Gloria Dei

I’m sure you all noticed all the excitement that has been building to this day:  the pre-Bartholomew, Apostle Day sales at Home Depot and Walgreen’s, all of the extra greeting cards in the mail, the Bartholomew songs on the radio.  It’s everyone’s favorite time of the year.  Or is that because of the State Fair?

To be honest, I didn’t know it was Bartholomew, Apostle’s day either, until I started working on this sermon.  If you had asked me a week or two ago what I knew about Bartholomew,             I would have joined you in saying, “Uh….  he was one of the twelve disciples, I think.”  “I think,” because of course, we’re not really sure about those twelve. Different lists of disciples include different names, and Bartholomew is one of those names that doesn’t always make the list. 

The astute among you probably noticed that he wasn’t even named in the gospel lesson[1], chosen for this, his feast day.  In fact, his name isn’t included in the gospel of John at all.  But the church has long speculated that Bartholomew and the Nathanael about whom we read today are in fact the same person. In Matthew, Mark and Luke, Bartholomew is listed with Philip.  In John’s gospel, the disciple closest to Philip is called Nathanael.  One explanation for the alternate name is that “Bartholomew” might mean “son of Tholomew.”  Just as Jesus is called, “son of Joseph,” and Simon is called, “Bar-Jonah,” (i.e. “son of John”), maybe Nathanael is known as Bartholomew.[2]  It’s a theory anyway.

But it leads us to a legitimate question.  If we know so little about him, not even his name, if we’re not even sure whether he was one of the famous twelve disciples of Jesus, and if we don’t even have a bible story definitely describing him, why do we bother taking a whole Sunday to commemorate Bartholomew?

Across the centuries, some Christian communities have acknowledged this disciple more elaborately.  He is reported to have preached in Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, Persia, and India.  The Armenian Church, the Coptic Church, and the Ethiopian Church all claim him as one of their founders, and celebrate his ministry among them with some fanfare.[3]

But most of us grew up in the church without acknowledging the date, and have few if any recollections of this feast day.  If the church can survive without making a fuss about this fairly anonymous saint for this long, why bother with the focus today?

But then again, maybe it’s his anonymity that makes this apostle so important for us.  Bartholomew doesn’t get remembered for walking on water or healing the masses, or preaching remarkable sermons.  The most we know about him, this story from John’s gospel (which might actually be about someone else), says he was sitting under a fig tree, and wasn’t very sure anything good could come out of Nazareth.

Can a skeptical person of questionable identity serve as mentor to us?  I like how little there is to know about Nathanael Bartholomew, because it keeps us focused on the basics of what it takes to be a follower of Jesus.

We find first that Nathanael was sitting under a fig tree.  In Hebrew scriptures a community founded in justice is described by saying each person is able to sit under his or her own fig tree.[4]  The fig tree is a sign of being independent, content, and having your needs met.  So, while we can’t be sure that was the implication here, we might guess that Bartholomew wasn’t wanting for anything.  We meet him at a fairly satisfied moment in his life.

He is invited to meet Jesus by someone else.  Again, nothing too surprising or remarkable there.  Most of us are here only because someone invited us to be here. A neighbor, a friend, a relative, a colleague told us something about their church, and invited us along.  In many cases, it was simply our parents who brought us with them.  We’ve grown up coming to church until it has become a habit for us.  While a few Christians can say they came to faith on their our own, the great majority of people in the church will instead talk about a few, fairly normal people who invited them along. A grandparent or aunt, a Sunday School teacher, confirmation mentor, choir director, a college roommate described their own faith experience and encouraged us to, “come and see” what they had found.

It usually isn’t a great sermon, a fantastic Sunday School lesson, or any other kind of a mountaintop experience that keeps us active in the church, either.  Rather it’s the normal things that draw us into a life in the community of Jesus’ disciples:  the chance to visit with a friend over coffee after worship, the weekly conversation at Adult Forum or Hot Topics, the promise to prepare the altar for the following service, the opportunity to deliver a meal to someone in need, the routine of bringing a child to Sunday School, or volunteering to bring the supplies next week, the pleasure of singing with others in the choir, or just out in the congregation.  It is these weekly, commonplace, casual events that bind us together.

Bartholomew becomes a follower of Jesus when someone rather normal and unspectacular invites him to come, and he is curious enough to find out what it is about.

His initial interest is guarded. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” he asks. Like most people I know, Nathanael is skeptical of the whole situation.  Maybe he knows himself to be less impressionable than his friend.  Maybe he is comfortable sitting under his fig tree and doesn’t want to be bothered. However reluctantly, he decides to see what his friend Philip is talking about, and comes to see Jesus.

