Hidden glory in plain sight

John 1:43-51 ⁴³The next day, Jesus wanted to leave for Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.

⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

⁴⁶Nathanael said to him, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”

“Come and see!” Philip told him.

⁴⁷Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Truly, here is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”

⁴⁸Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?”

Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, while you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

⁴⁹Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

⁵⁰Jesus replied, “You believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that!” ⁵¹Then he added, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

So then, brothers, stand firm and hold on to the teachings that were passed along to you, either by word of mouth or by a letter from us. (2 Thessalonians 2:15) Amen.

“Can anything good come from Racine?” That was the question people were asking me over 16 years ago while I was in Kentucky holding the call to Epiphany.

I had no idea where Racine was or what it was like. People who lived elsewhere in Wisconsin told me all kinds of negative stories about Racine. I was specifically instructed to make sure I knew which church in Racine I was being called to. They said one church was in a good neighborhood. The other church was in a bit rougher neighborhood.

Can anything good come from Racine? Can anything good come from Epiphany? Can anything good come from New Hope? Epiphany is a 94-year-old church in the middle of the block where nobody knows where it is. New Hope is a 40-plus year-old church on a busy highway where nobody knows where it is.

Now we’ve voted to merge these two congregations into Water of Life Lutheran Church of Racine and Caledonia. Can anything good come out of Water of Life Lutheran Church?

People can be skeptical about Racine. They can be skeptical about Water of Life. They were certainly skeptical about Jesus. Jesus was like any other carpenter you might hire to make furniture. He was from the Podunk town of Nazareth. Yet, we see today that there was hidden glory in this Jesus from Nazareth. Hidden glory in plain sight of Philip and Nathanael.

This account takes place early in Jesus’ ministry. He is fresh out of the waters of the Jordan River and the dust of his desert temptations. Jesus is just starting out. Most have not heard of him yet.

John the Baptist has been preparing the way for Jesus. John even directs a few of his own disciples to start following Jesus after he identifies him as the One whose sandals John was unworthy to untie and “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

“The next day,” John tells us in his Gospel, “Jesus wanted to go to Galilee.” Jesus has been in the south where John has been baptizing in the Jordan River. Now he wants to go north to Galilee. Andrew and Peter, Jesus’ brand-new disciples come from Galilee.

When he arrives in Galilee, Jesus finds Philip and says to him, “Follow me.” When the Son of God calls you to follow him, you follow him.

John gives us some background on Philip. “Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.” Peter and Andrew are from Bethsaida and they are following Jesus. Philip joins his townie friends.

Philip wants more friends to join him in following Jesus. Having met Jesus, the Son of God and the Christ, Philip is naturally full of excitement. Naturally, he wants to tell someone about the good thing he’s discovered … or who discovered him. Philip finds his friend Nathanael and says, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

That’s a very big deal. Israel has been waiting centuries for the Messiah. They have read the promises about the Messiah given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They have heard what Moses wrote about the Messiah in the Law. They have been told the prophecies given through Isaiah, Jeremiah and the minor prophets about Israel’s Messiah.

And now Philip says, “He’s here!”

But Nathanael is skeptical. He hears that Jesus is the son of Joseph. Who is Joseph? Joseph isn’t anyone famous or important or influential. Jesus is from Nazareth. Nazareth is just a little town in the backwater area of Galilee. The Messiah is supposed to be grand and glorious. He is great David’s greater Son. All nations will bow down before him. He is supposed to come from King David’s hometown of Bethlehem.

That’s what is going through Nathanael’s head when he asks, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”

Nathanael was skeptical about Jesus. We can also become skeptical about Jesus.

You are being very careful, yet you still end up in the hospital or home sick or quarantined.

You are trying to eat right, exercise daily and taking your vitamins, but you still have a heart attack.

You are mindful about how you speak, but you and your family always seem to be on the edge of falling into another fight.

You have worked so hard to build up your business, but through no fault of your own, you are on the verge of losing it all.

So, you begin to question. To doubt. To pull back from your faith. What good is following Jesus? Is anything good coming from God? You’ve seen Jesus and you’re not impressed.

We can be skeptical about our church merger. We’ve worked so hard to get to this point, but now we need to wait on the Synod’s constitution committee to review our new constitution and bylaws. We’ve done all the organizing and planning, but now comes the boring, but important legal work of changing our name, dissolving the two churches, changing accounts and so on. We’ve planned for ministry with two pastors, always knowing that Pastor Scoggins would receive a call to serve the Kenosha merged churches.

