The Change Epiphany Brings
Commentary
In all three scriptures for today we discover that when GodÕs Spirit reveals itself, change takes place.
In the Samuel selection the fortunes of Eli are about to take a turn for the worse while Samuel will increase in power. Both judgment and reward are involved.
In the Corinthians selection it is clear that when GodÕs claim comes upon a person that person is no longer free to do as he pleases. One moves from the pseudo freedom of license to the true freedom of possession.
In the John selection Peter is given a new name (a new character) after meeting Jesus.
New destiny, new relationships, new names are gifts that come to those who have been shown, have seen, have heard, have been encountered by the presence of God. Even the wise men of Matthew return home "another way."
All too often we are in awe at the revelations given to us in the Epiphany. We stand in wonder at the manger, gawk in awe at the miracles, are amazed to see God making himself known in such magnificent ways. The temptation is to express that wonder and awe in worship and praise and imagine that to be the end of it.
The scriptures for this Sunday remind us that we are expected to be changed by an encounter with the Spirit. We can expect that our futures will be colored by new circumstances, new expectations and new names.
OUTLINE I
Seeking a Growing Awareness of the Presence
1 Samuel 3:1-10; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:35-42
Introduction: Comment on our tendency to wish for the old days when God came to men in dreams and visions, when it seemed clear that it was God who was speaking and that his messages were clearly understood. We imagine that those of old had an easier time of it and that we must somehow exist without the simpler faith that was theirs.
1) It is important to note that all three of the scriptures for today were written after the fact. It is always easier to discern the presence and activity of God after the fact. Looking back we can see connections and meanings that were not formerly clear.
2) Invite the hearers to think back. Suggest that they recall events now laid aside and view them from the present. Do things once considered unfortunate now take on a different hue? Are we better or worse for them? If worse was it because we turned away from his Spirit? If better, do we now see how God moves into our life situations and offers new and better opportunities? Or suggest that they call up some great suecess or happy event. How does it look now? Were we made better or worse in the long run? Did we invite God into the situation or imagine that we didnÕt need him since all went well? And did we miss what could have been best of all?
Conclusion: Suggest that exercising oneÕs reapprehension of the past may enable one to grow more aware of the fact that none of life is lived outside of GodÕs presence. We may go on having just as difficult a time seeing his hand or hearing his voice in the present, but we will be fully aware that in any case we are not alone and that every event is filled with promise if we are like Samuel, or the Corinthians, or Peter.
OUTLINE II
Behold the Lamb
John 1:35-42 (43-51)
Introduction: It may be helpful to probe into the antecedents of JohnÕs declaration that Jesus is the Lamb of God. References to the passover lamb of the Exodus and to the Isaiah 53 passage will begin to give content to JohnÕs intention.
1) The Sign of Deliverance. God made a way. When the angel of death came to Egypt, those whose doorposts were smeared with the blood of the lamb were spared. In the Old Testament sacrificial scheme the blood was not a sign of a dead lamb but that the Lord of Life had come to save his people from the death of bondage.
2) The Sign of Suffering. It is important to remind the hearer that Isaiah 53 and Exodus are contemporary literature. Both share the insight that suffering is somehow related to salvation. The sufferer (the lamb) undergoes the death that should have come to the saved.
3) The Presence of the Lamb. Refer to John 1:14 for JohnÕs clear statement about whomJesus is. Then link Isaiah 53:10-12 with the insight of Revelation 5. Remind the hearer that Revelation was probably written at last twenty years before the Gospel of John. Both share the insight that the suffering and dying Lamb is also the worthy and triumphant lamb.
Conclusion: Warn the hearer that to begin to theologize about such matters is to reduce them to human size and cause them to lose their power. Little wonder that most of what is written here is written in poetry. One can only stand in awe with the saints and sing the new song. See Revelation 5:9-10.
OUTLINE III
The God Who Wants All There Is of Us
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Introduction: Give the background for this selection. Do some homework on Corinth and its propensities. See BarclayÕs Commentary on Corinthians. Relate the spirit found here to that shown in Romans 6. Both are directed to the thinking of the Gnostics that declared the body evil and the spirit good. Therefore, what one does with the body is of no matter. Relate this insight to the modern-day expressions "What difference does it make if it hurts only me?" or "ItÕs my body, isnÕt it?" or "After all, itÕs whatÕs in my heart that matters, isnÕt it?" PaulÕs answer is clear.
1) Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew understanding of selfhood is summed up in Genesis 2:7. The spirit is not just the spark of life or oxygen or some divine CPR. This is the gift of GodÕs Spirit. It is what makes us human and sets us apart from all else in creation.
2) We are not our own. Ask which of us gave ourselves life? Which of us sustains our lives. The psalmist had the truth nailed down when he wrote, "When thou hidest thy face, they are dismayed; when thou takest away their breath, they die and return to their dust." (Psalm 104:29)
We are not even self-made after we get here. What we are and who we become is mostly the gift of God through others. This may be a good place to quote the poem "Invictus" and point out its weaknesses.
3) You are bought with a price. Like china gathering dust on a shelf and not wondering about its fate, so are are. Even when we least suspected it, God purchased us for his own. See Romans 5:8. We are his, adopted into his family. (Romans 8:14-18) God has laid his claim on us, and we are not free to do as we please hut free to do what pleases him.
Conclusion: Invite the hearers to abandon their gnosticism and understand that it is not just our hearts or spirits that God covets but the whole of us. Comment on Romans 12:1, 2.
