2 Easter 2026

The Rev. Dr. Kenneth H. Saunders III
Greeneville, TN

The Second Sunday of Easter
April 12, 2026

• Acts 2:14a,22-32
• 1 Peter 1:3-9
• John 20:19-31
• Psalm 16

The disciples are hiding. The doors are locked. The room is tense. Fear has settled in. They have seen too much. They have lost too much. And now they do not know what comes next.

They are afraid... afraid of what might happen to them because they followed Jesus, afraid of being cast out, rejected, or even worse. And in many ways, that fear is not just theirs. It reflects the experience of the early Christian community... a people trying to hold onto faith while navigating tension, uncertainty, and even exclusion.

And if we’re honest, it reflects something in us too. Moments in us when faith feels fragile. Moments around us when the world feels uncertain. Moments when we are not quite sure what comes next. 

And into that space... into the fear and uncertainty... Jesus comes. Not by opening the door. Not by removing the threat. But by standing among them and saying, “Peace be with you.”

Jesus appears in that upper room, not once, but twice. Peace... not as the absence of trouble, but as the presence of Christ there, in the middle of it. And then he shows them his hands and his side. The wounds, the marks of his crucifixion, are still there. Still there, because the resurrection doesn’t erase what happened and what he suffered. It transformed it.

And then Jesus speaks the words that change everything for them: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” The story is not over. Their fear is not the end. They are being called forward. The same God who sent Jesus into the world in love now sends them into the world with that same love. And they are not sent alone.

Jesus breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” The Ruach, the very creating breath of God... the breath that gave life in the beginning, is given to them again. And there in that closed-off room, they are refreshed, renewed. Re-created. Given what they need for what lies ahead of them. And part of what lies ahead is this: They are to go out into the world and “forgive.” Jesus says, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven…”

This is not about pretending that harm doesn’t exist. It’s not a cover-up of the cruelty… It is about participating in the life of God. A life rooted in mercy, compassion, and restoration. We forgive because we have been forgiven. We extend grace because grace has been extended to us. And that kind of life is not easy. But it is the way of Christ.

Then our story from John’s gospel turns to Thomas. Thomas, who was not there the first time. Thomas, who missed the great moment when Jesus appeared to the others. Thomas heard the others say,  “We have seen the Lord.” Thomas must have felt left out because he wasn’t able to share in their experience. And still, he stays with them.

This made me ask: where was Thomas when the others were cowering in the room, hiding from the religious authorities? Where was Thomas, the one who boldly said, "Let us go too, that we may die with him," speaking of Jesus deciding to return to Judea? Where was Thomas? The scripture doesn’t tell us, but we can assume that he was bold enough to go out when the others weren’t. That he was willing to take the risk rather than hold onto his fear.

Thomas has been told that the Lord appeared to them when he wasn’t there, and this caused him to be unsure… And even in his uncertainty, Thomas remains there with them. Connected to them as part of the community.

A week later, Jesus comes to them again. “Peace be with you.” And this time, Thomas is with them. Jesus turns to Thomas and says, “Put your finger here… See my hands… Do not be unbelieving, but believe.” There is no shame in these words. Only invitation. And then Thomas responds with a confession that echoes throughout the ages: “My Lord and my God.”

Jesus then speaks to everyone who would come after those who are gathered there in that closed room, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” This is where we are – this is where we live. We have not stood in that room. We have not seen the nail scars in his hands and feet. We have not touched those wounds. And yet—we are here. We believe.

Each week… We gather. We pray. We share a sacred meal. We return. Even after the great celebration of Easter has passed. Why, because we know something in this story has claimed us. Claimed us in ways that we can’t always explain. We have encountered the living Christ in scripture, in sacrament, and in one another.

The Gospel lesson today ends by telling us why all of this has been written, “So that you may come to believe… and that through believing you may have life.” Not just any life. Abundant life. A life shaped by love and forgiveness. A life grounded in truth. A life sustained by the presence of God. But this life is not passive. It calls us to act. It calls us to follow Jesus into places we may not wish to go. It calls us to live as Jesus lived. To love as Jesus loved. And to walk in his way.

So what does that mean for us here, now? It means, like the first apostles, we are sent. Like the earliest and closest followers of Jesus gathered there in their fear, it sends us into a world that is still fearful, still divided, still searching. It sends us, not with all the answers, but with the peace of Christ. We are sent to embody love. Sent to practice forgiveness. Sent to be signs of hope in the places where hope feels pretty thin.

