advent.” This is John the witness, not John the baptize
Bible Study
Literary Context
Prelude: Cosmic poem about The Word
Day 1 (v. 19-28) Bethany across the Jordan. John the Baptist’s exchange with Pharisees
Day 2 (v. 29-34) John the Baptist testifies to Jesus. There is no explicit baptism. John simply “saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove.”
Day 3 (v. 35-42) Jesus, Andrew, unnamed disciple, and Simon (renamed Peter and also Andrew’s brother.)
Day 4 (v. 43-50) Jesus decides to go to Galilee. Jesus finds Philip, who gets Nathanael. (Philip, Andrew, and Peter all from Bethsaida. Nathanael is from Cana, which we find in 21:2, a Resurrection story where Jesus again tells the disciples to “follow me”).
Day 5 or 7 (2:1-12) Begins “On the Third Day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee…” Does this mean the third day after the Spirit descended upon Jesus, or three days later?
Baptism of Jesus
Read it carefully - there is no baptism - John the witness, not John the baptist
John simply testifies to who Jesus is and what he witnessed, but there is no baptismal moment
Removes the synoptic problem of why John baptized Jesus.
Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the Sin of the World” and “Son of John”
Unlike Matthew and Luke- John did not know Jesus until after he was baptized
Why was Jesus baptized? To be revealed to John
Jesus as the Son of God according to John
In John, JBap’s whole purpose was to help reveal Jesus. In Synoptics it was to “preach repentance” and “prepare the way.”
The Lamb of God
John declares this twice
Follow up to John 1:18- no one has seen God, but here they can see and hear and touch the Lamb of God
Gospel of John setting up Jesus as the universal passover lamb
Crucifixion takes place on passover (not the day after like Matthew, Mark and Luke)
Just as the lamb is sacrificed to save the Israelites from the angel of death - so Jesus is the lamb sacrifices to save humanity from death.
Jesus is not the conquering king but the self-emptying sacrifice. Jesus is the embodiment and incarnation of God’s vulnerability
The Lamb is usually interpreted to be the passover Lamb (In John Jesus dies when the Passover lamb would have been killed, but while Passover and the Lamb of passover have clear salvation implications, there is no reference in Exodus to the removal of sin). Jim Brownson
Clear connection to Exodus - just as the firstborn of the Egyptians were killed in the final plague which would result in the freedom of the Israelites, now the firstborn of God will be killed to free us from sin.
Passover signified protection, lineage, deliverance, and God’s promise of relationship. God’s covenant with Abraham is reworked in this Gospel’s most famous verse, “for God so loved the world” (3:16). Lewis, p.28
Sin
Not a lawful or moral designation but an synonym for not being in right relationship with God - therefore the Lamb of God removed anything which would get in the way of our full and open relationship with God
Interpretations (from wikipedia- sorry):
375 Saint Augustine wrote: "Why a lamb in his passion? Because he underwent death without being guilty of any iniquity. Why a lion in his passion? Because in being slain, he slew death. Why a lamb in his resurrection? Because his innocence is everlasting. Why a lion in his resurrection? Because everlasting also is his might."[17]
The 11th century Christology of Saint Anselm of Canterbury specifically disassociates Lamb of God from the Old Testament concept of a scapegoat which is subjected to punishment for the sins of others, without knowing it or willing it. Anselm emphasized that as Lamb of God, Jesus chose to suffer in Calvary as a sign of his full obedience to the will of the Father.[2]
John Calvin presented the same Christological view of "The Lamb as the agent of God" by arguing that in his trial before Pilate and while at Herod's Court Jesus could have argued for his innocence, but instead remained mostly quiet and submitted to Crucifixion in obedience to the Father, for he knew his role as the Lamb of God.
In modern Eastern Orthodox Christology, Sergei Bulgakov argued that the role of Jesus as the Lamb of God was "pre-eternally" determined by the Father before the creation of the world, as a sign of love by considering the scenario that it would be necessary to send The Son as an agent to redeem humanity disgraced by the fall of Adam.
Calling the Disciples?
Disciples of John first - not fishermen
The disciples, Andrew and Simon Peter, are not called by Jesus, but follow because of hearing John the Baptist’s declaration
Jesus first words: What are you looking for?
