The Sermon . . .

Rev'd Gregory Seach

On the front of this week's Contact, I've tried to give a brief account of the very little we know about Bartholomew, the apostle and martyr we celebrate today. The church always reads the gospel we have just heard on St Bartholomew's day, because it has long been assumed that Bartholomew and the "Nathanael" we have just heard about were one and the same person. But, as written one commentator on John's gospel, says "there is no real evidence for this conjecture." He goes on to say, "it is possible that an ideal rather than a real person is meant - Nathanael is an ideal Israelite". His name, Nathanael, means "God gives" or "has given"; and given that later in John's gospel the disciples are described as those whom the Father "has given" to Jesus, perhaps what we are being offered here, at the beginning of John's gospel, is a portrait of an 'ideal' disciple.

Now, by 'ideal' I think what is being meant here is a 'typical' disciple - 'ideal' as archetype, rather than as 'perfect'. Because throughout John's gospel, indeed throughout all the gospels, we find people who are in a process of learning what it is to be disciples of Jesus, not people who have "arrived", as it were, at that perfect discipleship! And that's why the church has always commemorated the apostles, saints and martyrs - because as we reflect honestly and fully on them, on what they did and said, we see that, in spite of their failings and weaknesses, in spite of their very real humanity, they are great heroes of our faith because of what the God who chose them accomplished through them. And that is a great encouragement for us: that God can equally choose our full and frail humanity and, if we are willing, make something of it.

So, what does the story of this apostle say to us? In what way can our own stories, the stories of God's action in our lives, be 'read' in the light of Nathanael's (or Bartholomew's)? I think there are a couple of things to see here. First, Jesus calls him a "true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit", and we see from the words of Philip's invitation that, like the other disciples in John's gospel, he knew his scriptures - the law and the prophets. Many earlier readers liked to suggest that Nathanael was found sitting under the fig tree because that was the traditional place where Jewish scholars studied their scriptures. And his encounter with the living Lord leads him to identify Jesus as "Rabbi", "Son of God" and "King of Israel" - and they are all titles that we would, I'm sure, think that all good disciples should give to Jesus. But most scholars now think that when Nathanael says them, he's still thinking in terms of his own day and setting. He still thinking of Jesus as the Messiah expected by good and pious Jews of the first century - a leader who will overthrow the Romans and restore the kingdom of Israel. And that's why Jesus doesn't take too much notice of what Nathanael says, and assures him that he will see far greater things than this "fortune-telling" of seeing him under the fig tree. This "statement of faith" at the beginning of the gospel will be utterly transformed and reshaped by what Jesus does and teaches and reveals of God in his life, death and resurrection. So, part of what this story might be telling us is that, no matter how much study the Scriptures - and that is an important thing to do - no matter how much we do that, and no matter how well we may think we know all that they have to say, we need always to be prepared for an encounter with the living Lord to move us beyond that point. We need to be ready for an encounter with Jesus to challenge, to reshape and reformulate whatever we think we know of him and whatever we expect him to do.

Second, this story gives us some clues about our own life together as a community of faith. Nathanael is brought to Jesus by Philip. Now John is showing his usual ironic humour in the opening verses of today's gospel, and there is a great deal of 'finding' going on. Philip "found Nathanael", we're told, and then says "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus, son of Joseph from Nazareth". The irony is obvious in a full reading of this opening chapter of the gospel, because in spite of what Philip says, it is actually Jesus who has been doing the finding so far. But, having been found by Jesus, Philip then goes to Nathanael and reports what he thinks he has found! Nathanael's response is fairly cynical, but Philip, undeterred, says, "Come and see." In this story, as in so many other stories of Christian discipleship, the encounter, the meeting with Jesus comes because someone who has already met him introduces another to him. And John makes a vital point in this 'introduction'. By the end of John's gospel, we know that Philip's description of Jesus: 'Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth' is hopelessly inadequate. John's gospel has already told us that this is 'the Word that was God made Flesh'. Nevertheless, Philip still persuades Nathanael to "come and see" Jesus for himself. So, Christian discipleship is never about waiting until we have a full and perfect understanding about Jesus and who he is before we introduce others to him. The point is, of course, if disciples of Jesus waited until then, no one would ever have been brought to meet him - having a full and perfect understanding of who Jesus is, is not possible this side of heaven! But that, John seems to be saying, didn't stop Philip - nor should it stop us. And a further point is seen here too. Nathanael's cynical response is no deterrent to Philip's efforts either. Philip simply says, "Come and see", trusting that the One he already believes is "him about whom the law and the prophets" spoke, will meet and transform Nathanael's cynicism.