And when we find ourselves like Thomas, being unsure, with questions, with hesitation, with a longing for clarity... we know that we are not outside the story. We are right in the middle of it. And Christ meets us there. Speaking peace. Giving us comfort. Offering us presence. And calling us forward.

So, this season and always let us live as those who are sent. Let us love as those who are forgiven. And let us trust the presence of Christ among us, here and now. And with our lives, and with our hearts, let us proclaim: “My Lord and my God.”

2 Advent 2025

The Rev. Dr. Kenneth H. Saunders III
Greeneville, TN

The Second Sunday of Advent
December 7, 2025

• Isaiah 11:1-10
• Romans 15:4-13
• Matthew 3:1-12
• Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19

As we heard in today’s reading, we are introduced to a person named John who is out in the wilderness bidding people to repent... to change their ways and return to God. The pericope we read in the Gospel according to Matthew depicts John as an interesting character. We might even call him strange…

And, I’m not just talking about the way he acts… His manner of dress is even stranger. He is all dressed up with his camel hair and leather, not to mention the “strangeness” of his diet of locusts and wild honey. I was wondering what we would think of John if we met him on the street today? 

Would we recognize him as a great prophet of God, and then would we follow him into the wilderness to hear his prophetic message? I doubt that very seriously. Now, I know that we shouldn’t judge folks by what they wear or what they eat, but I also know some folks who get caught up in those little gossip circles with their friends when they run across someone they feel isn’t dressed right. 

Rumors fester, and people form preconceived notions about who we are or what we are about. Usually, distorting the truth and causing harm. But somehow, someway, the people were intrigued with the strange character of John and his message, "Prepare the way of the lord… Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” What could he possibly be talking about??? They were all fascinated…

The folks back then would be familiar with the ancient scroll of Isaiah, and they knew what it said about a voice crying out… (by the way, there was no punctuation in the ancient text… so the interpretation of Isaiah is a bit askew) It was either a voice – ‘crying out in the wilderness’ or a voice crying out – ‘in the wilderness...’ Nonetheless, Matthew’s take on it was this… “There’s a voice crying out in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert, a highway for our God.” The people wanted to know more… so they followed John out into the wilderness. 

I’ve talked about the wilderness before, about how it is a place of unrest and barrenness... A place where demons were thought to be living. In the ancient world, and even today, the wilderness can be a scary place.

Have you ever been lost in the wilderness? The desert or the forest… I mean, really lost - deep in the woods? It can be a very scary experience. You look around, and everything seems to look the same. After an hour, it is hard to tell one tree from another. You may see footsteps and think you're following someone, only to realize they are your own…You get more and more frustrated by the second, and cannot find your way out. I am sure that most of you can relate to that feeling.

Now put that on top of going into the woods with a man as different, as “strange” as John… It’s not a very comfortable feeling. And it probably shouldn’t be! 

You only traveled through wilderness places for specific reasons (for family, for feasts, or for business). It wasn’t a destination, so traveling TO the wilderness was unheard of. So, why go to the wilderness with John?

All four of the Gospels tell us something about John the Baptizer. The evangelist, Matthew, spends a few lines this morning describing what John is wearing… I think that maybe his manner of dress might be a clue for us. Please understand that coarse camel’s hair and leather was not the preferred dress code in ancient Palestine. 

It was extremely different and definitely worth mentioning. But not only worth mentioning… I think that it is significant to who John is and the message he brings… This isn’t the first time we have heard of this kind of “outfit.” 

Some of you may be familiar with a character in the first chapter of the second book of Kings, where it describes a prophet of God who is “A hairy man, with a leather belt around his waist” – sitting on the top of the mountain… He made fire come down from heaven and consume 2 kings’ armies before going down with the third to meet the king, only to tell that king that he is going to die. This was Elijah the Tishbite. The great prophet of the living God of Israel who shook up the Hebrew scriptures. 

Now, if I were a good follower of the God of Israel, for me, that would be enough reason right there to follow John anywhere. The folks back then thought John might be Elijah, who had come back to give them a prophetic message.