A good question for all people coming to church- what are you looking for?
Looking for a teacher - are we willing to be taught?
Perhaps we just want confirmation bias- a divine justification for our actions.
Come and you will see
Future tense- no question
First words of Jesus (not in this passage, but immediately before) are “What are you looking for?”
Same question he asks of soldiers who come to arrest him (18:4) and to Mary in the garden after resurrection (20:15)
“Holding all three of these occurrences of this phrase together points to a main issue for this Gospel, that Jesus is not a what but a who and who indicates relationship “ Karloine Lewis, John (Fortress Press Biblical Preaching Commentaries), p. 31
In this passage he says “Follow me.”
Two parts of this story, the exchange with Andrew, unnamed disciple and Simon, Andrew’s brother; and the exchange between Nathaniel and Philip..
Andrew seems to be a disciple of John the Baptist.
They hear John’s testimony, and so they followed Jesus (first member poaching?)
Andrew and unnamed disciple go with Jesus.
Some guess the unnamed disciple is the “beloved one,” seems more likely that it is Philip. No way to know for sure.
Andrew goes to get his brother Simon
Jesus renames Simon “Cephas.”
This doesn’t happen until much later in synoptics. Again, comparing them is always tricky.
Thoughts and Questions
John’s message is short and simple: Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World. What is your short and simple message about Jesus? Do you share it?
Evangelism is rooted in declaration and invitation: Jesus is the Lamb of God! Come and See! It is not rooted in a condemnation of other religions or fear of hell. Nor it is rooted in vague gimmicky marketing. Simple declaration of belief and invitation to participate in the good news. How do you and/or your congregation practice evangelism?
We may ask What would Jesus Do- but perhaps we would be better asking what would John the Baptist do? John is constantly pointing to Jesus and directing others to Jesus
Thoughts if the reading is extended to include Nathaniel
Instead of seeing this as a call story, perhaps we can see it as an epiphany story - in this season of epiphany, it is a chance for Jesus to be revealed. Nathanael has an epiphany about who Jesus is, and Jesus offers him an even deeper experience of seeing, if he should follow.
The theme of accepting or rejecting Jesus is strong throughout John’s Gospel. Here we have two men that are brought to Jesus. Simon believes, and is called Cephas. Nathanael is reluctant, but is won over. And while there are times when Jesus admonishes people for only believing because of what they have seen, that is not found here. Instead Jesus declares, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Nathanael’s skepticism is not condemned or admonished. In fact, Jesus praises him. In fact, Jesus seems to encourage them all to “Come and see.” When preaching to a congregation, it might be appropriate to encourage others to “come and see,” what God is doing. People are not going to just come to church because of civic duty. They want to know that church matters. If the body of Christ is active, then there will be great signs and wonders. Perhaps it is the role of the preacher to encourage others to find other to “come and see,” because after all, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Isaiah 49:1-7
Initial Thoughts
A great text for Martin Luther King’s birthday
The “second of four servant songs.” Others are 42:1-9, 50:5-11, 52:13-53:12 (The Discipleship Study Bible)
42:1-9 is the text for Baptism of the Lord Sunday
50:5-11 is for Passion Sunday
52:13-53:12 is for Good Friday
“One unique feature of the preaching of [deutero] Isaiah of the exile is the Servant Songs… The grouping together of these texts is a work of modern critical scholarship; the basis of the identification is that all of them speak of a single or a collective individual (such as Israel or the remnant of Israel) who brings for universal justice, does the will of the Lord, and suffers in the process. These texts… contribute significantly to early Chrsitian understanding of who Jesus was. Nowhere in the corpus is the servant also an anointed king of the house of David, nowhere is he identified with the coming son of man of apocalyptic expectation, nowhere is he the eternal wisdom or Word from on high. All of these figures of Old Testament expectation are mingled in early Christian thinking about the person of Jesus. The result is that he is understood both as the messiah of the house of David, but also, unexpectedly, as a servant messiah who suffers vicariously.” (W. Sibley Towner, writer of the Isiah introduction of The Discipleship Study Bible, p. 931)
Bible Study
First interpretive issue: Who is the speaker?
