Epiphany 2A - (January 16, 2010)

[Jeremy D. Scott]

Second Sunday after Epiphany

Psalm 40:1-11
Isaiah 49:1-7
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
John 1:29-42
http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=161239203

[Kazimiera Fraley]

It is Thursday and I am still trying to figure out where I am going with my Sunday Sermon.
I am looking at the Gospel passage this week. I am drawn to the "Come and see" section of the passage. Although I have no electronic records of having preached from this passage before, my sermon writing Bible has extensive notes in the margins, so if I have not preached this passage before I have spent time here.
My notes tell me that the word translated "staying" in the NRSV is better translated "abiding" and carries two simultaneous meanings: 1) residential - the address where he was staying 2) where one finds the center of one's being. So Jesus is telling these two disciples to 1) come see the house where I am living right now 2) Watch me, see who I am and what I am all about. And based on what they saw they stayed with him and one of them, Andrew went to find his brother, Peter so that he brother could come and see who he saw.
I am thinking about discipleship
What do we see in Jesus, where is Christ's center - where does Christ abide
If we are wanting to be Christlike Disciples then our center is in Christ; Christ's center is our center - we need to abide with Christ and abide in whom Christ abides.

[John Reilly]

In John 1: 29-42, I love the image of John the Baptist, lifting his head from the waters of the Jordan, watching Jesus walk toward him and then John says, "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." I just want to visit a while in that moment. We have a lady being baptized this Sunday. She asked me after last week's service in which we renewed our Baptism vows. Those who have not yet been baptized watched as most of the church walked forward to receive some drops of water in their hands. Perhaps in their imaginations they could say, "Look The Lamb of God."