But John wasn’t giving just any old message. He was telling them to get ready for something big that was coming. He is here to shake them up a bit – and give them a reality check! He was telling them to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” To denounce their evil ways and turn back to God. So, to some, John was possibly Elijah the Tishbite who had come to prepare the people of Israel for “the great and terrible day of the Lord.” 

This excites the Pharisees and the Sadducees, so they come out to John to be baptized… You remember the Pharisees and the Sadducees… The Pharisees (the pompous religious elite) and the Sadducees (the non-believers in resurrection) 

But John ridicules the Pharisees and the Sadducees and compares them to a "brood of vipers" snakes running scared from the judgment that is coming. He challenges them to change their heart, to “repent” of their sins, to prepare and make themselves ready.

Last Sunday, we were reminded again that Advent was a time to stay alert – to be awake. We learned that we are the keepers of the watch in this season, and we are to keep awake and live faithfully… to make ourselves worthy and ready. Those themes continue this week with today’s text – And John is here to show us the way… to shake us up a bit… and to give us a reality check. 

In Advent, we are called to search down deep… Deep down into those dark wilderness places of our lives… Deep into those desolate places where our demons dwell… Those places we don’t like to go... Places that are strange and different to us… 

We go to these places to prepare and examine ourselves… to see if these “trees” that we are growing in our lives are truly bearing the good fruit? This process of examination, discernment, and repentance can be difficult. It requires us to have an open mind and a desire to be changed, a heart wanting to be warmed. 

It requires us to be ready to admit to ourselves that we DO need change and guidance, even when we think we don’t. John is here this morning to help us take the journey... take that journey to those wilderness places, and the strange and different John gives us a message… A message of hope that something extraordinary is happening… something special is coming, and we need to prepare for it.

But the narrative that we are given today in the third chapter of Matthew doesn’t really identify who is coming…. (now, we know the rest of the story, and we know that John is talking about is Jesus the Christ). But, today it hasn’t been revealed to us… All we know now is that John says the person is very powerful, so powerful that John himself is not worthy to even carry his sandals. The rest is a mystery… and our lectionary is careful not to reveal the rest of the story too soon in this season of preparation 

The story about the awesome power and glory of God that lurks just around the corner. So we are called by the text this morning to exercise a little restraint and not get too terribly anxious… We are called to spend some time in active anticipation, looking inward at the good in our lives and what fruit we are bearing, in hopes that we are bearing the true ripe sweet fruit that our God expects of us. Because the rest of the story will unfold to us in due time and ALL will be revealed… 

All we can do today is be here in our Advent anticipation and examine ourselves… examine ourselves and repent, for the kingdom of God has indeed come very near!

1 Advent 2025

The Rev. Dr. Kenneth H. Saunders III
Greeneville, TN

First Sunday of Advent
November 30, 2025

• Isaiah 2:1-5
• Romans 13:11-14
• Matthew 24:36-44
• Psalm 122

I have got to be honest with you, when I was little, I was a little afraid of the dark…  Not that I believed that there were monsters hiding under my bed or in the closet…  It was just that the darkness made things seem so different. Different in a way that was a bit scary.  

Needless to say, I was a child with a very active imagination, and the darkness held the unknown and unseen, which made it difficult for me to relax and fall asleep. Sometimes the shadows of the darkness 

cause me to see things differently…  

What I knew to be a coat hanging on the doorknob became a short person standing guard at the entrance to my closet. Or what was a chair with an afghan thrown over it, became that odd-looking goblin that I had never seen in my life…  

I would sometimes stare at these things for hours, waiting for them to move…  waiting for the light to come on again in the room, and reveal their true identity.  

I can bet that perhaps some of you don’t like the darkness. And though you probably won’t admit it, you don’t like not being able to recognize and understand what lurks in the shadows. No matter how much we mature, our natural instinct is to be afraid of the unknown – fear what we can’t see.  

And the absence of light makes it very difficult to see anything. Now, we have several ways that we deal with this… We can age, and simply grow out of the fear… We use night-lights (or artificial sources of light) that give us a sense of false security…  but some of us never deal with it, and just end up living in the darkness.  

These folks sometimes need assistance (a professional) to help them deal with the darkness in their lives, a counselor. That is what our scripture lessons are talking about this morning… 

About keeping awake, putting on the protective armor of true light, and walking and living in the light of the Lord... the light of Christ. A place where there is no fear, and there is peace and rest. We deal with the darkness in our lives by relying on the wonderful counselor, Jesus Christ.