Israel (v. 3)
But verse 6 makes that confusing, seems to be a mission to the tribes of Jacob and to bring back survivors of Israel.
Israel has mission to Israel? But also beyond.
Intentionally anonymous
“It may be that the poem deliberately avoids a specific identity, thus permitting us great freedom in our hearing” (Walter Brueggemann, Texts for Preaching, Year A, p. 101)
There is an argument that this was the commissioning of an individual, and that the word “Israel” was inserted into v 3 (Paul Hanson, Interpretation: Isaiah 40-66, p. 128.
“Advocates of a collective interpretation, on the other hand, have pointed to passages in Second Isaiah in which the nation or people Israel is designated as ‘servant.’... [I] have concluded that a sharp distinction between individual and community is alien to Second Isaiah’s thought. The evidence when taken as a whole suggests that the Servant of Yahweh is a metaphor richly multivalent in meaning.” It could include Isaiah in particular, Jeremiah, Elijah, the faithful remnant within Israel, or all the people as a whole. (Ibid.)
Christian lens - Jesus.
Identity of the Servant
“A prenatal call is not only important in the OT, several Mesopotamian kings make mention of it too. Ashurbanipal writes that he was called by the goods for kingship and was formed inside his mother in order to shepherd the land of Assyria. Such kings are stating that they became rulers not just because of the mighty deeds they performed buy because the gods recognized their uniqueness even before birth, seeing that they were intrinsically worthy before having proven themselves in any way.” (Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Zondervan, p. 1199)
Belongs to God
Sword comes from the mouth, not the hand. The Word is the power of the servant.
Picked up later in Revelation 19 - both cases power is embodied in justice and truth, not violence
God’s power, God’s voice, God’s truth, not of the servant’s own power.
Paints the image of the “prophet’s discourse as a potent weapon…his poetry has power, even the power to devastate those who resist it” Robert Alter, The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary, volume 2, p. 786
Strength of servant only comes from obedience to God.
“God’s servant does not have a surplus of strength in advance, but is given strength only in the midst of obedience” (Brueggemann, ibid.)
Mission of the Servant
First is to return from exile.
Not enough to raise up tribes of Jacob - this liberation will be a “spectacular intervention on behalf of the defeated people…seen throughout the earth”. Alter, p.787
“A whole new enterprise bursts on the horizon of the Servant, for which we had been given no clue... Now the scope of God’s dream is international… In a gigantic leap of rhetoric, the poet enlarges the arena of God’s concern to include even non-believers” (Brueggemann, ibid.)
This is about “inner-community health and international relations.” Paul Hanson, Interpretation: Isaiah 40-66, p. 126).
Thoughts and Questions
“The nations are to be illuminated through the servant’s activity and existence. A light is not a focus of attention itself, but serves to open eyes to something previously not perceived” (Christopher Seitz, New Interpreter's Bible, v. IV, p. 433). The purpose of the light is to shine in the darkness, so that others may see clearly. The purpose is to bring about justice and mercy, to reveal God’s love for all creation, not to force others to be a part of the light. This is about missio dei, not conversion. “To be a light to the nations” does not, therefore, mean going out and converting “peoples from far away” by word and therefore associating them on equal terms. Instead it means bearing affliction and hardship brought about on account of obedience to God” (ibid.). To bear the light is not to be the light, nor is it to ask others to join the light. It is simply to reveal a love and a connectedness that is often hidden.
Who is the servant? Is it Jesus? Is it the Church? Is it your congregation? Is it you? Is it all of these and more? Preaching task - To tell the story of how God’s work is being opened to all, and then bring it back down to the local level. In other words, this passage is about a relatively small group of people being used to bring justice to the world, and opening up God’s love to all people. How can this message be transposed to another group of people? The good news isn’t our good news. It isn’t news for this party, or this nation, or this race. It is for all. The Good News isn’t just for this church or this neighborhood - but it also IS for this church and this neighborhood.
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Initial Thoughts
First of five weeks in 1 Corinthians. Reads most of first three chapters, but stops there.
Much of the letter is critical, but criticisms should be seen through the lens of the intro.
Two things are mentioned in intro that come up again later:
Knowledge
Spiritual gifts
Knowledge, wisdom, and division are important themes in readings for next few weeks.
