2 Sunday after the Ephipany
I Samuel 3:1-10, John 1:43-51
"Pass it On"
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!”
48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.”
51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”RSV
Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen
A pastor tells of visiting the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia when it was in the foyer of Independence Hall. People leaned over to touch the bell. In came a bus load of children, evidently a bit behind schedule for their leader let most of them go up to touch the bell before hurrying them back to the bus. Not all got to touch it.
One little black boy came running back, touched the bell and ran back to the group of stragglers who hadn’t got to touch the ancient symbol of freedom.
He slapped the hand of one in the group, and said, "Pass it on."
And that reminds me of a song we sang in Luther League many years ago.
It is entitled "Pass It On"
Chorus
It only takes a spark to get a fire going.
And soon all those around, can warm up in glowing.
That’s how it is with God’s love,
Once you’ve experienced it, you spread His love to everyone;
You want to pass it on.
What a wondrous time is spring, when all the trees are budding;
The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming.
That’s how it is with God’s love;
Once you’ve experienced it, you want to sing
"It’s fresh like spring"; you want to pass it on.
Chorus
I wish for you my friend, this happiness that I’ve found.
You can depend on Him, it matters not where you’re bound.
I’ll shout it from the mountain top - PRAISE GOD
I want the world to know; the Lord of love has come to me,
I want to pass it on.
Chorus
Our gospel lesson and the Old Testament lesson also speak about different men, Samuel, Philip, and Nathanael who were called by God, and then fulfilled God’s plan for their lives. I want to look at these three men and they fulfilled the words of the song
Once you’ve experienced it, you spread His love to everyone;
You want to pass it on.
Samuel heard someone calling him and thought it was Eli all the time. But with Eli’s help he finally figured out who it was, it was God.
Samuel learned it was not Eli who was calling him, but God. God had called Samuel 3 times and each time Samuel thought it was Eli. Finally, Eli discovered and understood that God was calling Samuel and gave him some instructions to discover the purpose of God’s call.
Philip was discovered by Jesus and called him to follow. And then Philip found Nathanael and told him about Jesus, and called him to come and see. And before Nathanael could do anything, Jesus called to him with information about him, where he was, what kind of person he was.
Notice, the initial calling comes from God. God discovers us as we are, where we are and calls us to serve him. God acts first, then we respond. For most of us the calling from God begins at baptism. It is in that event of Baptism where God first encountered you. The beginning of the process began there. And that beginning is important. The first step of any undertaking is an important step. Having a relationship established with God is a very important part of this process. And it is God who begins that process, God comes to you, God discovers you as a baby, who doesn’t know anything about God, but that’s all right because it is God who acts.
There is on old hymn which says: "Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, Calling for you and for me; See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching, Watching for you and for me. Come home, come home, Ye who are weary come home, Earnestly,tenderly, Jesus is calling Calling O sinner come home." Jesus is calling, God is calling, calling us into a relationship with him.
We have been called led into a relationship with Jesus through the waters of our Baptism and then next step is what are you going to do with that relationship?
What happens next in that relationship?? Philip decided to follow. Our text doesn’t have any words spoken by Philip but through his actions, we assume he followed. Philip made a decision to follow Jesus’ call, to follow Jesus in his life.
When God called Samuel the 4th time Samuel heard, knew it was God, God’s calling, and then decided to answer, he said,"Speak, for thy servant hears."
And what of us? God has called us in our Baptism, he has called us to be his, but what do you do with that calling? What do we do with that call?
That’s how it is with God’s love,
Once you’ve experienced it, you spread His love to everyone;
You want to pass it on.
Jesus called Philip to follow Him. Which means he made him his disciple.
A disciple is a person who actually lives with the teacher. Jesus asks Philip to come and live with him. One of the consequences of living with Jesus was that Philip became convinced that Jesus was the one who is described by the language "him of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write." And so Phillip told Nathanael, based on that perception, "Come to Jesus and believe."