In the season of Advent, we all become the keepers of the watch and must keep awake and be ready. Even though it’s dark and scary sometimes, we know that this is our time to wake from sleep, and live honorably, and keep watch. We watch in active anticipation for the arrival of Christ. Not just to commemorate the birth of Jesus being born in a barn, but to watch and wait for the arrival of Christ in all His power and glory, reclaiming the world for justice and peace!  

Waiting for the establishment of a Kingdom under His rule... A kingdom where there is no war and the swords are beaten into plowshares and the spears into pruning hooks. But we live in a world that doesn’t honor faithful living… and we are not prepared for this kind of righteous kingdom.  

Like Paul asks the Romans, we need to wake up and recognize our salvation because the day is near. But, we are not good watchmen… We want to be comfortable, so we chase after things that give us that “quick fix”... things that do not gratify our desires in the long run (things like reveling, drunkenness, debauchery, and licentiousness) aggressively going after pleasures, and overindulging in frivolous pursuits. 

Think about the holiday that we just celebrated… Thanksgiving in the United States. Though it has a bit of a sordid past, it’s a national holiday set aside to give thanks. It’s an intentional time to pause and be thankful... A time to celebrate a shared meal with friends and family. A time to make peace with strangers and help feed those who may not have anything to eat. But society has hijacked it and rearranged it into a gluttonous feast followed by football and shopping.  

Even with their issues, I am wondering if our forbearers, the ones who sat down with strangers to give thanks to God over a shared meal, would be proud of what we have become… Instead of walking in the light of Christ, we wander in the dark cloud of consumerism.

The consumerism that has convinced us that we need this or that… it has become an artificial light in our darkness. And we wonder why this time of year is so difficult for folks who are dealing with depression and anxiety… It’s because, in our American way of life, we have replaced the true foundation in Jesus Christ with the “Stuff” that doesn’t satisfy.  

We try to overcome our anxiety by hanging tinsel and lights, by trying to make it happen quicker by decking the halls earlier and earlier… somehow trying to make that euphoric holiday feeling come and make us happy… thinking that the artificial lights will, somehow, chase away our darkness.

Jesus said that he would come back… and, like the days of Noah before the flood, life has been one big party, not concerned with doing anything to honor God or giving God the glory…  And we know the story. We recall what happened during the time of Noah – the flood waters came and swept it all away…  

So Jesus warns us to keep awake and be ready because we will not know when He will come to restore the earth… be ready, because…  The time will come like a thief in the night at an unexpected hour.

Our advice today from our Lord Jesus Christ, our Wonderful Counselor, as we start the new church year together, is to stay alert and live faithfully… Like the scriptures tell us, we should “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” – Be clothed with Christ as we take on his teaching and model his holy righteousness… This is our “armor of light” that repels the darkness…  

We are the keepers of the watch…  and what we do as Christians, our work in this world is accomplished in the spirit of wakefulness and watchfulness. We are called to a faithful work of awareness and sensitivity, living in the mystery of what is to come. And it’s not an easy place to be… It’s like living in the middle of the “already” and the “not yet.” We are called during the season of Advent to a period of eschatological waiting, anticipating the return of our Lord Jesus Christ to vanquish the world’s darkness…

Today, we have a beautiful new Advent wreath here, adorned with candles. With the passing of the Sundays in Advent, we light another candle, symbolizing the light of Christ that is coming into this world… as the light grows brighter and brighter, casting away the shadows of darkness, until the day we celebrate the incarnation when the true light came into the world, and all the candles will be lit…     

So keep watch, my friends, put on the armor of light, and let the light of Christ grow in our hearts and in our lives…  and be ready to receive our Christ at His coming.

Last Epiphany B 2024

The Rev. Dr. Kenneth H. Saunders III
St. James Episcopal Church 
Greeneville, TN

• 2 Kings 2:1-12
• 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
• Mark 9:2-9
• Psalm 50:1-6

I have always loved science. In fact, the first time I went to college many years ago, I was a science major. I loved both biology and the physical sciences (chemistry & physics). The combination of the two led to my first career as a health physics technician. I was hooked since my first experience of looking into a microscope in the 7th grade. 

