a great combo

Kudos to the Lectionary types who made for a really long gospel lesson by choosing John 1.29-42. It gives a great opportunity to teach on what was going on with Israel as a people at the time of Jbap and Jesus. Tom Wright does a great job in his Matthew for Everyone for last weeks readings explaining just how radical it was the Jbap was baptizing Jews for the forgiveness of sins. See as God's chosen people it had long been assumed that sinners were "them, not us." So we see in John's baptism for the first time the Nation of Israel admitting that they needed something other than the promises to Abraham and the law of Moses to be in right relationship with God.

So that is huge.

Then we get the story of Andrew and his buddy and Simon Peter who, having been a part of this new fangled form of Judaism that was admitting its need to repent are now ready for what is next. And was is next? Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed, God's chosen. They run for that horizon. It is so cool to see that play out.

So that too is huge.

And it really speaks to me as I sit in 21st century America, a nation that is "spiritual but not religious" and see people daily who are looking for what lies beyond that horizon. They are longing to find out what is next for them on their spiritual journey. Our job, is to be then like Jbap and point people to Jesus. "See him, he's next. I know he's sorta old too, but he's also next. A new way of encountering him that isn't tied to hierarchy and rules and dresses and church buildings and bishops and all that other stuff - that Jesus is on the horizon!" And Jesus, faithful as he is, is waiting and offering us to "come and see."