Now that, it seems to me, has a lot to teach us. So often today we in the church seem hesitant, bashful, even ashamed of our faith. And I admit that, as we read the reports of the church in the mass media, there seems to be much the church should be ashamed of in what it says and does. And I'm sure that those of you who are here tonight as Muriel discusses the shameful abuses of power and prestige the church has committed (and continues to commit) will discover more! But while we must be shocked and ashamed of what has been done in the church, we have no need to be ashamed of the church's Lord. And we have no need to be ashamed of our faith in him. Nor, the story of Philip and Nathanael seems to show us, do we have to be ashamed of our 'inadequate understanding' of who Jesus is, nor should we be embarrassed or silenced by the imagined (and therefore feared) or even the real cynicism of our friends! The question we have to ask ourselves, I think, is this: Is the person in whom I put my trust, is this Jesus, this God in whom I believe, the centre of my life? Is he all (and more!) that I claim to believe about him? Because if he is, then how can I stop myself introducing others to him - especially those who are my friends? If this Jesus is the source of joy and wonder and all good things in my life, how can I keep from sharing this joy with others? And their cynicism - real or imagined - should be no hindrance to that because, ultimately, its not me who will convince them, its not me who'll do the 'finding'.

The vestry of this parish has recognised - wisely, it seems to me - that this parish needs to grow by at least 50-60 regular, weekly parishioners, if the plans it has for continuing the outreach of St John's are to be implemented. For much of this year, it has been putting its collective mind to how that might be achieved. And in a few weeks' time, at a planning day, it will seek to articulate more strategies for doing this. This is vital and essential work. But, if I may slightly misquote the Archbishop of Canterbury from his enthronement sermon, "it is God in the midst of God's people who will enable this ministry to take place - not any programme or manifesto, not any avalanche of projections. So the most significant question we can ask about the work ahead is 'What do we pray for in the [St John's] of the future?'" Well, like him, what I pray for is "Confidence; courage; an imagination set on fire by the vision of God the Holy Trinity; thankfulness. The [St John's] of the future will do its prophetic and pastoral work effectively only if it is concerned first with gratitude and joy and "a fuller entry into the intimate joy of Jesus' life." We can talk all we like about programmes that will attract people here. But the single most effective means of bringing people here is for you to be so full of the joy of your life having been transformed by God in Jesus through the Spirit in God's church, that you have to share that with friends and family. If you, the lay people of this parish, who are, really, when all is said and done, the real energy source of the church, if you aren't convinced of that, then all the new vicars in creation won't make much difference, won't do much to draw people here. That can best be done by you, and with no more words than Philip's "Come and see". It can even be done with no words at all. St Francis of Assisi once said "preach the gospel by all means available, and if necessary use words." Each morning at Morning Prayer, Norman and I pray for you all, and we often say - about you and us, "Give us grace to shine as lights in the world this day!" That all of our lives may, however haltingly, speak of the joy of being known and loved by God.

As we gather around this altar week by week, I believe that we truly see "heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on" the Jesus we know in bread and wine. So, as you leave here this morning, my prayer is that you will be inspired by that vision. That, like Nathanael or Bartholomew, like disciples throughout the ages, you will be inspired by the joy being found by Jesus, that being known, as Nathanael was, and loved by Jesus, brings. And that, so inspired, you will go to just one friend, one member of your family who is not here with us week by week and, like Philip, will say "Come and see."