2nd Sunday after the Epiphany

“We have found the Messiah,” a phrase spoken by the disciples of John who now were following Jesus. An exclamation by family members to their kin that they had found the one promised of old. It is a sentence that we can proclaim today as we stand on the cusp of beginning a new mission out East. “We have found the Messiah,” is the message of every Christian as we fulfill the Great Commission of Matthew 28 to “go and make disciples of all nations…” Today I would like to explore this text and see how this phrase, “we have found the Messiah,” applies to our lives, inspires us to reach out to those around us, and gets us to think globally when it comes to missions.

First, “We have found the Messiah.” We need to first look to our own hearts and see what Jesus means to us. We who are here today for a reason, come to worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We proclaim with our lips and know in our heart that God the Father sent His one and only Son in to this world to be our Savior. And by the power of the Holy Spirit we cling to Christ as the “way the truth and the life.” Jesus, the one who became a man, lived the perfect life for us, took our sins to the cross to die in our place, and rose again victorious to bring us new life is the Messiah – we have found our Savior. This is great news that we should treasure each day of our life.

But sometimes we take it for granted. We have lost that excitement and forget what a huge deal it is to know the Messiah as Jesus Christ. Luther reminded us that the first thing we are to know in the morning is our Baptism and the last thing on our mind as we go to bed is our Baptism, and every minute in between. The saving power of Jesus has changed our lives and it should constantly be a source of joy and delight for us. So we have to be reminded, “We have found the Messiah!”

Second, in the excitement of finding the Messiah we are also commanded to share this news with others. The Disciples in our Gospel lesson this morning wasted no time in betting the word out. Once they had met Jesus and seen in him to be the Messiah, they went and brought their brother to Jesus. We are not to keep the great news of Jesus as the Messiah to ourselves but we are to spread the news to others.

Too often this task seems too large. It is easy to stay here, speak about Jesus among fellow believers. But we are called to go out into the world and tell about Jesus. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming. In fact the Gospel lesson even gives us a clue as to where to start – with those close to you. Andrew went and told his brother Simon Peter about Jesus. You can begin with those close to you.

I have heard it said, in regards to how small the world can be, that you can be connected to the world through as little as 6 people. As the theory goes, if you know 6 people who know 6 people, who know 6 people… then you can actually cover the world. This idea can help us with the last two point of my message. The first being, what 6 people do you know who need to hear about Jesus? Later we will look at reaching out to the whole world.

Take out you prayer sheet today. On the back is space for you to write some names. I want you to think of 6 people you know who need to hear about the Messiah. Maybe there are some family members you know who don’t know about Jesus or who have fallen away from the church. Write their name down on your sheet. Maybe you have some friends who need to hear about Jesus. They may have been life long friends who never went to church or maybe they are new friends that you are not sure if they know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Write their names down. How about your neighbors, those people you see each day as you head out to work and come home? How well do you know them? Do they attend church? Do they know about Jesus? You see them everyday, can you tell them about Jesus? Write their names down on the sheet. How about the people your children come in contact with at school or in sports? I am sure there are people you see who don’t know about Jesus or who have fallen away from the church. Children are great at sharing the message of Jesus. How can you help that happen? Write some names down. And how about people you work with. You seem them a lot do they know about Jesus? Do they go to church? No I know you are thinking, “I don’t want to rock the boat at work. I can’t offend anyone. Separation of church and state!” Well I am telling you today – take a risk. These are people you see all the time. Don’t you want them to know about Jesus? Write their names down too.

Do you have six? If not, keep working at it. And you don’t have to “convert” all six today. It may take a long time. Be patient, God is. But please do tell them about Jesus. These are not strangers to you but people you know. Build a trusting relationship in which you can share the faith you have in Jesus. It begins with those close to you. Bring them to Jesus.

But we also have to be globally minded when we think about sharing Jesus. Why? Because it is a message the whole world needs to hear and we need to constantly be finding ways to make it known to the whole world. That is the second half of the 6 people idea. If we have the mindset that the 6 we tell of Jesus will be encourage to tell 6 other people and so on, we can reach the world. It begins small but it can be mighty.

Our new mission out East is the fruit of this reaching out. We don’t know what the future holds but we do know that this is a grand opportunity to expand the ministry of Mount Olive. Not only are we proclaiming the Gospel here but now in a new place – doubling our mission outreach. The theme fort his new mission is “Growing Together with Jesus.” What a great statement hat sums up what we have been talking about. We continue to grow each day as we marvel in the statement, “We have found the Messiah.” But we don’t rest in that alone. We are together, meaning we need to bring others to Jesus and always be about the work of proclaiming Christ as the Savior. We need to think big as we tell about Jesus. One person at a time but with the goal of reaching the world.

And the world even has come to us. The new area for this mission is expected to add 80,000 new residences in the next 5 year. Over 120,000 people! What a prospect! God’s mission field is ready. We are called to go. Go with the wonderful message that we have found the Messiah. Go and bring others to Jesus.

Amen.