Epiphany 2B sermon

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany—Year B January 18, 2015 My heart is very full today, on this 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany. It is my last day here with you, and it is also our patronal feast day, the Confession of St. Peter (which is transferred to tomorrow because it falls on a Sunday this year). It is strangely appropriate, that, as we say goodbye to one another, our propers for the day and the very life of St. Peter invite and encourage us to think about call. We see it in the story of young Samuel, who hears the call of God but has to learn who and what he is experiencing through the wisdom of the older (and flawed) Eli. We see it in today’s gospel reading, when Peter and Andrew and Philip and Nathaniel leave their whole entire lives behind to accept Jesus’s invitation to “Come and See.” As we all celebrate our life here together today and mark the ending of our formal relationship (but certainly not the bonds of our common affection that will go with us into the future), we also are all in this position where we are leaving something behind in order to accept Jesus’s invitation to “Come and See”. In his blog post this week, Parker Palmer shares a poem that I think gets right to the heart of what call is and what it means to follow Jesus’s call in our lives and in our church. It’s a poem about the "thread" that runs through our lives — a thread that can guide us if we hold onto it: The Way It Is by William Stafford There's a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn't change. People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others to see. While you hold it you can't get lost. Tragedies happen; people get hurt or die; and you suffer and get old. Nothing you do can stop time's unfolding. You don't ever let go of the thread. Here is what Parker Palmer has to say about this thread. “Holding on doesn't make life any easier, but it can keep us from getting lost in the dark woods that swallow us up every now and then. Knowing we can find our way home with that thread in hand, we're more likely to explore the darkness and learn what it has to teach us. [He continues]From time to time, I lose track of the thread of my life. I lose it when I succumb to my own fears, or to other people's expectations, or to the non-stop circus of distractions we call the modern world. So I need to take time to ponder a few questions, which is what I've been doing this week: » As I look back on my life, what's the thread that has given me a sense of meaning and purpose? How can I name or picture it in a way that will keep me more aware of it? » Once I've reclaimed my lost thread and have it firmly in hand, what darkness do I need to enter and explore? For example, what fears do I need to face into and walk through to keep them from shutting me down? » In what kinds of situations do I most often let go of the thread? How can I avoid those situations, or go into them better prepared to deal with their risks?”i Listening for the call of God in our lives, finding and holding onto that thread, is the way that we “find our way home.” It is a process that begins at our birth, and it finds clarity in our baptism, when we are accepting God’s claiming of us as God’s beloved. That thread is the love song that God sings to us through scripture, tradition, and our faith communities, and while we hold onto it, we cannot get lost. Be mindful of this, and treat each other with kindness and generosity in the days to come because you need each other to hear the call of Jesus for your lives and for this church. As I was cleaning out my office this week, I discovered a page of prayers and scripture that I had saved. It was from the back of an old Forward Day by Day, and the editor’s note spoke about how he had chosen these prayers for those going through transitions. It seems appropriate to leave you today with a prayer about our calling from our church father, Basil the Great (330-379). Let us pray. O Lord our God, teach us to ask for the right blessings. Guide the vessel of our life toward yourself, the tranquil haven of all storm-tossed souls. Show us the course we should take. Renew a willing spirit within us. Let your Spirit curb our wayward senses and guide and enable us to our true good, to keep your laws and in all our deeds always to rejoice in your glorious and gladdening presence. For yours is the glory and praise of all your saints for ever and ever. Amen. i. http://www.onbeing.org/blog/a-thread-to-guide-us/7206