Did You Call?
Two of our readings this morning are known as “call narratives”, stories of people called directly or indirectly into changing the world as God’s agents. The call may be direct or indirect, it may be interpreted to us by an intermediary, or we may be left to our own sensitivities to recognize a call. It may be deafeningly loud, it may slip by us completely, or it may be a subtle gift we take a chance to answer. We respond, “Here I am, Lord”.
In our Hebrew Testament reading, Samuel is a young boy dedicated by his mother to temple work with Eli, the aging priest. It is a time of spiritual emptiness, of people who felt abandoned by God and who abandoned God. The altar lamp flickers dimly, weakly in the otherwise all-encompassing darkness of night. Samuel can see to move about, barely, but Eli’s vision is fading, failing even in the brightness of day. We read, “The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.” Eli was blind both physically and spiritually.
Samuel hears his name called distinctly and responds immediately, “Here I am!” He runs to Eli to see how he can serve the old priest. Eli sends him back to bed. The boy hears his name called several times more before Eli, very much out of practice in listening for the Lord, realizes who is calling Samuel. Eli prepares the boy to listen once again, but this time to respond, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
Samuel, Samuel.” “Here I am, Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” In this story, God approaches the child directly, but it is the intermediary Eli who, despite his limitations, recognizes God’s invitation and assists Samuel to be present to it.
In today’s Gospel by John we read about the calls of Philip and Nathanael as disciples of Jesus. The text is short and choppy. It is so telescopic it makes me wonder if parts have been lost, or if if John is just eager to identify Jesus as the savior. Prior to this scene, John the Baptist and two of John’s disciples see Jesus, and it is the Baptist’s excited acknowledgment of Jesus as the Lamb of God that sends Andrew to Jesus to learn more. Andrew then finds his brother and tells Simon Peter “We have found the Messiah!”
When we come to the story in the Gospel this morning, Philip is responding to Jesus’ call. Had Philip been introduced to Jesus through Andrew and Simon Peter? Perhaps, as the three are all from the same town of Bethsaida. Whatever prompts him into action, Philip shares the good news with Nathanael by saying “We have found the fulfillment of the law and the prophets” in Jesus of Nazareth.
Nathanael does not jump immediately onto the Jesus bandwagon. He is sarcastic and prejudiced, holier than thou when he asks one of my favorite Scriptural questions:: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Nazareth was not much of a town. It was far to the north and culturally far from what observant Jews would consider civilization. Nazareth tolerated intermarriage between Jews and Gentiles, appalling law-abiding Jews like Nathanael. Nathanael called it like he saw it.
I guess Philip knows there is no point in arguing with Nathanael. His response is simply, “Come and see;” come and hear a call to change the world. Why would Jesus say that Nathanael was a man without deceit? Had Jesus been listening to Nathanael’s outspoken opinions about Nazareth? Was there something about his clothing or his stance by the fig tree that set Nathanael apart in Jesus’ eyes? We may never have satisfying answers here, but Jesus’ vote of confidence welcomed Nathanael, and Nathanael’s cynicism melted.
A call to serve may come dramatically, as in the case of Samuel, or through friends and family, as in the disciples’ cases, or through the communion of the Church. It may even come from left field. Be open to it. Be prepared to say, “Here I am, Lord.”
Ashton Kutcher is a 30-year old actor, producer, and writer. You may recognize him from re-runs of “That Seventies Show” or from his many recent TV ads for Nikon cameras. Ashton Kutcher is an unlikely voice to call others, yet he has embraced the role fully. We are living in a time oabout which we can say, “The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.” Yet Kutcher has a vision called “Presidential Pledges.” His political leanings are unimportant; his potential for good is great. According to Denise Martin in yesterday’s Los Angeles Times Kutcher is inviting everyone in the nation to “make pledges for a national resurrection.” Where the disciples met face-to-face with family members, co-workers, and friends to invite them into their calls, Kutcher is connecting through the website My Face to call people to act for the betterment of our society.
Kutcher started with celebrities, of course. His own pledge is to end human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children. Others have pledged to use their energies and gifts to cure Alzheimer’s, or to stop using plastic bottles, or to ride public transportation to lessen our carbon footprint, or to smile at people, a simple yet profound act. Your call may be to pray for the world or to work to improve it, to make it the Kingdom of God. Kutcher’s website will be posted tomorrow and will invite people to act creatively and to live the kinds of lives so many of us have forgotten how to live. Like Eli, he is an intermediary for us to embrace our calls.
We are surrounded by God’s love, God who has searched us out and knows us, and loves us exactly as we are. The earthly Jesus taught us that love leads to peace and that violence leads to death. Jesus calls each of us to live his message each day. We energize ourselves by coming together in prayer and communion, and wait expectantly for our calls to build the kingdom of God in ways small and large.
On Tuesday we will have a new President and government. History will be made. But more important, pray that they, and we, will hear our calls to do God’s will and will say, “Here I am, Lord.”