In the Name of the Living God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
When you think about it, there are many types of sermons you’ll hear over the course of a lifetime. For example, there is the topical sermon, which deals with a particular subject or theme. Then there is the expository sermon, which explains a Scriptural text. And, of course, let us not forget that most famous of all sermons – the three point sermon.
But this little sermon is something different: this is a one word sermon, if you will.
And the word is this: “follow.”
You see, if we take our faith down to its essence, down to its very core, we will quickly discover that Christians are men and women, on earth and in paradise, who follow Jesus Christ as Lord. Indeed, well before there were people known as Christians, the earliest converts were known simply as “followers of The Way.”
Moreover, as our dear visiting friend, Bishop Michael from London, reminded us, “Christianity is not really even a religion in the strictest sense, with some set of strict codes and platitudes; rather, it is concerned primarily with a person, Jesus of Nazareth, and what it means to follow Him.”
The word “follow” greets us today in the first chapter of St. John’s Gospel when the Evangelist tells us that “Jesus decided to go to Galilee” and found there the one who would become St. Philip, saying to him one thing and one thing only: “follow me.”
St. Philip does indeed “follow” and at once wants to convince Nathaniel, who is initially skeptical, to also “follow.” Later on in St. John’s Gospel, you’ll remember that St. Philip turns up at several other pivotal moments, perhaps most memorably when he tells St. Andrew that certain Greeks, “wish to see Jesus.” At the Last Supper, it is St. Philip’s question to Jesus about wanting to see the Father that leads Jesus to explain His unity with the Father, saying, “The Father and I are one.” Tradition holds that St. Philip went on to do many things in the Name of Jesus – in Greece in particular – and was eventually martyred alongside St. Bartholomew, both of whom were crucified upside down. But, regardless of what he accomplished, it all began when Jesus approached him with one word: “follow.”
It turns out that the word “follow” is actually a bit more nuanced that we might think at first glance. In Greek it basically can mean three things: to investigate, to follow closely behind, or even to accompany.
And, from experience, that makes perfect sense. Ask any seasoned “follower of The Way” and you’ll soon realize that “follow” can mean different things at different times along the way. Sometimes we’re more like Nathaniel from today’s gospel, doing a little investigating by meeting the invitation with skepticism. Sometimes we’re sort of like St. Peter – don’t you remember him following closely behind after Jesus’ arrest to see what might happen next? And sometimes – we might say on rare occasions – we’re like St. Simon of Cyrene, accompanying our Lord and carrying the weight of His cross.
I’m simply suggesting that there are spiritual seasons in our lives when “follow” can mean different things, depending on our vantage point. That’s why, in the Church, we are always talking (some might say “nagging”) about “self-examination.”
When we take stock of our spiritual lives, if you will, we are basically figuring out what kind of following we are doing. I have a good friend, who, every night before he goes to bed, writes down what he did that day that brought him closer to God in one column and then, in another column, jots down what he did that separated him from God that day. Then he makes the sign of the cross and drifts off. I’m not prescribing that for all of us, but it is something to consider.
So, I’ll just ask the question: right this moment are you investigating Jesus, following closely behind, or accompanying Him? It is a good question to ask ourselves in this little season in between Christmastide and Lent.
But, most importantly, as good as self-examination is as a tool, it’s not the gospel. And that’s really why I’m preaching this little one-word homily. All too often we get this “follow” business confused; we get it backwards. And this is true whether you’ve followed Jesus your whole life or whether you’re thinking about it for the first time today. You see, when Jesus says “follow me,” He isn’t talking about a mortgage in which we need to pre-qualify before completing the paperwork in order to seal the deal.
My brothers and sisters, the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that new life in Christ begins – at any time – not because of our own ambition to achieve it and somehow then magically measuring up to it, but because of His great invitation to receive it freely as a gift precisely because we cannot and do not measure up!
And getting in touch with that is the most precious, most beautiful thing we’ll ever discover.
When you and I say, “I can’t figure it out,” “Follow me” says, “I will direct you.” When you and I say, “It’s impossible; I’m throwing in the towel,” “Follow me” says, “All things are possible with God.” When you and I say, “I’m exhausted,” “Follow Me,” says, “Come unto me and I will give you rest.” When you and I say, “Nobody loves me,” “Follow me” says, “I love you.” When you and I say, “I can’t forgive myself,” “Follow me” says, “I forgive you.” When you and I say, “I just can’t go on any longer,” “Follow me” says, “My grace is sufficient for you.”
And then, experiencing that supreme sufficiency – that “higher love” as Donne called it – we’ll begin to truly “follow,” moving, by His grace, from investigating, to following a little more closely behind Him to then actually accompanying Him and becoming His hands and His feet in the world.
So now, as we go forth into the world “illumined by His Word and Sacraments,” let us pray for the grace to “follow” Jesus so that we may indeed “shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, so that He may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth.”
Sermon preached by the Rev. Charleston D. Wilson
The Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota Florida
2nd Sunday after Epiphany
18 January 2015