by Fr. Bill Garrison
Please note that the following sermon text was provided prior to the audio recording. The two versions may differ substantially.
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
—John 1:29-42 (NRSV)
I want to remind you that we are in the second week of Epiphany. We are looking for what we have not seen before or perhaps examining what we have previously seen but with a new understanding. Maybe we will see things with new eyes.
On June the 3rd of 1998 I had a heart attack. Now at one time I would have told you that it was a minor heart attack. I think I used to tell myself that to make myself feel better. But the truth is there are no minor heart attacks. There are those that arrange our meeting with God and those that don’t. Some may leave us here waiting to meet God but somewhat debilitated. But however you have one there are no minor heart attacks.
For me personally I would say mine was minor since I was left to live out my life in a pretty normal state. They say it could have killed me but it didn’t. As a result of this health scare I have a stint on the artery called “the widow maker”.
After three days in the hospital I was sent home. I will never forget the drive home as long as I inhabit this mortal sphere and that’s the point of telling you this story. The world had changed in three days time. The sky was bluer. The flowers were awesome, the colors being brighter. There were birds everywhere. Clouds were sailing along in the sky. People were more important to me. I noticed everything, animals, people, signs, stoplights, the softness of my bed, everything.
I swore to myself I would never let go of this new reality I was experiencing once again. I had been given a second chance and I wasn’t going to blow it. The little things that had always bothered me were going to be ignored. The beauty in people and the world were going to be what I paid attention to.
And of course it didn’t last for me. Today I can only catch moments of this heightened awareness. I am grateful when these moments occur and wish they occurred more often.
Some people I have known seem to naturally have a more heightened awareness than the rest of us. They are a wonder to me. Yesterday we celebrated the life of John Maidlow, a man dear to the hearts of many of us. He seemed to be such a man. He saw what others did not. He was aware of color and style and beauty. His sense of humor was well developed and always on display. As a designer he did some amazing things. By his office door there is a display of a home he designed the interior of. Each room of the home was designed around a moving theme. In the entry is a ticket booth. I have seen pictures. The design and completion are just amazing.
It seems that people like John are often referred to fondly as somewhat child like. Nothing negative is meant by this. It’s a description that implies we too would like to be more like them. Their imaginations and their awareness of surroundings remain sharp much like the rest of us remember experiencing as children. For the adults in the room, do you remember using your imagination in your play and being fascinated by nature?
Every so often I encounter a song that almost always causes me to tear up. It’s Puff the Magic Dragon sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary in 1963. It’s about a little boy named Jackie Paper and an imaginary dragon named Puff that love each other and play together every day. I want to read a few lines to you now. I hope I make it through as the song tears me up every time I encounter it.
A dragon lives forever but not so little boys.
Painted wings and giant rings make way for other toys.
One grey night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more,
And Puff that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar.
We change as we get older. We become “mature”. And I suppose we must, but along the way most of us lose something huge, the ability to be childlike, the ability to see all the magic in the world around us. And I think that is where my tears come from when I hear that song. I feel that great loss and lament its passing.
In the gospel today Jesus invited two of John’s disciples to follow him. “What are you looking for”, he asked? “Come and see.” He gave them a great invitation. Come and see what I have to show you.
When my kids were small they were constantly asking me to come and see something they thought was important or wonderful. It was an invitation to me to enter their world of magic. Come and see this huge bug. Come and watch me run or catch a ball. Come and see the picture I made in school or Sunday school. Come and see the grade I made on my paper. Come and see me play sports. Come and see the hole I dug. Come and see this big bird, or that big dog, or some wildlife in the mountains. Come and see dad! Come and see!
Jesus too invites us. Come and see! What are you looking for? Come and see!
I think we would be wise to stop and ask a question, an important question. Why did God create the cosmos? Is it a big test for us? Is it pass or fail? Do we get a grade? Bill, if you get at least a 70 you may move on to heaven, anything less and I am sorry you don’t get to go on.
Really? Is this really what it’s all about? A big test? I am sorry folks but I refuse to believe that. Jesus leads me in another direction. Come and see!
Again and again in scripture Jesus irritates those in power by breaking the rules. He is constantly breaking Sabbath rules by “working” on the Sabbath. We find him helping others again and again on the Sabbath, meanwhile driving the bean counters crazy. We find him spending time with “sinners”, again driving the bean counters out of their minds.
Was the Sabbath made for man or was man made for the Sabbath? That’s the question he asks. Is Sabbath a test and a straight jacket for conduct or is Sabbath a day of rest and refreshment? It’s a simple question with far reaching answers.
I would like to ask another. Was everything that exists created by God as a test for us or was the world created by God for its own beauty and as an Eden for us to live in?
I think you already know the answer to the question. As a big test makes no sense whatsoever does it? As a thing of beauty, including ourselves as beautiful makes a lot more sense. We and the world are beautifully made. We are already complete. God already passed the test, if one even existed, for us, on our behalf.
Our job then is not only to be mature and handle ourselves as adults, but to also free the child that exists within each of us. Jesus invites us to enter the Kingdom of God as little children, innocent, seeing magic, enjoying beauty, using our imaginations, asking questions.
Jesus asks us, “What are you looking for?” Come and see. Climb out of that rut. Open your eyes. Find your dragon you left behind. He misses you.