This reading will also be an Advent reading in December. RCL makes it Epiphany 2A and Advent 1B (which is same calendar year).
Bible Study
Corinth (according to Richard Hays in Interpretation: 1 Corinthians)
Before Christ:
Prosperous commercial cross roads city.
Hosted Isthmian Games, an athletics festival that rivaled the Olympics.
Destroyed by Rome, and rebuilt
A growing, upwardly mobile city re-colonized by Rome within a couple generations of Paul’s visit.
Laws of Corinth were particularly favorable to upward mobility (e.g. Freedmen could have important roles in government)
Housed a large Temple to Athena (goddess of wisdom)
Paul (according to Richard Hays in Interpretation: 1 Corinthians)
Left city in 51 CE.
Established church in Gentile community, included slaves, freedmen and some rich merchants.
Letter probably written 53-55 CE.
Received a report from “Chloe’s people” about divisions (1:11).
Received a letter from the Corinthians seeking guidance (7:1f).
Paul “sees the members of the Corinthian church as standing… at a moment of crisis and testing. Will they heed Paul’s words and recover… Or will their community disintegrate?” (p 6)
This letter addresses division in the Corinthian church that are also present in many of our churches today:
Which leaders (and corresponding beliefs) to follow
Morals - cultural and Christian
“The right way” to worship
What is the resurrection of the dead?
Through these divisions, Paul offers a reconciling, third way to follow Christ
This may be a relief for many “purple” churches looking to address the partisan divides in their communities and pews
Jaqui Lewis - Turn to the Word, the God word and remember you're a THEO-logian(called to speak a word about God)
Paul starts with God-words
Before wading into the divisions, he greets the whole community
Affirming their sanctification and their calling as saints
He thanks God for the whole community
For their testimony
The grace of God they have received (not earned)
Their spiritual gifts
Paul acknowledges their continued growth
Christ will strengthen you
Finishes with the affirmation of call
Intro to the letter tells community that they have enough. There is enough grace, knowledge, and spiritual gifts.
“The entire letter is focused on building the community into the testimony it has already received, strengthening the Gospel witness in its midst.” Dirk Lange, Working Preacher.
All the divisions and trouble that Paul will talk about for the next 16 chapters have their solution in the first paragraph.
“God’s grace was given to you in Christ Jesus.” (v. 4)
Because of God’s grace, “you aren’t missing any spiritual gifts while you wait” (v. 7)
“God is faithful, and you were called into partnership with his Son” (v. 8)
Thoughts and Questions
It is God who calls us, but we who respond. Our sanctification is our response to God’s call. Paul invites us into a new community- a new way of living, forgiving and loving as the body of Christ. In this into- Paul affirms the call from God and the response of the community. How might we remind our communities that each of us is called into a new way of being? Not just worshiping, not just a community of fellowship or social action, but a transformed way of seeing yourself, others and the world?
Paul’s focus is not to take a side but remind the church in Corinth they are a community. During this time of division in the USA and the world, how much do we need to remember that it isn’t about “me” but about “us”? The call of Christ is not about what “I” can do, but what “we”can do.
Paul “sees the members of the Corinthian church as standing… at a moment of crisis and testing. Will they heed Paul’s words and recover… Or will their community disintegrate” (Hayes, Interpretation: 1 Corinthians)
How many of our churches are sitting at similar crisis moments?
Are we going to recover or disintegrate?
In what ways are we partnering with God through Jesus? How are we doing the “Work of Christmas”
Instead of focusing on what we don’t have, or on divisions that tear us apart, can we focus on what holds us together - the grace of God, which empowers all gifts. Put the grace first, then the gifts.
Thank you listeners and get in touch!
Thanks to our Psalms correspondent, Richard Bruxvoort Colligan (psalmimmersion.com,@pomopsalmist). Thank you to Scott Fletcher for our voice bumpers, Dick Dale and the Del Tones for our Theme music (“Misirlou”), Nicolai Heidlas (“Sunday Morning”,"Real Ride"and“Summertime”) and The Steel Wheels for our transition music (“Nola’s First Dance” from their album Lay Down, Lay Low) and Paul and Storm for our closing music (“Oh No”).