Most of us can’t help but get a little excited about a celebrity sighting. We may vary widely in our ideas about who would be cool to spot in a restaurant or airport — I, for one, would probably not even recognize most of the people that would impress my daughters. Some of us would be impressed by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. …others by Ru Paul….others by Angela Lansbury — but there’s always a buzz when somebody “famous” is around.
The Greeks in our gospel this morning were looking for a celebrity sighting…they wanted to see Jesus. They had heard the buzz…about his miracles…about the parade when he came to town…and they wanted a look at this would be “king”. And so when someone pointed out Philip as one of the folks from Galilee that knew Jesus..they hit him up…hoping he could tell him where they could get a sighting. And you can just see how it went down from there. Philip goes to tell Andrew, and then they both go to tell Jesus…”Jesus..how cool is this…now people from Greece are looking for you. It’s not just local people….You’re world famous!” Philip and Andrew think this is the bomb. Jesus’ popularity is spreading…and they get to go along for the ride.
But, once again…Jesus shoots down their hopes for fame and glory. He has to do that a lot in the gospels, have you noticed? The disciples argue about who’s the greatest…and Jesus says it’s the one who is least. The crowd comes to hail a king, and Jesus says he’s going to die. Yep…it’s time for glory alright, Jesus tells Philip and Andrew…but not like you think. My glory isn’t about making it onto the global Celebrity a-list. My glory is revealed where people are hurting the most…where life is hardest. My glory is about giving my life away…it’s about being alongside people who are suffering, who are dying. That’s where Jesus shines in all his glory.
And when we finally get that that is Jesus glory….when we finally recognize how awesome Jesus’ love is….Jesus isn’t looking for people to adore him and fawn over him…”Wow…look how great Jesus is! Can you sign my t-shirt? Can I get a selfie?” No…Jesus isn’t looking for our admiration or awe…he’s looking for people to follow him.
I love how Greg Boyle puts it …’ to say – “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, I’m your biggest fan”…causes Jesus to stare at his watch, tap his feet, and order a double Glenlivet on the rocks with a twist. Fandom is of no interest to Jesus. What matters to him is the authentic following of a disciple. ‘
Jesus isn’t interested in Greeks who want to meet him and be impressed by him and tell him how great he is…he is interested in loving the world…and in people who want to follow him and love the world too. You want to see Jesus? Don’t look for a wonder-worker….look for love.
Jesus wants us to be in the world as he is in the world. He wants us to love one another and to know how very much we are loved. He wants us to see him in one another…and in ourselves. That’s where we’ll see Jesus.
Leon Dufour, a world-renowned Jesuit theologian and Scripture scholar, a year before he died at ninety-nine, confided in a Jesuit who was caring for him, “I have written so many books on God, but after all that, what do I really know? I think, in the end, God is the person you’re talking to, the one right in front of you.”
God is the person right in front of you…
Seeing Jesus…is living in the world Jesus loved and delighting in the holy goodness of people Jesus adored. We see Jesus when we open our eyes to people in front of us — the people who the world judges, who the world ignores, who the world gives up on, who the world despises. We see Jesus when we delight in the holy goodness of criminals who hang on crosses, and slaves who wash dirty feet, and women who overdo their perfume, and friends who screw up royally at times.
Sure, like the Greeks, we want to see Jesus….and he says..look around. Not for a celebrity… not for a wonder worker, but for flesh and blood, incarnate holiness and love shared with the people we least expect.
I read a blog by Vinita Hampton Wright this week…she writes —
I saw Jesus on the train today. He had worked a long shift, his coveralls a patchwork of sweat and grime; yet he joked with a coworker in the adjacent seat. I saw Jesus a while later, as the crowd filed onto the stairs to the street below—he was a young girl with two small children in tow, her nerves clearly frayed. And then, in the grocery store, there was Jesus again, a check-out clerk who smiled and wished me a good evening. The next time I saw him, he was stuck in traffic, his business suit rumpled and his eyes weary. And when I walked by my neighbor’s house, Jesus sat on the front step, passing the time with a friend.
When Jesus came to share our human existence, he changed what it means to be ordinary people going through the day. Each one of us has a purpose and a place in the world. Each of us experiences pain, fatigue, humor, and hope. If we look more intently at the people we encounter on a typical day, we will see who they truly are—persons loved by God. Regardless of appearance or situation, the woman, man, or child before you is brimming with holy possibility. Consider that you are gazing into the eyes of God. Understand that Jesus comes to you in many faces and places.
We want to see Jesus…but we will not find him by looking up above the chaos and mess of the world and our lives…we will only find him here. Right in the heart of the mire and the mess. We don’t find Jesus by cleaning our lives up or polishing our purity …we find him when we give up our desire to be “above it all”…and love our neighbors just as they are.
We want to see Jesus…and he is here. In bread and wine…for everyone. Not just some of us. But for All of us. We want to see Jesus …and he is here…in those who are hurting, in those who are carrying loads that are harder than we can imagine. We want to see Jesus….and he is here. In the people beside you. Delight in one another. Be in awe of one another. We want to see Jesus…and he is here. In you. You are God’s delight. You are beautiful incarnate holiness.
We want to see Jesus…and he digs deep into the heart of this world’s pain…our pain…he goes to death row and bears with us our unbearable burdens…and says…Here I am. Look for me here. I love you here.
We want to see Jesus, and He is all around us. I’ll close with the words of St. Patrick– written some 1700 years ago –
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit,
Christ when I stand,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
We want to see Jesus…and he is here.
Amen.
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