Homily for February 3, 2013

The 4th Sunday after Epiphany Cycle: C

My brothers and sisters, we must follow God’s call, one simple step at a time. 

In our first reading we heard the call of the prophet Jeremiah.  As a youth, too young to command the attention of leadership, he is called and appointed by God.  Note the intimacy, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you… and consecrated you.”  In the late 600s BC, King Josiah guided the people back to godliness by removing all traces of foreign worship and by making Jerusalem the one place of worship.  Jeremiah had a key role in these reforms; his mission was to do away with corruption and ungodliness, and to promote ethical conduct and virtue. 

In this passage, the word translated as “formed” is the Hebrew word yashar.  It is a technical term for created; in the way a potter creates (or forms) pottery from clay.  The idea that God himself forms a child in its mother’s “womb” was widely accepted in this day.  God has known Jeremiah since his first moment of existence – both intellectually and in his capacity for action. 

In our second reading Paul continues describing for the Corinthians the gifts of God and there prober uses.  In particular, he wants them (and us) to understand that the flashier gifts are not the most important.  Love (perhaps the simplest and easiest to take for granted) is the greatest of all God’s gifts.  It gives meaning to all the rest of our Christian lives!  Without it our actions, no matter how noble or powerful, are really empty!  Love, never comes to an end of its usefulness.  It is transcendent, continuing beyond this era, into the time when we will be fully one with Christ. 

Our Gospel today picks up where last week’s story left off.  Last week we heard of Jesus reading from Isaiah in the Synagogue at Nazareth.  Now we see the people’s reactions.  Jesus is first held in awe by the people of his home town and then rejected violently. 

From time to time we have been discerning the way God is calling us to live our Christian love.  We have used Mission Statements, visioning days and goal setting.  We have also talked of our individual call and discernment as part of that picture.  It can all get quite overwhelming and even tedious.  For some of us all the talking gets frustrating because we want to be doing.  For some off us the dreaming is easy but finding a place to start doing is a mystery.  We have spent much time listening to God’s voice coming through the voices of each other and we have made great strides on making our church a welcoming and attractive place.

One success is very obvious, have fulfilled that long dream of a second building and will begin (again) moving in and making use of it now that the flood damage is repaired. 

Despite the challenges of our local economy we have continued in a small way our commitment to outreach, Youth and Sunday school.  We have developed new ministries with the military: The Chaplains’ Foot Locker and even presented a workshop on ministry with veterans at our Diocesan Convention.  These are not small accomplishments. 

We of-course cannot stop here and rest on our laurels.  There are next steps to be discerned and plans to be made.  For example, how can we grow our outreach back to its former status?  What are the next steps for our Worship Life together?  How can we most appropriately invite others to join us in this faith community? 

My brothers and sisters let us pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the courage to follow that guidance, one small step at a time.