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Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
John 1:43-51
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
Jesus speaks to the True Self in Nathanael. Nathanael's own prejudice and scorn about anyone coming from Nazareth is soon removed as Jesus speaks to Nathanael's deep heart, the image of God within him. This too is the way forward for us, in following Jesus, we always speak to God's original intent, no matter who or whence the person. We are invited to come and see.
A helpful article about the balance of being polemical ... Fr. Lawrence Farley's article: https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/nootherfoundation/a-polemical-faith/
There's a time to confront, speaking the truth in love and there's a time to merely listen and appeal to the latent image of the creator God, in hopes of awakening the greater things! Amen.
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