Sidney UMC - Second Sunday after the Epiphany/Human Relations Day - 01/17/21 - Sermon - “What Would You Say To Jesus?"

Sunday 01/17/21 - Sidney UMC 

Sermon Title:       “What Would You Say To Jesus?”

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18                                         

New Testament Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Gospel Lesson: John 1:43-51

          Brothers and sisters, friends, welcome once again on this the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, and this our Human Relations Day. Two Sundays after we celebrated the visit of the Wise Men or magi, who brought to Jesus gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. We will be in this season after the Epiphany, until Transfiguration Sunday, on Sunday February 14^th.

          I have posted on the Sidney UMC Facebook Page, and have e-mailed a link out regarding Human Relations Day, but I will also explain it again briefly this morning. Human Relations Day is one of six official giving Sundays in the life of the United Methodist Church. When church services are in person, generally we put giving envelopes in your church bulletins, but since we are online only until further notice, I am letting you know about this United Methodist Church giving Sunday, online. You could also send funds to the church and mark them Human Relations Day to if you want, and we will make sure they are then forwarded on to the people that need them.

According to www.umc.org, it says this about Human Relations Day:

“Across the United Methodist connection we come together to help bridge the gap between church and community by participating in an offering set aside for Human Relations Day. For more than half a century, United Methodists have observed this churchwide special Sunday in recognition of the message Jesus demonstrated during his life: all of God’s children are important”.

“One of the wonderful aspects of The United Methodist Church is that we can do so much more together than we ever could do on our own. On Human Relations Day, we join other UMC congregations in a special offering to support neighborhood ministries through Community Developers, community advocacy through United Methodist Voluntary Services and work with at-risk youth through the Youth Offender Rehabilitation Programs”.

“In recognizing Human Relations Day, we are called to make an impact in communities where people struggle because they don’t have the tools or resources to reach their God-given potential.  Our gifts are part of building beloved community through faith-based volunteer programs, community developers and programs that work with at-risk teens” (https://www.umc.org/en/content/human-relations-day-sunday-ministry-article).

          So again, I have e-mailed a link out for you to give to Human Relations Day, I have posted a link on our Sidney United Methodist Church Facebook page, and you can also send funds to the church at 12 Liberty Street here in Sidney. Just mark them for Human Relations Day, and once again, we will make sure that these funds are passed on to those that need them.

          This being said, in our gospel lesson from the gospel of John for this morning, we once again have the story of Jesus calling Philip to follow him. Philip’s friend Nathanael then soon after becomes convinced that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the Savior of the World (Jn. 1:43-51, NRSV).

          For these reasons, this is why my sermon for this morning is called, “What Would You Say To Jesus?” For example, I have had people tell me at various times of my life, “Paul you need to come with me! I need to show you something!” I think that many of us have had people at one time or another let us know that there was something or someone that we just had to see. Maybe there was something extraordinary happening on the news on television, or someone wanted you to meet someone, or perhaps you were summoned or asked to follow someone for different reasons. We all have been asked to follow and see, or to follow and to meet someone new.

          We all have reasons that we ask people to follow us, and various reasons that we chose to follow others. I remember as a kid many times saying, “Mom, you need to come and see this!” Generally, my mom came and saw whatever I asked her to see. So, being asked to follow someone is not completely foreign for most of us, yet what if the person asking you to follow them is someone you have never met? Let me ask this again, what if the person asking you to follow them is someone you have never met? I mean it is one thing if a family member or a friend says as Jesus said to Philip this morning, “Follow Me,” but what if a stranger did that to you?

          As I said, I am sure we have had family and friends say, “Hey you need to come and see this!” or, “hey you need to come and meet this person!” What though, would make you follow a complete stranger? I would think that there would need to be something very compelling about the person. Bear in mind to that right before our gospel reading picks up for this morning that Jesus had called Andrew and Peter to follow him (Jn. 1:35-42, NRSV).

          So again, what would make you follow a complete stranger? Some people might do this if it was a police officer that they had never met, but Jesus this morning was a complete stranger, and not in a uniform. This complete stranger just walks up to you and says, “Follow Me”.

The other question that will really bake your noodle, as the term goes though, is why does Jesus chose the 12-disciples that he chose? Why does Jesus walk right up to Philip this morning, and say “Follow Me”? I mean Jesus could have picked any twelve, but Philip was one of them.

          My guess is, is that Jesus saw something very special in Philip, which is why Jesus said to him this morning, “Follow Me”. Jesus had many followers during his life, but only twelve handpicked disciples. Philip was one of those twelve, and even Nathaniel in our gospel of John reading for this morning is not one of those twelve. So, clearly Jesus saw something in Philip, but also clearly Philip saw something in Jesus. I mean Philip could have told Jesus, “No thanks,” “Or maybe some other time,” but he didn’t. Philip just followed this complete stranger, named Jesus. Clearly Jesus, as I said, saw something great in Philip’s eyes, and Philip clearly knew that Jesus was someone special.

I mean what would it be like to meet Jesus face to face? I can imagine that Philip knew immediately that this Jesus was something special. I mean, was it what Philip saw in Jesus’ eyes? Was it the way that Jesus carried himself? Was it Jesus’ presence, his manner of being, or perhaps all of the above and more?

          When I think of Jesus calling Philip this morning, our scripture from Psalm 139 really connects to this for me. Psalm 139:1-4 says once again:

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me. ² You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. ³ You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. ⁴ Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely”                  (Ps. 139:1-4, NRSV).

          God knows us and every little thing about us, and yet He freely choses us. Jesus knew everything about Philip this morning, and yet asked him to be one of his 12-disciples. While Jesus called his 12-disciples, he also calls all of us. He knows everything little thing about us, both good and bad, and he wants us to follow him. As my sermon title says for this morning then, “What Would You Say To Jesus?” Would you follow him, or not?

          With this said, lets look more closely at our gospel of John reading for this morning. It says, once again:

“⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter” (Jn. 1:43-44, NRSV).

 

          So just like that Jesus said follow me, and Philip did. In Philip now following Jesus though, he went and quickly told his friend Nathanael. The gospel of John reading then continues once again saying:

“⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” ⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” ⁵⁰ Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man” (Jn. 1:45-51, NRSV).

 

          Jesus, who was raised in Nazareth, also called Jesus of Nazareth, is the savior of the world. At first, Nathanael balks at the idea that a savior could come from Nazareth, as Nazareth was not a wealthy or a top town. Yet, as soon as Nathanael saw Jesus, he knew, just and as Philip knew. Pretty impressive for meeting a stranger, wouldn’t you say?

          The question for us to consider once again then, is “What Would You Say To Jesus?” If Jesus approached you, and said, “Follow Me,” would you do so? Further, if you said yes to Jesus, would you want to be more like this Jesus?

          In a time of global pandemic, will you say yes to Jesus? Will you say yes to loving and caring for others? Will you say yes to caring for your neighbor? Will you say yes to allowing Jesus Christ to transform you through the power of the Holy Spirit? Will you say yes to a life lived for God and for serving others? I don’t know about you friends, but today and every day, I say yes to Jesus. “What Would You Say To Jesus?” Amen.