There was a whole other world out there that I couldn’t see with my naked eye, and I found it fascinating. In my nuclear job, I took surveys every day, looking for particles I couldn’t see with my naked eye by using a detector device specifically designed to react to the radiation that the particles were emitting. The clicks on the device would allow me to hear and measure the energy being emitted. Because, of course, I couldn’t see it. It gave me another perspective, another way to find what I was looking for.

Have you ever heard the Dr. Seuss story of Horton Hears a Who? It is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss stories. If you’ve never read it, you should sit down and read through it. It’s only 72 pages, and it has plenty of pictures. Some of you might say, “Oh, that’s a silly children’s book. I remember reading that to my kids.” But if you have read it, did you ever pay attention to the story? Dr. Seuss does a fantastic job of using perspective to explain things. Those who know the story know that Horton is an elephant that hears a sound from what he perceives as a speck of dust on a flower. Horton is convinced there is something to this, and he listens closely to the small voice coming from the speck of dust. 

He realizes that there is another world there and that the other world is called Whoville, and it is so very tiny, so very, very small, that to Horton, it looks like just a speck of dust, but to the Whos, it’s their entire universe... Horton then decides to protect the small flower and convince others in the jungle of his discovery. 

The story of Horton Hears a Who has many levels and dimensions. It’s about being responsible and keeping promises. It’s about being very small in a vast world, but even though you are small, you are just as important as those larger than you. It’s also about every citizen in the community working together for the town’s well-being. It is all multi-level. Multi-levels that are based on different perspectives.

There are lots of levels in today’s scripture stories. We could sit together, study the gospel passage, and look at it in several ways, but I don’t think the two of us would have the same perspective. It’s because our individual lives are often the lens through which we look. 

When we comment about what we think or feel, it’s usually done in light of our experiences. It doesn’t make it right or wrong; it just makes it our perspective. Sometimes, to get a different perspective, we have to back up some to see more of the big picture (maybe up a mountain) instead of being up so close that we only see the little speck of dust that is our own little world. 

Have you ever noticed that things have a different perspective when you back up or get closer? We often gain other solutions and can come to different decisions based on new information. When we back up, we see how important the big picture is…  and when we get close and listen, then, like Horton, we can hear the Who and protect the flower.

Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain, literally up on a high mountain away from everything, possibly to get a different perspective. There, Jesus was changed before them, transfigured – and his clothes became a dazzling white as nothing on earth could bleach them. 

Jesus appears on the mountaintop with Elijah, the Prophet was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire as we heard in our Old Testament Lesson. And there is Moses, the most excellent Prophet that Israel has ever known. The one that led them out of Israel and gave them the Torah… the commandments from God from up on Mount Sinai. 

We hear this story but often need clarification about what it really means. We often think this is just a simple sign of Jesus’ divinity. But it is more of a revelation of perspective. 

Jesus is there to complete the work that those extraordinary prophets of old started, revealing to them the power, love, and fullness of the kingdom of God. It is a reminder to us that this world that we live in has many layers and many dimensions. Sometimes, the dimensions that are hidden from us appear, and then we get to take a look at a different reality, gasp with wonder and awe, and then afterward see things totally differently. (N.T. Wright)

Peter, James, and John experienced this transformation and were terrified. They were so afraid they didn’t know what to do or say. So, Peter says the first thing that comes to his mind, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. Let us make 3 dwelling places (or tents), one for You, one for Elijah, and one for Moses.”

They were having a direct encounter with the Kingdom of God, and he got so caught up in the moment that they wanted to house it, shelter it, and hold onto it, keeping it isolated in a tent. Peter doesn’t “get it,” just like sometimes we don’t “get it.”

We take the situations that we experience, the encounters that we have. We want so much for that feel-good feeling to last that we do everything that we can to contain it, preserve it, and protect it, or worse, we try over and over to recreate it instead of just letting it happen and living into it, letting the experience show us and teach us. Instead of learning to look at things from a different perspective and seeing another way or a different reality that may be scary and uncomfortable, we opt for the familiar and comfortable.

It was like the way it was when I was a child, the way it was when we raised our children or the way we think it ought to be based on our own isolated experiences.

For the second time in the New Testament, we hear the voice of God coming out of a cloud. This time, it’s telling us, “This is My Beloved Son; listen to him.” Elijah and Moses paved the way, and Jesus is here to finish the job. If we really listen to Jesus and follow Him, and do what he calls us to do, then we learn to see things differently, with a different perspective...  see things through a different lens.

