Clearly, Dearly, and Nearly - Sermon for the Second Sunday after Epiphany

Clearly, Dearly, and Nearly
Epiphany 2B
January 17, 2021
Grace, Waseca, MN
John 1.43-51; 1 Samuel 3.1-20; Psalm 139; 1 Corinthians 6.12-20

“As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground”
Do you not know that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? 
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 
“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;”

Near the end of 2020, a question was posed to me that I thought deeply about: “How have you grown spiritually this past year?” Now, I’m all for spiritual growth and the term is one I’ve tossed around quite freely. Yet, the question stopped me in my tracks. What does spiritual growth mean and how would I know if I’ve grown spiritually? How would I measure it? Is there some kind of spiritual door frame that one can stand up against and mark off progress like you do for your height? Is spiritual growth like good (or bad) art: you know it when you see it?

Would it be that we were like the young boy, Samuel, who hears God’s voice clearly and unambiguously! Would it be that we were the Apostle Paul who knows that he contains within himself the Holy Spirit! Would it be that we were like the disciples Philip and Nathanael who come and see Jesus doing amazing things! Would it be that we were like the Psalmist who has such an intimate relationship with the Creator God! And what does it mean in our "Godspell" Prayer of the Day to know Jesus more clearly, love him more dearly, and to follow him more nearly, day by day?

I posed my questions in a colleague meeting and Outreach Team meeting this week with a robust conversation. One thought that came out is that spiritual growth means doing more in the marks of discipleship, practices that help us grow in faith: in other words, more praying, more worshiping, more Bible reading, more serving, more giving, and paying more attention to relationships. Another thought had to do with seeing more fruit of the Spirit that Paul talks about in Galatians: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These sounded like great answers, but the analytical in me kept asking: how do you measure?

I began to wonder if this is a case where asking the question is more important than any answer. And I also wondered if this is a case when doing less may be more important than doing more, that in fact doing less may actually be doing more.

Then I thought back to a conversation I had with my spiritual director recently where I was reflecting that we’d been at this well over four years since my sabbatical in 2016. Without prompting, she said, “You’ve grown a lot in those four years.” Wait. What? Skeptical, I pushed her to explain. “You’ve been willing to do the necessary inner work.” She went on to explain the things she saw in me that I wasn’t able to see in myself.

But my conversations with my spiritual director, colleagues, and team members says two things: First, others may see growth in you that you don’t see (and vice versa). Second, the care and feeding of our inner life comes before our outer life. In another place Jesus says, “Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.” Perhaps we should be talking about nurturing our spirits instead of growing them, to cultivate an inner space where that can happen.

My brothers and sisters, I’m aware that my ruminations may provoke feelings of guilt or shame, but that is not my intention. Remember that you are a beloved child of God on a life-long journey of exploration. God wants you to be the very best possible version of who God created you to be and invites you into continuing this never-ending living, loving relationship that began in your baptism. Listen to God’s voice through those closest to you and be God’s voice to those you love. Explore the presence of God within to know the one who died so you might live, to know him more clearly, love him more dearly, and follow more nearly, day by day. Amen.

To watch the video of this sermon click here.