It is easy for us to become skeptical. To become tired. To become stressed. To pull back and not be involved in this new ministry for our new church.

Skepticism questions. Skepticism confuses. Skepticism debilitates. A skeptic does not want to move or make a decision.

Philip gives practical, spiritual advice to Nathanael and us. “Come and see.” Philip is pleasantly persistent. Our focus is not on how humble Jesus appears to be. Our focus is not on how well we think Jesus answers our prayers or pours out his blessings on us.

Our focus is on who Jesus is. His hidden glory right before our eyes.

You need to be like Philip and see who Jesus really is. Then you can also be like Philip to invite your friends and family – the Nathanaels in your life – to worship with you. Invite them to Epiphany/ New Hope/ Water of Life. But, you are really inviting them to come and see Jesus.

And who is this Jesus? He doesn’t look like anything special. He looks like an ordinary carpenter you might hire to build furniture for you. He’s not from any powerful or influential family. He’s not from someplace important like Jerusalem or Rome.

Despite his skepticism and ours, we join Nathanael in coming to see Jesus. And what do we see? We see a glimpse of Jesus’ hidden glory in plain sight. Jesus describes Nathanael – a man he has never met – as being an Israelite without deceit. Jesus mentions that he saw Nathanael sitting under the fig tree when Philip found him. That was enough to convince Nathanael to remove his skepticism. He acknowledges that Jesus was more than a rabbi. He is the Son of God. He is the King of Israel.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus did many things to remove our skepticism. He proved over and over again that he really is the Son of God. We might think that Jesus has to prove himself to us by keeping us healthy, making our business successful and providing peace in our family. But those are things we want. They are earthly desires. Jesus displays his divine glory not in providing physical blessings, but in providing spiritual blessings.

Jesus proved he was the Messiah as he fulfilled the promises made to the patriarchs, the sacrifices under the Law of Moses, and the prophecies made through Israel’s prophets.

Jesus displayed his glory as he drove out demons and restored families quarantined by leprosy. He showed his divinity over the devil by overcoming every one of Satan’s slick temptations. He demonstrated his divinity as he taught and explained God’s Word on the mountain, in the synagogue and in the temple courtyard. Jesus revealed his divine love when he went to the cross to take the sins of Philip, Nathanael, you and me on himself. His greatest glory was on full display as Jesus exhibited his greatest humility dying on Calvary’s cross. Jesus then rose from the dead to give you and all his followers the assurance of eternal life.

Jesus is the mediator between heaven and earth, between God and sinners. He is the stairway to heaven from Jacob’s dream (Genesis 28:12) where the angels ascend and descend on the Son of Man.

Admittedly, Water of Life Lutheran Church will not look like much. It will look pretty similar to Epiphany and New Hope. We won’t be adding a fitness center or a band or anything eye-popping to gain the community’s attention.

We will offer the same message we have been offering in Racine for over 90 years. “Come and see.”

Come and see glimpses of Jesus’ glory. Glory in the power of God’s spoken Word. Glory in the beauty of the hymns of the saints. Glory in the water of baptism making us heirs of salvation. Glory in the Sacrament receiving the comfort of Christ’s body and blood. Glory in the absolution, removing our sins as far as the east is from the west. Glory in entrusting God’s departed saints into his heaven so they may enjoy the feast of God’s salvation.

Never be ashamed about inviting people to worship with us online or sit with you in the sanctuary. Don’t be embarrassed inviting others to pray with you. Don’t be shamed by enemies of the gospel when you post prayers, scriptural comfort, or your favorite Bible podcasts on social media. People miss the hidden glory of God especially when we don’t open their eyes to these glimpses of Christ’s glory.

Be pleasantly persistent. Our churches may not be grand and glorious. Our Savior may seem ordinary and mundane. People may continue to ask, “Can anything good come from Racine?” Yes! Because Jesus is here in Racine! There is hidden glory in this font, this altar, this pulpit and these pews. That’s because the hidden glory of Jesus Christ is here in this place, at New Hope and in Racine in Word and Sacrament,

By faith, we see these glimpses of Jesus’ hidden glory in plain sight. That’s because, by the grace of God, we have found the Messiah. Or better … he has found us. Amen.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and in his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and establish you in every good work and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17) Amen.