Samuel and Philip put their decision of faith into action. Samuel said to the Lord he would listen to what God had to say, and Philip asked Nathanael to come and see this Messiah which he had found. And Nathanael made a declaration of faith, saying: "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"
Once we have realized the wonderful gift of grace God has planted in us, once we have decided to do something to allow that seed of grace to grow in us, then we become so excited, so full of God’s spirit that we will want to share it with others.
I wish for you my friend, this happiness that I’ve found.
You can depend on Him, it matters not where you’re bound.
I’ll shout it from the mountain top
I want the world to know; the Lord of love has come to me,
I want to pass it on.
Somehow having a active relationship with God will allow us to live our lives differently, somehow our actions will reflect the God who is in our midst.
The following story, I think, reflects what I am trying to say:
Jack had been president of a large corporation, and when he got cancer, they ruthlessly dumped him. He went through his insurance, used his life savings, and had practically nothing left. I visited him with one of my deacons, who said, "Jack, you speak so openly about the brief life you have left. I wonder if you’ve prepared for your life after death?"
Jack stood up, livid with rage. "You *** *** *** Christians. All you ever think about is what’s going to happen to me after I die. If your God is so great, why doesn’t He do something about the real problems of life?" He went on to tell us he was leaving his wife penniless and his daughter without money for college. Then he ordered us out. Later my deacon insisted we go back. We did. "Jack, I know I offended you," he said. "I humbly apologize. But I want you to know I’ve been working since then. Your first problem is where your family will live after you die. A Realtor in our church has agreed to sell your house and give your wife his commission. "I guarantee you that, if you’ll permit us, some other men and I will make the house payments until it’s sold. "Then, I’ve contacted the owner of an apartment house down the street. He’s offered your wife a three-bedroom apartment plus free utilities and an $850-a-month salary in return for her collecting rents and supervising plumbing and electrical repairs. The income from your house should pay for your daughter’s college. I just want you to know your family will be cared for."
Jack cried like a baby. He died shortly thereafter, so wrapped in pain he never accepted Christ. But he experienced God’s love even while rejecting Him. And his widow, touched by the caring Christians, responded to the gospel message. 1
That Deacon learned that just talking about being a Christian was not enough. When he realized that, he went out and did something for that man and his family. This deacon took the man up on his question "why doesn’t He do something about the real problems of life?"
We need to put our faith into action. We need to reach out and help someone not just with words, but deeds.
A story says it well:
This piece was heard on National Public Radio’s "Morning Edition" on November 2, 1988:
"In 1958, America’s first commercial jet air service began with the flight of the Boeing 707. A month after that first flight, a traveler on a piston-engine, propeller-driven DC-6 airliner struck up a conversation with a fellow passenger. The passenger happened to be a Boeing engineer. The traveler asked the engineer about the new jet aircraft, whereupon the engineer began speaking at length about the extensive testing Boeing had done on the jet engine before bringing it into commercial service. He recounted Boeing’s experience with engines, from the B-17 to the B-52. When his traveling companion asked him if he himself had yet flown on the new 707 jet airliner, the engineer replied, ’I think I’ll wait until its been in service awhile.’" Even enthusiastic talking about our faith doesn’t mean much if we aren’t also willing to put our lives where our mouth is. 2
I wish for you my friend, this happiness that I’ve found.
You can depend on Him, it matters not where you’re bound.
I’ll shout it from the mountain top
I want the world to know; the Lord of love has come to me,
I want to pass it on.
This weekend marks one of the famous people who put his faith into action. On this Dr. Martin Luther King weekend we remember the words of this man who had a dream, who put his faith into action which cost him his life. Who not only talked about his faith and dreams, but put them into action with his marches and such action.
An excerpt of that famous speech says:
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today."
It only takes a spark to get a fire going.
And soon all those around, can warm up in glowing.
That’s how it is with God’s love,
Once you’ve experienced it, you spread His love to everyone;
You want to pass it on.
Amen
Written by Pastor Tim Zingale January 9, 2006
1This story was reported by Ralph Neighbour, pastor of Houston’s West Memorial Baptist Church in Death and the Caring Community by Larry Richards and Paul Johnson from Higher Praise Illustrations
2 from -L. Nishan Bakalian. Leadership-Vol. 10, #4
