2nd Sunday after Epiphany
1 Samuel 3:1-20; Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51
Besides being observed as a Christian church festival on January 6, marking the end of the 12 days of Christmas, Epiphany can be the manifestation of a divine being – hence the encounter of the Magi with the infant Jesus – a revealing scene or moment, or a sudden, illuminating, and striking realization. All these meanings may resonate with our personal spiritual experiences of finding Jesus, and they will be echoed in the gospel readings during this Epiphany Season in some way or another before we move into Lent.
Last Sunday, when we celebrated the Baptism of our Lord, the voice that moved over waters to speak everything into being (Genesis 1:1-15) and shook the ground of human existence (Psalm 29) rips over the sky over the river Jordan (Mark1:4-11) to publicly declare Jesus as his beloved Son. Consequently, God anoints as co-heirs of the Kingdom all who share the baptism of water and Spirit with Christ. Talk about the manifestation, revelation, and realization of divine things!
This Sunday, the Revised Common Lectionary switches to the gospel according to John, where we hear of the calls of Phillip and Nathanael. Apparently, Philip has no problem answering the call to follow Jesus and goes fishing for people. He finds Nathanael, but the reaction is different. Upon being informed of Jesus’ heritage, Nathanael stops in his tracks. Wait! “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Clearly, he has enough pre-conceptions, maybe even disdain, for Jesus’ hometown to doubt his Messianic identity. It takes an act of divine revelation for Nathanael to recognize Jesus for who he is.
Similarly, it takes a few wake-up calls for Eli, whose sight was dimming, to realize that the Lord might be speaking to a boy who has not done anything yet to deserve favor. Nonetheless, the young Samuel will grow up to reveal to David the promise of a branch that would give birth to the Savior of the world.
The psalmist confesses: “Lord, you have searched me out; O Lord, you have known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar (Psalm 29:1-2).”
Bridging Faith 