Jesus admires him for coming.  Jesus sees Nathanael coming from a distance and praises him.  “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Is it Nathanael’s candid skepticism over what Nazareth could produce, or his direct willingness to at least see what Philip is so excited about, that Jesus praises?  Jesus seems to honor Nathanael’s honesty and openness.  Rather than pretending to meet Jesus with clear theology or preformed ideas of doctrine, Nathanael comes with his questions and doubts.  And rather than hiding them, he admits them openly and let’s Jesus see who he is.

And what he discovers is a Jesus who already knows him.  “Before Philip called to you, I saw you under the fig tree.”  In the gospel, to meet Jesus is to experience the fullness of God’s own presence.   In this short exchange, Bartholomew meets Jesus, and realizes he is in the presence of a God who knows him better than anyone ever has.  Jesus knows the disciple’s reluctance and skepticism,         knows his tendency to sit comfortably under a fig tree and doubt what others are telling him, knows his openness and his vulnerability, and loves him unconditionally.

And this is what makes a difference in his life.  Nathanael meets Jesus and discovers his Rabbi, the teacher who understands him.  Others have introduced Jesus to Nathanael as son of Joseph, but he recognizes him as Son of God, the King of Israel.  No miracle is performed.  No sermon is preached. Nothing amazing or profound has occurred.  But an apostle has been called, and a saint has been named.  A content, nearly anonymous, fairly skeptical person is invited to come and see Jesus, and 2000 years later, we’re commemorating his response.

Can it be that simple?  Most of us haven’t witnessed a burning bush, or a mountain thrown into the sea, or a loved one healed miraculously, and yet here we are, week after week, joining together to witness to the one we believe has called us to be here.

Like Bartholomew or Nathanael, we may have come only because someone else encouraged us to be here;  we might not even be sure there’s anything in it for us, but we come and discover that our lives are being touched by the one who finds us here, and knows us better than anyone ever has.

Like those who have come before us, we may be fairly normal, anonymous spectators, but God knows our names, knows from where we’ve come, knows what satisfies and what terrifies us, what we acknowledge as question, what we claim as doubt, what we need and what we want. 

The world may barely know our names, may call us “Nathanael” or “Bartholomew” or something else.  But God knows us as Saint, as beloved and dear, cherished children of God.

Most of the world is not celebrating Bartholomew today.  After all, the Olympics are on. The Fair is happening.  The weather is lovely.  The lawn needs work. It’s August. But we who have gathered here have claimed this as our Feast Day!  We who are here are August Saints, the non-remarkable children of God, discovering again God’s delight in us, and God’s longing to claim us in love.

We’ve come from sitting under our own fig trees and found that God is making us one of the chosen.  Bartholomew became one of the twelve closest disciples of Jesus, and if legend has it right, preached to people throughout the ancient world. 

Today in this place, our challenge may be less dramatic.  We August Saints are being asked to help teach a Sunday School class.  We’re being invited to join the choir.  We’re being encouraged to host a new member group, or help organize a small group to discuss The Centered Life.  We’re wondering whether we might serve as a mentor for a confirmation student.

Some of us may feel intimidated by the requests.  After all, we’re not experts in explaining theology.  We might not have all the answers or know everything there is to know.  But rest assured that Bartholomew didn’t either.  Everyone who teaches Sunday School at Gloria Dei is supported and encouraged to use just the gifts that they have, and is given resources and supplies to make their job manageable.  Everyone who sings in the choir is allowed to practice and get help with the tricky parts.  Everyone who leads a small group is given assistance and is allowed to work with others so that it can be a good experience for everyone.

Of course that doesn’t imply that the work is unimportant or insignificant.  It’s a mark of discipleship to use the gifts we’ve been given, and no matter what task we choose, God will use it to a greater good than we can imagine.  After all, all Philip did was to invite a friend to, “come and see” what he had experienced.  God took care of making an apostle out of Bartholomew. 

And all those who have drawn us to faith – all they ever did was to use the gifts God gave them.  Again, it’s fairly normal, unpresuming events that can make the difference in our lives.  It’s just a simple promise and a splash of water, just a bite of bread and a taste of wine, just a gathering of the faithful in God’s house, which makes a difference for us today.

The God who formed you, and knows your name, the God who sees just where you’re sitting in life, knows just what you have to offer and just what you need, is calling to you today, and inviting you to join the party.

It’s August!  It’s our Feast Day!  And God is celebrating our place in the family. Shouldn’t we join the fun?  Thanks be to God.  Amen.