The year was 1968. It was early spring probably not too different from previous springs in the mid-south, Memphis to be exact, a beautiful city on the banks of the Mississippi, formerly known as the Cotton Capital of the Mid-South. It was probably a cool day, typical of that time of the year in the south. However, the political climate was anything but cool.
I grew up not that far from there and was in high school on that day, April 4, when Martin Luther King, Jr.’s voice was silenced forever. In that politically charged time in our nation’s history and for those of us who lived in the midst of so much racial conflict, it was difficult to know who he was at the time and how very important his voice would become for our nation.
This coming Tuesday, a new voice will ring out, another African American’s voice will ring out on the Capital Mall in Washington, very near where Martin Luther King, Jr’s voice had been heard so many decades before. President-elect Barack Obama’s voice will proclaim to our nation and to the world that a new dawn in American history has begun. He will attempt to convince all Americans and much of the world that he, who has been called forth to lead this great country, can and will provide the leadership that is so critical at this time in our history. We need him to be successful. We need to pray hard that God will grace him with great listening skills, insight, discernment, and good decision-making.
In our first reading for today, we heard the story of the calling of Samuel. In our Gospel, we heard the story of the calling of Nathanael. It is no small thing that those who put the lectionary together have paired these two significant readings for us today, as they are indeed related.
Both stories chronicle the calling of two people into roles that they could not have even imagined. Both people were called forth, seemingly confused at first, but then set on trajectories that would forever change their lives. In Samuel’s case, he went from being a priest in the Temple of Jerusalem to being a great prophet. In Nathanael’s case, he went from being a friend of Philip, who had already been convinced that Jesus was the one “about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets” had written, to being a true follower of Jesus.
John’s Gospel account tells his that Philip responded to Jesus’ words, “Come, follow me,” without hesitating. Nathanael, on the other hand, was far more skeptical. The Promised One of Israel was not supposed to come from Galilee and from an unimportant little town called Nazareth. He was supposed to have come from Jerusalem, the center of Israel’s religious and political life. So, Nathanael’s response was less than enthusiastic.
I wonder what our response would have been if we had been there. If an unknown charismatic and dynamic person such as Jesus had called us forth, would we have been like Philip or would we have been like Nathanael?
Scripture scholars say that we really can’t compare ourselves to the calling of Samuel or Nathanael. Both men where directly called forth by God. Both men in one way or another heard a voice that would prove to be the undeniable voice of God, a voice calling them into a new relationship. We, on the other hand, have probably not heard God’s voice directly; at least, I don’t think I have. I’m not sure about you.
Today, we tend to dismiss those who claim to hear voices or who respond to the voice of evangelists who claim incredible powers directly from God. You and I live more sober and reflective lives than that.
We’re here because we have heard God calling us through this community of faith, through the words of sacred scripture, through our magnificent Book of Common Prayer, through the Sacrament of the Eucharist that we share. Undoubtedly, we believe that God’s voice and God’s very self are present to us through the power of God’s Holy Spirit in and through us and all that we are in this place and in our lives of faith.
Yet for whatever reason, we need to be reminded of people like Samuel, like Nathanael, like Martin Luther King, Jr. History has yet to prove that we need to be reminded of Barack Obama, as his mission as leader has barely begun, but so far, millions have already heard his voice and responded. No matter what, you and I have been and are inspired by such people, their courage, and their willingness to change their day-to-day lives to respond to some kind of higher calling in life, some kind of service to God and to God’s people.
I hope you’ve noticed that we’re now including in our Bulletin each week the names of people who our Episcopal Tradition cherishes because of their response to God’s call. This week, we are invited to remember: Peter, the Apostle; Fabian, Bishop and Martyr; Agnes, Martyr; Vincent, Deacon and Martyr; our own Phillips Brooks, Bishop of Massachusetts; and Florence Li Tim-Oi, the first woman priest ordained in the Anglican Church way back in 1944. These men and women, along with Samuel, Nathanael and Martin Luther King, Jr., represent for us symbols of real people, sinful people, people not unlike you and me, people who dedicated their lives for the greater good of humanity.
Perhaps closer to home are those people in our lives who have directly touched us and given us life. For me, I cherish the memories of both my Irish and Italian grandparents, long passed away, but whose witness to the Gospel in their own simple ways, forever shaped my life.
Perhaps, there are people in your life who have done the same, people who in their own simple or profound ways have given you life through their kindness, their love, their generosity, their care for you and for others. These people are not so unlike the great holy people of old. They join the ranks of saints, martyrs, and the women and men who have become for us models of Christian witness, models of how we might consider fashioning our lives. At least for me, one thing is clear. They heard God’s voice calling deep within them and responded.
We, too, are called to listen intently for God’s voice deep within us and to respond as well. Hopefully, prayerfully, that response will enable us to be more like them, to be more kind, more loving, more generous, more caring for others. How we manage to do that is up to each one of us. How we manage to let God form and shape us is really up to us.
You and I are probably not going to directly hear God’s voice or see Jesus standing before us. But, we do hear God’s voice in a myriad of ways. We see Jesus in a myriad of faces in those around us, our loved ones, our friends, those with whom we work, those on our city streets wrapped in blankets during these bitter cold days, those whose homes have been destroyed in Palestine, those who thank God for having been saved in the Hudson River this past week, and the list goes on. God is present to them just as God is present to us each day of our lives in so many ways. Let us pray that we take the time to witness to that presence and to respond with a great enthusiastic, Amen!