Jesus calls each of us to be molded and formed by our experiences, not necessarily to hold onto them, but to learn from them, and then we are to continue to follow, grow in faith and love, and go out and proclaim the Kingdom of God.

We may not see or understand the vast world around us, and we may not even realize our impact on that world by the things we do or the decisions we make. But we must remember that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. 

As Episcopalians in the United States, we are part of the Anglican Communion. If you put us all together, we are the world’s 3rd largest body of Christians. It means we are not alone out here, floating around like a speck of dust.

It means that there are people all over the world today, some at this very minute out there hearing the same lessons, saying some of the same prayers, sharing the bread and the cup, and engaging in the liturgy of corporate worship.

If we allow ourselves to back up a bit (maybe go up a mountain), change our perspective, and see the more extensive body around us, we just might see how important what we do is and that we are not doing it alone. Then, and only then, we might be open enough to an encounter with the living God who loves us and cares for us so very closely. It’s about perspective! 

We can choose to let the four walls of our beloved St. James be the tunnel vision of our experience and try to shelter it and protect it, or we can encounter the living God in bold and bright new ways, letting Jesus lead us to places we may be resistant to go and experience some of the fear and discomfort that goes along with that.

We can all work together, like the people of Whoville, to make our voices heard or let our speck of dust cease to exist when the flower drops to the ground…

Even more simply. We can follow Jesus and live for what will be or try to build tents and live for what was.

2B Epiphany 2024

The Rev. Kenneth H. Saunders III

St. James Episcopal Church

Greeneville, TN

• 1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20)
• 1 Corinthians 6:12-20
• John 1:43-51
• Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17

In today’s lessons from the Holy Scriptures, we get many images of call and response. God’s call and God’s people’s response. Jesus’ call and the follower’s response. I’m not talking about calls like you would make on the telephone or by yelling across a room. 

This is a deep-seated sense of call. A hearing, not necessarily with your ears, but with your whole body. A feeling deep down, deep in your bones. It’s like when you hear an older, wiser person talk. They sometimes say, “I know it in my bones.”

These people often have the gift of discernment, or the ability to perceive and respond, by the Holy Spirit’s movement, respond to God’s will. It is sometimes referred to as spiritual sensitivity. It’s said that a spiritually sensitive person is “in tune” with God’s heart. But, I think the lessons we heard today go beyond just call and response. They are about God speaking, God’s people listening, and God’s people hearing and knowing. They talk about honoring God with lived lives and responding to God fully by following.

Samuel’s mother, Hannah, was initially unable to have children. Eli, the priest, happened upon her when she was praying silently for God to give her a child. Eli blessed her and asked that God grant her request. She gave birth to her child and named him Samuel (God heard me). Samuel was her long-awaited child, and she thought it only proper to honor God by giving Samuel to God's service. 

We can only imagine how hard it would be to give up a child, our only child, to be raised by someone else. We can hardly comprehend that grief. Samuel grew up in the service of God, but he was not a servant to Eli. And Eli, in his advanced age, was not a master, nor was he merely Samuel’s caretaker. I think the relationship was more like father and son, or even grandfather and grandson, or at the least, mentor and student. 

I find it fascinating that God called out to Samuel in the story, and it came 3 times before he even knew what was happening. Then, Eli perceived that God was calling to the boy and that Samuel needed to listen. 

The scene in the reading from Samuel is all too familiar. The word of the Lord was rare, and visions were not widespread. When was the last time you saw a vision of a pillar of fire, a column of smoke, or maybe a parting river or sea? No, we haven’t seen many visions that we perceived to be from God recently. That doesn’t mean they’re not there. It just means that we don’t recognize them. 

God sometimes needs to call us repeatedly until we finally understand God is calling. Until we finally start listening. I know that when I began the process of discernment and self-discovery in the process of Holy Orders for the church. I realized that I had been called as a young adult. Called but didn’t listen. That doesn’t mean I never heard. It just means that it took a while for me to understand that it was from God. After spending most of my life running in the other direction, finally, at 35, I stepped up and said, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Perceiving, hearing, and listening to that divine voice is something we are each called to do, but it’s complicated. The best that we can hope to do is honor God with our life. That’s what Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth is saying. In this reading, like in all of scripture, context matters. We have to remember that Corinth is a large port city in Greece. It was an epicenter of big trade on the Gulf of Corinth’s shores that led out to the Mediterranean and the known world. 

