{"id":628890,"date":"2022-12-07T23:56:36","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T04:56:36","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-07-15T11:20:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T15:20:56","slug":"ends-of-the-earth-epiphany-2-a-january-15-2023","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/sermons\/ends-of-the-earth-epiphany-2-a-january-15-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Ends of the Earth, Epiphany 2 (A) \u2013 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-green-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-green-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm\/?e=DFMS5571881113&#038;light=true&#038;artwork=false\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-green-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-green-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/epiphany-2a\/\">[RCL] Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-12; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/E2-2023-Cover-FB-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-278903\" style=\"width:512px;height:268px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">God is trying to do something so much bigger than we can imagine. How do we allow our thinking to get stretched?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The prophet Isaiah today seems to be saying on God\u2019s behalf, \u201cYou think I am trying to get you to reconcile with your brother with whom you are not speaking or your lost tribe cousins?! Oh, not so small. What I am calling you to is big. It is <em>so<\/em> much bigger than that.\u201d Isaiah clarifies God\u2019s intention not to send him a messenger to the tribes of Israel only \u2013 but to the nations.We are talking the ends of the earth here. God\u2019s plan? It is always <em>so much bigger<\/em> than our little human minds can comprehend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In John\u2019s Gospel today, monumental, ends-of-the-earth stuff is happening, too. In this story, which focuses on the whole institution of baptism, Jesus enters after the warm-up act, John the Baptist. John the Baptist isn\u2019t totally clear with the crowds whom he\u2019s the opener for; this is a world in which the players are bumbling around doing a little of this and a little of that, but are not completely sure how the whole thing fits together. Imagine John telling the story of how his small, everyday action, was made <em>so<\/em> much bigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He might say, \u201cSo, there I was, doing the thing. I am washing him in the water of repentance \u2013 baptism. I\u2019m just going about my business, doing this thing with the water, doing this thing that God put on my heart. I mean, I knew that all of this was about getting ready for the One. But I just didn\u2019t know exactly that <em>he<\/em> was <em>the<\/em> one. And then, it hit me. You have to understand, I had been baptizing so many people in the water. But this day, this extra thing happens. It is like a dove, like the Spirit from heaven coming down on this guy. It hits me again, only deeper. He\u2019s the One. I mean, I know my first instinct when I saw him coming was \u201cHe\u2019s the One,\u201dbut it did not stay with me. It\u2019s like, God has to keep knocking me over the head with the knowledge! It is so big. I can\u2019t quite take it in. God\u2019s story. God\u2019s message. It is so much bigger than I can take in. And the big story is unfolding around me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe next day, I was hanging out with some of my friends. Get this. At this point, they are <em>my<\/em> disciples \u2013 nobody else\u2019s. I tell them, \u2018Hey, that guy over there, he is the One.\u2019 I am getting deeper into this bigger picture. I can tell because everyone gets curious, following everything I say. They are taking me really, really seriously. They are taking my words really, really seriously. And even though they\u2019ve been <em>my<\/em> followers, they\u2019re getting really curious. This is all taking on a life of its own. They feel an urge to turn, and well, follow the One. And do you know how the One responds when he senses they\u2019re following him? He turns around and confronts them with a question about their intentions. He asks, \u2018What are you seeking?\u2019 They respond with a <em>small story<\/em> answer. \u2018Teacher, we just want to know where you are\u2026 where you stay.\u2019 The One responds, \u2018Follow me. Come with me and you will <em>see<\/em>. You will see where I am.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It almost reads like the One is saying, \u201cNot only will you see where I am, but you can be with me there. I want you. I want you with me. I want to bless your seeking of truth. And later, I want to help you do the very same thing with others who will be drawn to me, just like you were.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the thing, the thing with John, the small thing of John getting it right and pointing toward Jesus? Well, he tells these two friends and they come close to Jesus. And just like it happened with John, being with him, spending time with him, they <em>know<\/em> he is the One. They start pointing. They start pointing it out to other friends. Andrew for one. And guess what? Andrew has a brother! And the brother? His name is Simon. Andrew, the friend of John the Baptist, tells his brother Simon about the man \u2013 the man who is the One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And this bumbling, evolving, simple story, this story of a few friends among friends, is about to get bigger \u2013 much bigger. This brother named Simon will be renamed \u201cPeter\u201d \u2013 the Rock \u2013 by the One. The little story doesn\u2019t stay a little story. It grows into a way bigger story of God\u2019s imagining \u2013 an ends-of-the-earth kind of story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We can\u2019t take it all in. It is <em>so much bigger<\/em> than we can imagine. In fact, it is a journey of following that will take a lifetime. We will have moments of seeing and then, like John, we forget. And then we see again. It\u2019s okay; God knows this about us. We are journeying to be with Jesus, in fits and starts <em>now<\/em>, but seeing the whole, big picture later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And in the meantime?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don\u2019t worry about the bumbling. God already knows about that and picked you anyway. Just keep pointing. Just keep remembering. You will forget. And then it will come clear to you again. Others need to come. Others need to know where the One stays (Hint: it\u2019s usually with the folks on the margins!). God is not going to give up. God\u2019s target is not only your block. It\u2019s not merely your parish. It\u2019s not just your city. It\u2019s your <em>heart<\/em> \u2013 and the very ends of the earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">God is trying to do something so much bigger than we can imagine. How do we allow our thinking to get stretched? Where do you see glimmers of the One in your time? When have you felt an urge to turn and follow the One? When do you get most excited about following \u2013 more excited than you had previously imagined? What might it look like for you to allow yourself to stretch, to allow <em>God\u2019s story<\/em> in your life to get bigger?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This sermon was written by <strong>Anne Zobel.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-53372212-ef33-4a34-8b7d-9b202da42778\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sermon-Epiphany-2-English.docx\">Word \u2013 Epiphany 2 (A) Sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sermon-Epiphany-2-English.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-53372212-ef33-4a34-8b7d-9b202da42778\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-c79ffeee-4151-4b73-a288-c65e7580509b\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sermon-Epiphany-2-English.pdf\">PDF \u2013 Epiphany 2 (A) Sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sermon-Epiphany-2-English.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-c79ffeee-4151-4b73-a288-c65e7580509b\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[RCL] Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-12; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42 \u201cIt is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201212,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[32,43,52,3],"tags":[162],"class_list":["post-628890","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epiphany","category-sermons","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-epiphany-2a"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":32,"label":"Epiphany"},{"value":43,"label":"Sermons"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":162,"label":"Epiphany 2A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/628890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sermon"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/628890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3473399,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/628890\/revisions\/3473399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}