Third Sunday in January – never fails, whatever the reading, Jesus is telling somebody, “Follow me!” That’s how you start a movement – invite people to follow you, start a social network. And there was indeed something “viral” about the way Jesus’ network of followers accumulated. It wasn’t just linear, Jesus asking one after another. It was also radial, people telling their friends and family, who then came to check out what they’d heard, and stuck around, becoming followers themselves.
Three paragraphs in a row in the first chapter of John start with “The next day…” So this would be the third day since John the Baptist first saw Jesus approaching and identified him as the Son of God. On the second day, Andrew follows Jesus, spends the day with him and by nightfall has gone to fetch his brother Simon Peter, saying “We’ve found the Messiah!” By this third day, Andrew and Peter have introduced their friend and neighbor Philip to Jesus, for Jesus invites Philip to follow him to Galilee.
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
Philip, in turn, goes and finds his friend Nathanael, telling him “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote!” And, though Nathanael is sarcastic at first, Jesus finds a way to get through to him.
It’s not up to us to make people fall in love with Jesus, only to make the introduction. And in our day we have the ability to do “radial” faster and more effectively than ever before. If you’ve ever had a social media post garner attention from people well beyond your own network, you know how quickly that can happen. Even your own circles include not only people close to you, but friends of friends, and people who hear about you. Lately many new subscribers to Water Daily are people I don’t know, which is exciting. How did they hear? Someone forwarded one, or they saw it online. It’s a wide open world out there – with a lot of people hungry for connection to the holy.
Of course, the call to introduce others to Jesus presupposes that we are ourselves connected, that we’ve experienced undeserved love and transformation through coming to know Jesus better. The language of “falling in love” can be a bit much for Episcopalians, but truly, that is our invitation. I do my share of resisting intimacy with God, yet I know it’s where my life’s deepest meaning and purpose will be found. When I allow myself to get close to that fire, I’m much more apt to tell somebody about it.
Who has been an “Andrew” or a “Philip” for you? Who has drawn you closer to a relationship with God in Jesus Christ by the way they speak or live their lives, or the stories they’ve told you? What was it about the way their faith sparkled or their love ran deep that got your attention?
Who are the “Nathanaels” around you, whom you might invite to join your faith journey? These days we can spread the word by posting something about church or asking for prayer - that'll let people know that your spiritual life is important and vital, and maybe they'll ask you about it. (Need I add, you can always forward Water Daily or invite friends to subscribe!)
“The next day” is today – and the ones in the story are you and me. Who will we introduce Jesus to?
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