Corinth saw all types, sorts, and conditions of people. Some people say that it was more like the Las Vegas of the day, known for its riff-raff, its prostitutes, and pagan temples. I had a study group of pastors that used to say, “What happens in Corinth stays in Corinth.” In Paul’s letter to the Corinthian Church, Paul addresses their struggles and points them toward a righteous living that honors God.

He reminds them that regardless of what surrounds them, they are vessels of the Holy Spirit, bearers of the divine spark, and he calls them to glorify and honor God with their life. He calls them to listen and respond with honor. Listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit and respond with honor in their actions. In this case, what do they do with their bodies? 

In the case of our gospel reading, Jesus has just been baptized by John in the River Jordan. We were there last week as Jesus came out of the water, the heavens were ripped open, and a booming voice came down from heaven, “You are my son, the beloved. With you, I am well pleased.” God spoke, and some thought it sounded like thunder. 

Now, we are with Jesus as he goes to the region of Galilee the day after he is baptized. He starts on what I like to call “his recruiting tour” as he rounds up folks from the towns and villages around the Sea of Galilee, most of them fishermen. Today, we hear of Jesus calling Phillip, a contemporary of Andrew and Peter, from Bethsaida. A small fishing village on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. There, Jesus told Phillip, “Follow me,” and Phillip then found Nathanial. 

Nathanial comes off as uninterested in this man Jesus from Nazareth and even asks Phillip, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Again, in our reading, context matters! Nazareth was considered the equivalent of a place on the “wrong side of the tracks.” Indeed, it is not a place for a messianic teacher to be from. But Phillip’s invitation was simple: “Come & see.”

Nonetheless, possibly reluctantly, Nathaniel goes to Jesus, and Jesus identifies Nathaniel as an “Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Nathanial replies that Jesus is the Son of God and King of Israel. And Jesus tells Nathaniel, you haven’t seen anything yet.

In their interaction, Jesus calls Phillip, and Phillip turns around and calls or invites Nathaniel. It reminds us that sometimes, in our travels, we depend on others to help show us the way. Like Eli showed Samuel. The simple invitations in this portion of John’s Gospel account are “follow me” and “come and see.” No flamboyant promises are made other than you haven’t seen anything yet.

 

Phillip and Nathaniel heard Jesus’ call and responded with their life. They responded to something they perceived to be much bigger than they were. They knew that Moses and the prophets spoke of one who would come, and when Jesus arrived, they answered the call.

So, where does that leave us today? How do we hear the voice of God? How do we respond to God’s Call when it seems like God isn’t saying much or doing much? I would like to remind us that we need to remember to stay still enough to listen. Listen to that still, small voice from God that comes through at the most unexpected times in the most unforeseen and strangest places. And sometimes through the most incredible people and in the most unexpected situations.

When that happens, then hear God out; believe me, you will know if it’s of God. A good litmus test for it would be something that Bishop Curry always says, “If it’s of Love, then it’s of God.” If it builds up, honors, restores, empowers, and heals God’s people (which is all of humanity), then it’s of God. 

The next thing we need to do is honor God. Put God first at all times and in all things. God put us first by entrusting us to be bearers of the Holy Spirit. We need to honor God by putting God first. Remember that God loves you and wants to use you to help restore this broken world. God calls you and me into a relationship to function together as Christ’s body on earth. 

We are Jesus’ hands and feet as we lift up, heal, and work for justice and peace. St. Theresa of Avilla reminds us when she says: “Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.”

And finally, like Phillip called Nathaniel, we are called to bring others into a relationship with Jesus. We are responsible for making other disciples who will follow Jesus in a way that leads to life and salvation. Phillip simply told Nathanial to come and see. In this day and age, it might be “click and watch,” but whatever it is, it is a first step for them to see what a relationship with Jesus could do for them. Inviting them to worship with God’s people and be nurtured by the word and sacrament of our Lord. 

Things may be quiet now, but we know God is still speaking. Folks may not hear initially, but we know God’s people listen, hear, and understand. We know this world needs help, and we know God’s people are honoring God and trying to respond fully by following Jesus in the way. So, we continue to follow Jesus and invite others to Come and See what life in Christ is all about.