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Sermon January 17, 2021
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers,
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
Second Sunday after Epiphany, Year B
http://lectionarypage.net/YearB_RCL/Epiphany/BEpi2_RCL.html
Audio /documents/Morning_Worship_January_17__2021
Video https://youtu.be/wnscoKkgR5E
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ John 1:43
A few years ago, I attended a clergy day in Kentucky about the Gospel of John. The presenter was Gail O’Day, Dean of Wake Forest Divinity School.
Dr. O’Day is also a New Testament scholar and has written much commentary on the Gospel of John. Also, as a Professor of Preaching, she helped us look at the Gospel in new ways. She said that the Gospel writer of John wanted to emphasize the extravagant love of God for us. She also said that during Jesus’ time, the religious authorities wanted to silence Jesus, because his teachings and subsequent upheaval they were creating amongst the Jewish people, were causing the Roman occupiers to take more notice. The authorities didn’t want any scrutiny from Rome. They wanted to be left alone. John is writing to say that there is a cost to remaining silent…that there is a cost to rejecting the teaching of Jesus, God incarnate.
And this weekend we remember The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who certainly embodied the point John was making. Just like Samuel, God called Dr. King’s name and set a mission for him. Just like Philip and Nathanael, Jesus called Dr. King to follow him.
In 1956, after the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. King left Montgomery. He said, “History has thrust something on me which I cannot turn away.” Dr. King was well educated, graduated from high school early. He was to be a great preacher like his father, most likely at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where his father was pastor. That was the life laid out for him and the life he expected.
While I’m sure he thought he’d be part of a movement for justice, he never expected to be a major leader in that movement to the point where he was away from his family and congregation for long periods of time and in so many cities in the United States. The role of civil rights leader meant his home was bombed and death threats surrounded him. It seems like the prudent thing to do would have been to remain silent, but Dr. King could not turn away from his calling.
The experience he had in his kitchen one night was crucial. King was 27 years old, two years into his role as pastor of nearby Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Over the past month, King had been leading the Montgomery bus boycott, a decision that set off a series of death threats delivered via mail and phone to his residence — as many as 30 to 40 calls daily, often at night. Normally, King could put the phone down and go back to sleep. But one call, on the night of January 27, 1956, stood out.
As King’s wife, Coretta, and 10-week-old daughter, Yolanda, slept in the master bedroom nearby, the voice on the other end of the line said: “N, we’re tired of your mess. And if you aren’t out of this town in three days, we’re going to blow up your house and blow your brains out.” Shaken, King went to the kitchen, made himself a cup of coffee, but soon buried his face in his hands. He began to pray aloud: “Lord, I’m down here trying to do what’s right … But … I must confess … I’m losing my courage.”
King later explained what happened next: “I could hear an inner voice saying to me, ‘Martin Luther, stand up for truth. Stand up for justice. Stand up for righteousness.’”
The fears ceased. But not the threats. Several days later, around 9 p.m., a bomb exploded on the front steps of the house. No one inside was hurt.
All these years later, though, traces of the bomb — gnashes in concrete — are still visible."
The role as a “drum major for justice,” as he hoped to be remembered, was not the life he planned, but it was the life God called him to and just like Samuel, Dr. King said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” And just like Philip and Nathanael, he responded to Jesus’ call by following Jesus.
And he knew that following that call could mean he could die relatively young. He knew that following that call could mean being assassinated.
I still remember when Dr. King was assassinated, even though I was only 10 years old, how he had seemingly foretold his death. Over and over again, the news played excerpts from his speech the night before. He said,
Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will.
I just want to do God’s Will. I just want to follow Jesus. I just want to serve God. That’s what we all need to be saying and figuring out.
Because not doing God’s Will…not following Jesus…not serving God, has consequences and costs. We heard that in our reading from Samuel. Eli did not stop his sons from disrespecting and speaking against God, so God told Samuel, Eli’s family would be destroyed.
There are consequences for ignoring God’s Will. We may try to ignore God’s call to us out of fear of what will be required of us. It’s probably not in our life plan. And look what happened to Dr. King and who wants a short life and a death like his? What could be worse than the consequence of death?
But here’s the paradox: when we are doing God’s Will and when we are following Jesus and when we are serving God, death doesn’t frighten us anymore. Death has no power over us. The night before he died, Dr. King ended his speech by saying,
[God’s] allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.
I’m happy…I’m not worried…I’m not fearing anyone!
Follow me, Jesus says and St. John writes. The following may not be easy. We may even lose our life, but we will know the abundant love of God. We’ll be happy. We won’t worry and we won’t be afraid.
Amen
