Message: Come and See / 1 Samuel 3:1-10 & John 1:43-51

Now, we are in the season of Epiphany. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, epiphany means "a moment when you suddenly feel that you understand, or suddenly become conscious of, something that is very important to you". It comes from the Greek word ‘epiphainein’ meaning "to reveal". 

Today's Scripture readings tell stories about experiences of epiphany when God revealed Herself. The first reading is from 1 Samuel. Samuel is a young and inexperienced kid with little knowledge of the Bible or religious matters. He serves the priest Eli at the temple. One day, he hears someone calling him and goes to see Eli, but the voice doesn't belong to Eli. This happens a few times until Eli realizes that the voice is God's. After Eli teaches Samuel how to hear God's voice, Samuel finally experiences a revelation from God. This experience transforms Samuel into a highly respected prophet and judge for his people.

Today's Gospel reading shares the story of Nathaniel's encounter with Jesus Christ. Nathaniel is a serious adult who has deeply studied his religious tradition and the Bible, eagerly awaiting Israel's salvation. When his friend Philip speaks to Nathaniel about Jesus as the Saviour mentioned in the Bible, Nathaniel doubts and asks, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" This doubt is based on the scriptural lore that no prophet or Messiah can come from the Galilee region, where Nazareth is located (John 7:40-44).

Upon meeting Nathaniel, Jesus sees his true nature and calls him "an Israelite in whom there is no deceit." This means Nathaniel is a faithful Jew longing for Israel's liberation from Roman oppression. Jesus also says to him, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” This indicates Nathaniel's background as a biblical scholar because, in Jesus' time, the fig tree was a common place for Jewish teachers to study and discuss the Bible with students.

After experiencing God's revelation through Jesus, Nathaniel becomes a disciple and dedicates himself to spreading the good news of God's kingdom. In Christian tradition, Nathaniel is known as Bartholomew, one of Jesus' twelve disciples. This is because Bartholomew's name appears after Philip in the list of the twelve disciples in other Gospels (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14), and Bartholomew is not a personal name but identifies its bearer as "the son of Tholomeus."

In 1902, William James (1842-1910), a psychologist and philosopher from Harvard University, published a book titled "The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature." In this book, James explores the individual aspects of religious experiences across different cultures and belief systems. He believes that religious experiences are very personal and subjective, varying a lot from person to person. As we've seen with Samuel and Nathanael in today's readings, and with Abraham, Hagar, Amos, Moses, Esther, Mary Magdalene, and Paul during the Children’s Time today, each had their own unique experience of God's revelation. Religious experiences can be emotionally intense for some and calmly rational for others, so it's not right to say that one person's experience is the only valid one.

Even with the diversity in religious experiences, James identified four common characteristics in mystical states of God's revelation: (1) Ineffability - the experience is hard to accurately describe to others; (2) Noetic quality - the experience gives deep insight into divine truths; (3) Transiency - the experience lasts for a short time; and (4) Passivity - although it may be facilitated by some ritual, exercise, or practice, the experience is passively received by God.

The important point is that religious experiences lead people to deep and transformative changes in their beliefs and attitudes. For Christians, the moments of epiphany empower them to make reaching Christian perfection their life's goal. In theological terms, this is called "sanctification."

However, Christian perfection should not be misunderstood as referring to moral faultlessness, intellectual superiority, and the ability to do everything well. Although Samuel became a great prophet after he experienced God’s revelation, he was an unsuccessful father when it came to raising his two sons in the right way. The Bible writes of his two sons as follows. "Yet his sons did not follow in his ways, but turned aside after gain; they took bribes and perverted justice" (1 Samuel 8:3). No one in the Bible, not just Samuel, is perfect in every way - mentally, morally, or relationally.

If so, what is the meaning of Christian perfection? John Wesley (1703-1791), the founder of Methodism, who strongly emphasized "sanctification," wrote a short prayer in his book "A Plain Account of Christian Perfection" as follows:

      "O grant that nothing in my soul
       May dwell, but Thy pure love alone!
       O may Thy love possess me whole,
       My joy, my treasure, and my crown.
       Strange fires far from my heart remove -
       May every act, word, thought, be love!"

According to Wesley, Christian perfection means the complete capture of our whole being by God’s love. In other words, Christian perfection is to love perfectly. Because we love, we hope. Because we love, we take risks. Because we love, we are humble. Because we love, we are strong. Because we love, we are brave. Because we love, we weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. Because we love, we become perfect. The experience of epiphany kindles in us the power to love perfectly.

A few weeks ago, we celebrated Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ, who revealed God’s love and hope to the world in the form of a vulnerable, poor baby. But our faith journey doesn't end there. "The Work of Christmas," a poem by Howard Thurman (1899-1981), an African-American theologian who played a key role in the civil rights movement alongside Martin Luther King, reminds us of the meaning of Epiphany:

    "When the song of the angels is stilled,
      when the star in the sky is gone,
      when the kings and princes are home,
      when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
      the work of Christmas begins:
      to find the lost,
      to heal the broken,
      to feed the hungry,
      to release the prisoner,
      to rebuild the nations,
      to bring peace among the people,
      to make music in the heart."

Our worship, our lives, and our congregation should be places of epiphany, where people can feel God's presence. God calls us to be worshipers who provide a sanctuary to experience God's unconditional love. God calls us to be Christ’s disciples who bring the light of God’s grace and hope into our local community. God calls us to be the church that can confidently say "Come and See" to those seeking salvation. In this season of Epiphany, may we all encounter the sacred mystery that God reveals to us, moving us closer to perfect love.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Rev. Min Hwang
South Stormont Pastral Charge
The Second Sunday of Epiphany

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