Musical Prelude and Service.

Isaiah 49:1-7 & John 1:29-42
Well, last week’s sermon certainly got a response. People seemed to appreciate my words, my
passion and willingness to respond to the events in the world. So, how do I follow up?
As I sat down to reflect and to write this past Thursday, I found myself questioning if anything was
really going to change because of people’s protests and the outrage so many experienced as a result
of Renee Good’s death. Would we finally find our way to repudiating politics of fear, of retribution
and anger directed at the outsider? Or will things continue on the path we are already on, no matter
what side of the border that you may live on?
I find I’m in a constant debate with myself over how much to focus on the tensions to the south of
us. On one level, we need to stay out of the domestic politics of the United States. But at the same
time, my concern and my compassion reaches out to those who are so close to us, both physically
and emotionally. A great many of us have friends and family who live in the United States, so what
happens there becomes intensely personal.
Finally, in many ways our border is very porous. What happens there crosses the border very easily.
In terms of how we view one another and treat one another, we need to be mindful of our
neighbours. This does not mean interfering in their political system. But having witnessed those
tensions, we should be asking ourselves some questions.
Who are we?
What do we value?
What are we prepared to do to hold on to those values?
And one week after the heartbreak we witnessed in Minneapolis and its immediate fallout, I believe it
is my responsibility to say, we need to be persistent. I hesitate to use the word patient. That can
imply passivity, and I don’t think that is appropriate. We are certainly called to action in the face of
oppression and injustice. We are certainly called to break the silence in the face of hatred. So, I think
we are called to be persistent. To remain steadfast in holding onto our values and our hope of a new
world and a promise of peace and love.
A few lines from today’s reading from Isaiah truly stand out for me.
But I said, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the LORD and my reward with my God.”
How often have we said these words to ourselves as the world seems to slip away from our vision of
what it can and should be? How often have we told ourselves that our desire for a just world, where
everyone experiences love and peace, was all in vain? That the forces of isolation and hatred were
ascendant?
“And now the LORD says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,…
I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
In the face of oppression, of apparent humiliation, do not relent. I knew you before you were born. I
raised you for times such as this.
Isaiah acknowledges that Israel is weakened. Israel is humiliated in the face of its conquerors, and
yet they are forged within this terrible and painful experience. Hold close to God’s promise. Hold onto
your faith. You will be a shining light for others to witness and find hope in. So don’t despair, even
when no one around you seems to care. God as not lost faith.
In the Gospel of John, we hear of John the Baptizer pointing out Jesus to his followers and saying,
this is the one we have been waiting for. He essentially says, God made me for this moment.
Through my baptising with water, I was preparing for the time that the Messiah; the Lamb of God we
see before us, would come and take his place and lead you forward.
From what we read here today, we can suppose that John had a significant following. He had his
own disciples, including Andrew. He had authority and devotion from many. But John is basically
saying, what I have done is to prepare the way for the one who is coming. And that person is Jesus.
Andrew then introduces his brother Simon to Jesus. Jesus sees Simon for who he truly is. Peter, the
rock on whom the church will be built.
Persistence. Not patience. Stay active. Speak up and speak out in the face of violence and
oppression. Don’t let fear and hatred drown out calls for love and compassion.
We are called to be beacons of light in a world threatened with darkness. It can be frightening. It can
be exhausting. We can feel like we are alone or not prepared for these moments. As we look around,
we can feel like we are in no position to offer anything concrete to these struggles against forces that
seem committed to fear and to violence. But we are assured that God has prepared us for these
moments. God knows us; God knows what is inside of us. The struggles we have already endured
offers us reassurance of our capacity to endure heartbreak, even when we feel like we can’t go
through this one more time. We have the courage to stand up in the face of intolerance and
oppression, whether it is threats to ourselves or others. And finally, we can find the resources to go
forward with determination, because we know we don’t do so alone. Because we are not alone; we
live in God’s world.
Right now, we are fortunate. We are not witnessing the violence, the threats of violence and the
demonstrations of inhumanity that we are witnessing elsewhere, be it south of the border, in Iran or
Ukraine or Venezuela or elsewhere in this world. But if we think we are immune to such trends here
in Canada I think we are fooling ourselves.
Also, we are offered an opportunity. We can stand up now and declare our commitment to a world of
peace; a world of compassion; a world of justice. We can make clear wat our values are.
Andrew approaches Jesus in this story from John. His teacher, John the baptizer, has announced that
Jesus is the Messiah, the lamb of God, that they have been waiting for. And Jesus asks him, what are
you looking for? What are you looking for?
Can we name what it is we seek? Assurance of a loving God? A promise of a world of peace?
A place where you feel welcomed and supported? What are you looking for?
And how does Jesus respond? Come and see. Don’t wait. Approach; follow. Look; ask questions.
Persist in seeking and participating. Make something happen.
I really am concerned that as our world; our society, experiences more and more distractions, the
anger the sense of injustice over recent events may fade into the distance and we will feel like
nothing has and nothing can change. But the simple fact is things can change. Things will change.
We live in a time of dread and fear. A time of frequent heartbreak. It can seem like our efforts to
resist and work for a more loving world are in vain. But we must endure. We must persist. We must
hold on to our values. Name our values and make them clear as we live them out.
And know that God sees us and works with us. We are not alone. God made us; God created us and
equipped us to be our best in these times.
Thanks be to God.
Rev. Warner Bloomfield

Music provided with permission through licensing with CCLI License number
2701258 and One License # A-731789