You can listen to this reflection here. Sunday's gospel reading is here.
The Second Sunday in Epiphany – it 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. There was indeed something “viral” about the way Jesus’ network of followers grew. It wasn’t a linear process, Jesus asking one after another. It was radial, people telling their friends and family, who came to check out what they’d heard, and stuck around to become 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!” And by this third day, Andrew and Peter have introduced their friend and neighbor Philip to Jesus, for we see Jesus inviting Philip to follow him too.
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 even though Nathanael is sarcastic at first, Jesus finds a way to get through to him.
It’s not up to us to make the people in our lives fall in love with Jesus, only to make the introduction. And in our day and age we can do “radial” faster and more effectively than ever before. If you’ve ever had a post on social media garner attention from people well beyond your own network, you know how quickly that can happen. Even your own circles include friends of friends, and people who hear about you. Every once in a while, Instagram informs me that someone I never heard of is now following me. How did that happen? I have not a clue. 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’ve “caught” the connection ourselves, 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 some – but truly, that is our invitation. I know in some ways I resist intimacy with God, but I do know it’s where my life’s deepest meaning and purpose will be found. And 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?
And who are the “Nathanaels” around you, whom you might invite to explore faith? 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 about it. (Need I add, you can always forward Water Daily or invite friends to subscribe!)
“The next day” is today – and the ones featured in the story are you and me. To whom will we introduce Jesus?
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