In the Samuel selection the fortunes of Eli are about to take a turn for the worse while Samuel will increase in power. Both judgment and reward are involved.
In the Corinthians selection it is clear that when GodÕs claim comes upon a person that person is no longer free to do as he pleases. One moves from the pseudo freedom of license to the true freedom of possession.
In the John selection Peter is given a new name (a new character) after meeting Jesus.
New destiny, new relationships, new names are gifts that come to those who have been shown, have seen, have heard, have been encountered by the presence of God. Even the wise men of Matthew return home "another way."
All too often we are in awe at the revelations given to us in the Epiphany. We stand in wonder at the manger, gawk in awe at the miracles, are amazed to see God making himself known in such magnificent ways. The temptation is to express that wonder and awe in worship and praise and imagine that to be the end of it.
The scriptures for this Sunday remind us that we are expected to be changed by an encounter with the Spirit. We can expect that our futures will be colored by new circumstances, new expectations and new names.
OUTLINE I
Seeking a Growing Awareness of the Presence
1 Samuel 3:1-10; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:35-42
Introduction: Comment on our tendency to wish for the old days when God came to men in dreams and visions, when it seemed clear that it was God who was speaking and that his messages were clearly understood. We imagine that those of old had an easier time of it and that we must somehow exist without the simpler faith that was theirs.
1) It is important to note that all three of the scriptures for today were written after the fact. It is always easier to discern the presence and activity of God after the fact. Looking back we can see connections and meanings that were not formerly clear.
2) Invite the hearers to think back. Suggest that they recall events now laid aside and view them from the present. Do things once considered unfortunate now take on a different hue? Are we better or worse for them? If worse was it because we turned away from his Spirit? If better, do we now see how God moves into our life situations and offers new and better opportunities? Or suggest that they call up some great suecess or happy event. How does it look now? Were we made better or worse in the long run? Did we invite God into the situation or imagine that we didnÕt need him since all went well? And did we miss what could have been best of all?
Conclusion: Suggest that exercising oneÕs reapprehension of the past may enable one to grow more aware of the fact that none of life is lived outside of GodÕs presence. We may go on having just as difficult a time seeing his hand or hearing his voice in the present, but we will be fully aware that in any case we are not alone and that every event is filled with promise if we are like Samuel, or the Corinthians, or Peter.
OUTLINE II
Behold the Lamb
John 1:35-42 (43-51)
Introduction: It may be helpful to probe into the antecedents of JohnÕs declaration that Jesus is the Lamb of God. References to the passover lamb of the Exodus and to the Isaiah 53 passage will begin to give content to JohnÕs intention.
1) The Sign of Deliverance. God made a way. When the angel of death came to Egypt, those whose doorposts were smeared with the blood of the lamb were spared. In the Old Testament sacrificial scheme the blood was not a sign of a dead lamb but that the Lord of Life had come to save his people from the death of bondage.
2) The Sign of Suffering. It is important to remind the hearer that Isaiah 53 and Exodus are contemporary literature. Both share the insight that suffering is somehow related to salvation. The sufferer (the lamb) undergoes the death that should have come to the saved.
3) The Presence of the Lamb. Refer to John 1:14 for JohnÕs clear statement about whomJesus is. Then link Isaiah 53:10-12 with the insight of Revelation 5. Remind the hearer that Revelation was probably written at last twenty years before the Gospel of John. Both share the insight that the suffering and dying Lamb is also the worthy and triumphant lamb.
Conclusion: Warn the hearer that to begin to theologize about such matters is to reduce them to human size and cause them to lose their power. Little wonder that most of what is written here is written in poetry. One can only stand in awe with the saints and sing the new song. See Revelation 5:9-10.
OUTLINE III
The God Who Wants All There Is of Us
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Introduction: Give the background for this selection. Do some homework on Corinth and its propensities. See BarclayÕs Commentary on Corinthians. Relate the spirit found here to that shown in Romans 6. Both are directed to the thinking of the Gnostics that declared the body evil and the spirit good. Therefore, what one does with the body is of no matter. Relate this insight to the modern-day expressions "What difference does it make if it hurts only me?" or "ItÕs my body, isnÕt it?" or "After all, itÕs whatÕs in my heart that matters, isnÕt it?" PaulÕs answer is clear.
1) Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew understanding of selfhood is summed up in Genesis 2:7. The spirit is not just the spark of life or oxygen or some divine CPR. This is the gift of GodÕs Spirit. It is what makes us human and sets us apart from all else in creation.
2) We are not our own. Ask which of us gave ourselves life? Which of us sustains our lives. The psalmist had the truth nailed down when he wrote, "When thou hidest thy face, they are dismayed; when thou takest away their breath, they die and return to their dust." (Psalm 104:29)
We are not even self-made after we get here. What we are and who we become is mostly the gift of God through others. This may be a good place to quote the poem "Invictus" and point out its weaknesses.
3) You are bought with a price. Like china gathering dust on a shelf and not wondering about its fate, so are are. Even when we least suspected it, God purchased us for his own. See Romans 5:8. We are his, adopted into his family. (Romans 8:14-18) God has laid his claim on us, and we are not free to do as we please hut free to do what pleases him.
Conclusion: Invite the hearers to abandon their gnosticism and understand that it is not just our hearts or spirits that God covets but the whole of us. Comment on Romans 12:1, 2.
