Sermon for “Bartholomew, Apostle”
Gracious Invitation
By The Rev. Eric Christopher Shafer -
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke include Bartholomew in their lists of Jesus’ 12 disciples. Partly due to his connection with Philip, many scholars believe Bartholomew is probably the same person as Nathanael in John’s Gospel and that is why today’s Gospel, the Gospel for “Bartholomew, Apostle” Day, features Nathanael. Nathaniel, aka Bartholomew, is one of the first disciples called to “come and see,” John’s version of “follow me.” Later, Nathaniel is also present on the shore of the Sea of Tiberius when the risen Christ invites his friends to “come and have breakfast.”
Beyond his brief mention in the Gospels, Bartholomew is believed to have brought Christianity to India. Armenian Christians believe Bartholomew brought Christianity to Armenia. Very little else is known of Bartholomew/Nathaniel.
From what we do know from the Gospels, Bartholomew is closely associated with Jesus’ gracious invitations: Come and see. Follow me. Come and have breakfast. Gracious invitations from Jesus.
In today’s text, before Jesus’ graciousness comes Nathaniel’s first rather sarcastic reaction to Jesus, something we do not see often in the Bible. Rarely do we hear something this sarcastic in Scripture. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” says Nathaniel, his words dripping with sarcasm.
But, more than Nathaniel’s sarcastic skepticism, I am most struck by Jesus’ incredibly gracious response.
First, Jesus genuinely compliments Nathaniel, affirming the very quality – “without guile” - someone who does not or cannot hide his feelings and so speaks his mind, the very quality that contributed to Nathaniel’s smart-aleck and sarcastic response in the first place.
Then, Jesus lets Nathaniel know that he saw Nathaniel, noted his presence, valued him enough to pay attention.
Finally, Jesus makes Nathaniel a promise that he will see far greater things than what Jesus has just shown him.
Throughout, Jesus’ response to the varied reactions of these first disciples – and, indeed, throughout John’s entire Gospel – there is Jesus’ continual “gracious invitation.” Jesus does not get defensive, or irritable, or boastful, or demanding – characteristics that seem regularly on display by too many our own “leaders” these days – but instead Jesus focuses on the people he encounters, taking them seriously, and inviting them through word and deed to “come and see.”
Jesus’ gracious invitation.
This week I reflected on the many gracious invitations I have had in my lifetime – from a young pastor who first suggested the pastoral ministry to me, from a woman who accepted my invitation to spend our lives together, from parents who supported us financially through college and seminary, from bishops who have trusted me, invited me, to consider ministry in Pennsylvania, Chicago, New York and now California.
But, perhaps the most gracious invitations I have received have come from some of the poorest of the poor in this world.
Some years ago, I spent time in Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia, seeing how our ELCA world hunger funds were saving lives there. How well I remember all of the experiences of that trip, but several stand out because of their gracious invitation.
In Tanzania we spent a long day visiting homes of families who had been devastated by the AIDS crisis, families who were being helped by our ELCA World Hunger Appeal funds through the Northeast Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania. In many of these visits, family members were buried in the front or back yard of their humble huts. Often the family groups were large with grandchildren and nieces and nephews all gathered into these new, large family groups because parents had died of AIDS. Our ELCA World Hunger Appeal funds were helping to keep these families fed and keep the school-aged children in school. None of them had very much – that is a huge understatement – they had next to nothing, but they had their love for each other and their love of God in Jesus Christ and that was more than enough for them.
In EVERY visit, we were thanked and prayed for and prayed with, but first, we had to eat.
We had to eat. Even though we knew they had very little food and, certainly, not enough to share. So, this was much more than an issue of accepting their hospitality – we knew that what we were eating, they never ate with us but happily watched us eat, we knew that what we were eating was probably all the food they had for that day or even many days.
However, there was clearly no choice in this matter. By feeding us, they were thanking us and the millions of US Lutherans who had contributed to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal with funds that were now helping them survive. If we did not eat what they offered, we would have grossly offended them, something, for them, far worse than their hunger. So, we ate as little as we could without offending them, but we did accept their gracious hospitality.
I do not have to tell you the tears we, and they, shed that day. Or the love of Jesus Christ we experienced in every stop. Our ELCA World Hunger Appeal funds were feeding their family, so their feeding us was just what they expected of themselves.
And, Jesus says, “come and see.” See my love for you. See the love of those who love me shared with others. And we came and saw that day.
Jesus does not stop with come and see, but always moves to the deeper invitation to come and be. Be what God has called you. Be the person the world needs. Be the beloved child of God who invites others to experience a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Some have suggested that being a Christian can be summarized with these three words - “Believing, belonging, becoming.” I like that summary, although in 2018 I would put “belonging” first since newer Christians seem less concerned with belief and more with acceptance. Regardless, believing and belonging or belonging and believing lead to “becoming.”
As Christians we are on a continual journey of becoming - becoming stretches across our whole lives and very much characterizes what it means to be a Christian. One is never left alone by God’s grace, one is never untouched or unmoved by it, but one is rather always pulled to something more, something greater, something closer to God’s dreams for us.
I like this quotation from Martin Luther in which Luther writes,
“This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness; not health, but healing; not being, but becoming; not rest, but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it. The process is not yet finished, but it is going on. This is not the end, but it is the road. All does not yet gleam in glory, but all is being purified.”
Among other things, tucked into this observation is the good news that God is not done with us! That, indeed, God will never be done, never give up on us. That God will keep showing up with grace and inviting us to become more, even as God loves us just as we are.
Jesus keeps extending that invitation to us, inviting us to become the persons God has called us to be and the world needs. Even when we fall short. Even when we have a hard time believing. Even when we do not feel worthy of God’s attention or care. Even when we have a hard time getting ourselves to church.
Jesus is still there, Jesus is always there, always inviting and loving and forgiving and redeeming. And Jesus does this all out of the “grace upon grace” that Jesus embodies, incarnates, and offers.
This is God’s gracious invitation to us all. And with that invitation, God is continually telling us that God is not done with us. God will never be done with us. God will never give up on us. And, God will keep inviting us to become more than we are, even as God loves us just as we are.
Come and see. Come and be.
Amen
(With thanks to the Rev. Dr. David Lose)
The Rev. Eric Christopher Shafer
Senior Pastor - Mt. Olive Lutheran Church
Santa Monica, California
Sunday, August 25 & 26, 2018
