Sermon; Epiphany 2B; 1 Samuel 3:1-10, John 1:43-51

During the first few Sundays of the Epiphany season we hear stories related to the revelation of Jesus and the calling of disciples. Obviously the Epiphany story itself with the wise men seeing the star and their journey to Bethlehem is the big reveal, or manifestation of who Jesus is. The baptism story from last Sunday is another revelation of who Jesus is, with the heavens being torn apart, the descending Spirit, and the voice from heaven. So now that we know all that, we now have several call stories; and not just in the gospel, but in our first lesson as well.

In today's first lesson, Samuel receives his call to be a prophet of God. In the gospel reading, Jesus calls Philip, after calling Andrew and another to follow him, and Philip calls Nathanael (who promptly disappears from the story until after the resurrection). Regardless of the whens and wheres of these two stories, they are both call stories in which various people are called into new roles and new relationships with God.

Every clergy person can tell you their call story. We can tell you where we were, what we were doing, and how our lives changed at that particular moment. But call stories aren't reserved for those being called into ordained ministry. They aren't reserved for those being called as prophets of God. As Paul wrote, “If we were all ears, where would the sense of smell be?” We are all called to a particular place. That place, as Frederick Buechner famously said, “Is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.”

We may have a tendency to think about those calls as relegated to something incredibly life-giving or morally superior – like digging wells in Africa or fighting to end the death penalty. Yes, those are good things, but it may not be where you are being called to be. We need to remember that the world is full of hunger. Your writing skills might be used to help people with resumes. Your listening skills may be used as a counselor. Your singing ability might be used for uplifting worship. Your love of reading might be used in the library or as a classroom aide (when we defeat COVID).

Sometimes, though, I think we make this too hard. A possible easier question or two is this: What do you enjoy doing? How can you use that to help? Sometimes you don't know. Sometimes you need someone else to point you in the right direction. But all the time it requires listening.

Notice that in the first lesson Samuel didn't call out to God, “Hey, God, should I become a prophet?” And in the gospel nobody approaches Jesus and tells him, or asks him, what they want or should do. God called to Samuel with a message. Jesus called his disciples to follow him. And in today's gospel it was also Philip who called/invited another person. I suppose that sometimes we might say something along the lines of, “Hey, God, what can I do with this?” Where the “this” is that thing of our deep gladness and we're looking to match it with a deep hunger.

But either way, we are listening for a word from God. At least that's what we should be doing.

Listening is a big part of discerning what and where God is calling us to be. Samuel heard the voice of God call three times before Eli told him to go back to bed and listen again. He also told him that if God called again, Samuel was to say, “Your servant is listening.” I wonder if the reason Nathanael wasn't part of the twelve disciples was because he was too quick to proclaim Jesus as Son of God without listening to what Jesus had to say.

The key here is our willingness to listen for what God might be saying.

I bring all this up because in the aftermath of the recent coup attempt I read where one of the rioters said, “I asked God three times if I should do this, and he never said no.” That right there is some messed up theology; not to mention a whole lot of privileged exceptionalism.

In listening for and to God we are discerning what God is calling us to do and be. It is a most dangerous thing to claim God is on your side without having actually listened to what God might be saying. In the book Listening Hearts, a book designed for a process of discernment, the authors write, “Christ's false friends are those who consider themselves his friends but who go about seeking Jesus for their own satisfaction.” And when an aide told Abraham Lincoln he was glad God was on their side, Lincoln famously responded, “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side.”

Like the previous stories of the Epiphany and the baptism of Christ point us to a certain way of being, so, too, do today's stories about the call of Samuel, Philip, and Philip's announcement to Nathanael point us to how we relate to God. We are reminded that for God to be on our side, we must first be on God's side. To be on God's side means to first listen to where God is calling us. Secondly it means to act on what God is calling us to do.

Where might be God calling us? That is always to be worked out, but it starts with doing justice, loving kindness, being merciful, and walking humbly. It starts with ensuring people are cared for, sheltered, clothed, and fed.

These times require us to listen for God's call in our lives, both as individuals and corporately as the body of Christ expressed in the polity of Saint John's Episcopal Church. These times require us to listen for God's call as to how we can best reflect the mission and image of God to the world. Because the reality is that if we refuse to listen for God and bend ourselves to his will, then we are simply stating our own personal desires and bending God to reflect those desires. And that isn't Christianity, it's idolatry.

God is calling us to a variety of ministries and tasks. We are his people, he is our God. Let us listen for his call with open hearts and sound minds.

Amen.