{"id":692156,"date":"2026-01-05T10:29:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T15:29:32","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-06-24T12:41:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T16:41:02","slug":"come-and-see-epiphany-2-a-january-18-2026","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/sermons\/come-and-see-epiphany-2-a-january-18-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Come and See, Epiphany 2 (A) \u2013 January 18, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-342156_626399-96 .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-342156_626399-96 .kt-divider{border-top-width:2px;border-top-color:#84BD00;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-342156_626399-96\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm?e=DFMS2044029548&#038;light=true\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-342156_0ec17d-7c .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-342156_0ec17d-7c .kt-divider{border-top-width:2px;border-top-color:#84BD00;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-342156_0ec17d-7c\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>[RCL] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/epiphany-2a\/\">Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-12; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>How long will we sing this song?<\/em><br><em>I will sing, sing a new song. I will sing, sing a new song.<\/em><br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u2014 U2,&nbsp;<em>40<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today\u2019s Gospel gives us Jesus\u2019 first spoken words in the Gospel of John. And they are perplexing words, words that beg an answer: \u201cWhat are you looking for?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What are you looking for? Another, better translation: \u201cWhat are you seeking?\u201d Both an invitation and an examination. Jesus\u2019 first words in the Gospel of John are a question\u2014an important question\u2014\u201cwhat are you seeking?\u201d It\u2019s an invitation to actively examine our own hearts and to see, to bear witness to, what we find there.<\/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\/2026\/01\/Epiphany-2A-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-342157\" style=\"width:512px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two disciples he asks don\u2019t actually answer Jesus\u2019 question, do they? In fine rabbinic tradition, they respond with still another question. \u201cWhere are you staying?\u201d Which is actually another poor translation, because it reads a little as if these two disciples of John are asking where Jesus\u2019 hotel room is. What they\u2019re actually asking is a&nbsp;&nbsp;bit more significant; it\u2019s the same verb that Jesus himself will use later, when he says \u201cI abide in you, as you abide in me.\u201d The disciples are asking, \u201cWhere do you abide? Where do you make your home? Where do you rest? Where may we come and be present with you?\u201d And Jesus does not give them the easy answer. He doesn\u2019t say, \u201cNazareth\u201d or \u201cnext door to Bob.\u201d He merely says, \u201cCome and see.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is an invitation, this \u201cCome and see.\u201d It is also a choice, and a challenge. If we are to come and see something, we have to be open to the possibility that it is going to be something new. It is something which we\u2019re going to have to be willing to see, to open our eyes to, and be willing to look at, even if what we see is something we have never seen before. If we\u2019re going to see with new eyes, then we have to be willing to admit to the possibility that we ourselves don\u2019t have all the answers already\u2014that there is still more for God to show us. Even if it turns out to be something that surprises us or shocks us, that breaks into our lives and reorders it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the Epiphany, after all, the time when we celebrate the light breaking into our lives, when we celebrate the unfolding of the Incarnation, when God does a new thing and breaks into history here on earth. It\u2019s that time when we bring our gifts, and ourselves and we offer them to God\u2014even when we don\u2019t quite understand the mystery of how this has all happened, or why. We only know that we are not the people we used to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In order to find what they seek, these two followers of John will turn and follow Jesus; they will spend time with him, abide with him for a while, and then one of them, Andrew, will then go and tell others. He goes to his brother, Simon Peter, and says to him, \u201cWe have found the Messiah!\u201d Andrew accepts the invitation to \u201cCome and see\u201d and then goes out to issue the same invitation to his brother and others. \u201cCome and see\u201d this new thing that God is doing. Come and see the Messiah, the one who baptizes not with water, but with the Holy Spirit. Come and see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And then we have the beginning verses of Corinthians, with the apostle Paul writing a letter to the young congregation in Corinth. It\u2019s hard to remember, sometimes, that when we\u2019re reading the epistles, what we\u2019re doing is reading someone else\u2019s mail\u2014and only getting one side of the conversation, at that. From what Paul has to tell us, we understand that the people at the church in Corinth are in the middle of a serious argument over several things, one of which is whose spiritual gift is more important than the others.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind&#8230;You are not lacking in any spiritual gift.\u201d&nbsp;&nbsp;Paul is speaking to the plural \u201cyou,\u201d remember.&nbsp;&nbsp;As we would say in the South: \u201cAll ya\u2019ll have been enriched in him.