January 18, 2nd Sunday after Epiphany

         In this season after epiphany, we recall how Jesus is revealed to the world. We hear stories about revelation – the ways in which God is made known to us – in our old stories and on our own journey with God. The famous stories remind us how God surprises us. Just when we thought that everything was going from bad to worse – God breaks in and changes everything. This reminder is heartening. God can change the most difficult circumstance. It can also be off-putting. We assume that God performs miracles only in special times with special people. So where does that leave us?

         We live in an age of anxiety. We live in a fast changing culture. The future is not at all certain. We are obsessed with what we have lost and what we lack. Somehow, we also know this is not the whole story. We know how far we have come. There are all sorts of improvements to our lives and our world. In the past, we could project a positive vision of the direction things were moving toward. Now we have no idea what will happen next.

         Samuel is a blessed child, brought to the service of God through a miraculous story. His mother, Hannah, was unable to have children. She endured shame and humiliation until her prayers were answered. Samuel, the answer to prayer was given back to God to serve with Eli in the temple (which was still a tend in those days.) Eli ignored the sins of his sons. They used their position to get bribes and sexual favors. The spiritual life of the temple was not healthy. In this uncertainty, in a time of shame and failure, Samuel hears the voice of God. It turns out to be bad news for Eli, but the beginning of new life for the people of God.

         Samuel listens. The disciples also are listening and looking. We often accept the stories of the calling of the disciples as a kind of magnetism. Jesus sort of walks by and we assume that the crowds simply gathered around him. If we pay attention, what we see is a conversation. Jesus calls Philip. His response is to look for Nathaniel. In their conversation, Nathaniel expresses his doubt, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” He takes second look. He sees the messiah.

         What do you see? What do you hear? Are we stuck where Nathaniel begins, “Can anything good be found here?” When we hear the stories of God’s revelation we can become passive, waiting for the miracle we don’t expect to see anymore. The noise of all our worries fills our ears. We can only see what used to be and what we fear will never change. We can be distracted. This is the sin of our age. We are not tempted to sin. We are tempted to busyness. We are surrounded by so many opportunities and we are exhausted by all the things we should or ought or need to do. No wonder we despair that we will never have enough.

         Epiphany is not about what we do. It is not even only about the few miraculous revelations of God. We are shown these miracles to open up our vision and to unplug our ears. We do not need a guiding star. We don’t need a personal miracle form Jesus himself. God is always at work. God is always creating and transforming our world. Do we see it? Do we hear the voice of God?

         I don’t expect anyone hears special messages directly from God. We would wonder about our sanity. The same goes with miraculous visions. How do we then hear and see God in our ordinary lives? We show up and we pay attention.

         This is a change in perspective. The world seems to offer us an endless stream of news and noise. We choose where to rest our eyes and we choose which voices to listen to. We can turn off the TV and turn off the computer. These can be a form of escape anyway. We can make the choice and take the time to look around us and see the people in our lives and pay attention to what is really going on around us.

         This is not yet another thing to do. This is about choosing what we do and how we do it. The media is entertaining, but it isn’t real. The news we see is very compelling, but it doesn’t show us real people. In this dark and cold season of the year we can be convinced that there is nothing to see and everything is dead. Yet God is at work, transforming the natural world so that is can break out in a more glorious spring.

         This is what we can see. This is what we can hear. God is quietly working in each of our lives. Who has a new baby? Who is being healed of a disease? Who is starting a new job, or making a new home? As we go deeper, who is living through grief or loss? Who is learning how to raise their children? Who is falling in love? Life is tremendously rich and deep. There is a lot going on under the snow and ice. God is working in all of it.

         I’m not asking any of you to be better people. You don’t have to give up a thing (or correct any moral weaknesses.) Jesus is already here. God is working all around us. The Holy Spirit is always speaking to us and quietly nudging us in the right direction. Show up. Take part in life. Savor it. Drink it in deeply. Pay attention to what is happening around you. Don’t be afraid of the pain you will see and the pain you might feel. This is where God works. This is how we know God.