\u201d Together, collectively, the Corinthians have all the gifts they need, and one person is not more important than another. As a community, they need one another if they are to be able to see what God has to reveal to them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is something hard for us to remember these days, when what divides us may seem much more powerful than it ought to be. \u201cWhose gift is more valuable?\u201d we and the people of Corinth ask one another. Paul\u2019s answer is unmistakeable: In every way, we are a gift to one another. Each one of us has gifts with which God has endowed us, gifts that the rest of us need. And when we are not in community with our neighbors, with one another, then there are gifts that we miss.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you came to church today, bringing those gifts with you, what did you hope to see? You got up, you got dressed, you traveled some distance, and you came here. Why? What were you seeking?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What do we come to our faith community hoping to see? What are we looking for? We come here because we have found goodness here, we\u2019ve found something life-sustaining\u2014we\u2019ve found something very much like hope. Or else we wouldn\u2019t return.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Have you found hope here\u2014in the Eucharist, in the prayers, in the presence of the Spirit, in friendship, in one another, in service? How have you borne witness to that hope? Have you ever, in your own way, invited someone else to \u201cCome and see\u201d what there is to see for themselves? Have you shared whatever it is you have found\u2014hope or friendship or forgiveness or service?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If we sing our own song, the one that God has placed in our hearts, if we bear witness to what we have seen&#8230;if we speak of God\u2019s love and God\u2019s faithfulness, then we too are drawn closer to God and to one another in the telling of it. The Psalmist says, \u201cI waited and waited for the Lord.\u201d There is an element of hope, of expectation. \u201cI hoped and hoped for the Lord.\u201d The Psalmist is one who has found God or been found by God. \u201cYou have done great things, God. You have lifted me out of the lonely and desolate pit. You have set me on a high cliff and made my footing sure.\u201d It is a witness and a testimony. It is telling the story of what God has done so that others might hear it and find hope themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wil Willimon sums up our seeking and our waiting and our hope, and he prays it to God this way: \u201cWe have come here this day searching for you, because we believe that you are searching for us.&nbsp;&nbsp;In countless ways you have reached out to us.&nbsp;&nbsp;We confess that sometimes we have searched for you in all the wrong places. We admit that sometimes we have thought that we found you when we only found cheap substitutes for your love. (Today), find us new so that we might find you, and in finding (you), love you, and in loving you, serve you in all that we do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What is it that Jesus asks of you today?&nbsp;&nbsp;If he were to turn to you right this moment, just as he did to the disciples, and ask, \u201cWhat do&nbsp;<strong>you<\/strong>&nbsp;seek?\u201d\u2014what would be your answer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When we have found the Jesus we seek\u2014or we have been found by him\u2014then it is our turn to use the gifts God has given us to tell the story of God\u2019s hope-filled and redeeming grace. We are to invite others, in turn, to \u201cCome and see.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this new year, we will sing God\u2019s song together, that same never-ending song of hope and grace and peace, so that all God\u2019s people might hear it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Gracious and loving God, help us to see Jesus Christ in this place, to hear his words of invitation and love. Teach us to go forth and sing your song of hope and grace each and every day, in the name of Jesus Christ. Your song is new every morning, O Lord. Now IS the time to sing it for all to hear. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>The Rev. Amy Hodges Morehous&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><em>is an Episcopal priest, spiritual director, mental health advocate, fiber artist, and native east Tennessean.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-e3bc19b1-9c63-4ff4-94f5-a6c0ae6327bb\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Epiphany-2A-sermon.docx\">Word &#8211; Epiphany 2A sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Epiphany-2A-sermon.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-e3bc19b1-9c63-4ff4-94f5-a6c0ae6327bb\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-202d4743-f8c8-4929-bea8-e58d3c82d4e1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Epiphany-2A-sermon.pdf\">PDF &#8211; Epiphany 2A sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Epiphany-2A-sermon.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-202d4743-f8c8-4929-bea8-e58d3c82d4e1\">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 How long will we sing this song?I will sing, sing a new song. I will sing, sing a new song.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u2014 U2,&nbsp;40 Today\u2019s Gospel gives us Jesus\u2019 first spoken words in the Gospel of John. And they are perplexing words, words that beg an answer:&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"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-692156","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","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\/692156","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":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/692156\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":948023,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/692156\/revisions\/948023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=692156"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=692156"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=692156"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}