Year A 2nd Epiphany 2026 God Calling

Year A 2nd Sunday after Epiphany, 18 January 2026

St George’s Episcopal, Fredericksburg, VA

“God Calling”

Collect: Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Old Testament

Isaiah 49:1-7

Listen to me, O coastlands,
pay attention, you peoples from far away!

The Lord called me before I was born,
while I was in my mother's womb he named me.

He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;

he made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me away.

And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”

But I said, “I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;

yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
and my reward with my God.”

And now the Lord says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,

to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,

for I am honored in the sight of the Lord,
and my God has become my strength--

he says,

“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;

I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Thus says the Lord,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,

to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers,

“Kings shall see and stand up,
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,

because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

Portion of 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

John 1:29-42

John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

It is one of my foundational beliefs that God is calling us, every single one of us, all the time. Our job is to listen. Jesus summed it up this way, “He who has ears, let him hear.” We hear these words, or close equivalents 16 times in the New Testament. Even in Jesus’ reminder, he recognizes that too often, we just do not listen. Maybe we should have handed out spiritual Q-Tips with the bulletins so that we can hear better.

There are all kinds of hearing the call of God. Some are general messages, like signs on the Interstate. They are messages for everybody. Think of “Detour Ahead,” or “Bridges Ice Before Roads.” We all need to hear and heed those warnings.

And then there are specific messages of call, those things that are said directly and intentionally to you. You will never see an electronic sign on the interstate that says, “Hey you, SLOW DOWN!” Those other, direct messages often come in much more personal ways and God will speak to us in ways that we will hear.

I once met a woman who was telling me about a troubling situation. She honestly sought God’s will, and was praying about it while she was washing the dishes. There was a window above her sink with a good view that was her thinking space every day. While she was praying, the sun was setting, and in the sky were two jet contrails. As she was watching, the two crossed, and formed the shape of the cross. She told me how that was the answer to her prayer. She knew then what she had to do, what she had been praying over. My first thought was that she was joking. She wasn’t. She was dead serious. I will honestly admit there was judgment on my part. I kept a pastoral poker face, but inside I was thinking, “Wow, really? That’s how you hear God?”

In youthful naivete back then I thought how silly she was, but my thinking has since changed. Looking back, I would see it differently. That is what it took for her to hear from God, and if God was in it, God spoke in a way that she would hear. God does not speak to me in jet contrails because God knows that is not the language in which I would listen.

One of the greatest tasks in living a life of faith is discerning the messages we receive, and taking action on those messages in our lives. And God is not a God of confusion. God speaks clearly when God speaks.

We see clearly in our Isaiah reading the call of God, and Isaiah reminds us that it is lifelong, from womb to tomb. 

The Lord called me before I was born,

     while I was in my mother's womb he named me.

Isaiah’s name means “Yahweh is salvation,” by the way. Yahweh being the name in Hebrew “I am who I am” which Moses received on Mt Sinai. “Yahweh is my Salvation.” No accidents.

The one who formed you fearfully and wonderfully is also the one who calls you and knows you.

We are all called into relationship with God. And we can run and try to hide (see Jonah if in doubt), but we can only get so far. As Psalm 139 reminds us:

Where can I go from your spirit?

    Or where can I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there;

    if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.

If I take the wings of the morning

    and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,

even there your hand shall lead me,

    and your right hand shall hold me fast. [vv. 7-10]

And because God loves us, we have a say. We might not be able to run from God, but we can reject God’s call. I have seen many do that. God wants to be a part of our lives, and give us direction in living this life which we have been given, but God will not force us into anything. That is the way God is.

Some people hear a call from God beyond the generic calls to be in a relationship with God, to do good, and to avoid evil. Sometimes God invites us to special tasks or ministries. It is a bit scary and a touch humbling to think God points at you and says that there is something special planned for you. 

For several years I helped lead the discernment retreat for the diocese for those thinking they might be hearing a call to the priesthood or the diaconate. Friday nights always started a bit nervous, but that changed quickly. For many, it was the first time they had mentioned a possible call in a public setting. What had been done in soft tones with a spouse or their priest, is now out in the open and there for anybody to see. Rather than being daunted, the group empowered each person there. People found that God made connections where they could hear they are not the only one, and as important, that they are not crazy. God still speaks. It is a delusion on our part to assume that the Vox Dei was only for there and then.

And as mentioned, the power comes from the group. The people discerning a call were not doing so in isolation. They are doing it together, and the Spirit is working in each of them to come to a decision and place of affirmation together. After the retreat, the participants who felt the need to go on would do so with a group in their parish to go over, in depth over many weeks what God might be prompting. This is one of the great gifts of the church to us, its members. And it also helps stop things that are not of God, and encourage things that are.

There have been some big decisions made in the short time I have been here at St George’s. The listening, the group prayer and encouragement, have been powerful to witness and I am thankful for Joe+ and the whole staff who truly seek together where God might be calling and leading us. The discernment done communally and collectively has been powerful to witness. Listening to the Spirit’s promptings is a powerful commitment and witness of this parish.

When John the Baptizer told Andrew and the other disciple of John that Jesus was the one who was to come, they discerned for themselves. They went up to Jesus, and he did not force it on them. When they asked about him, he gave the invitation, “Come and see!” And the two did and discerned together. Their call and the discernment around it had immediate effect. And because of that, Andrew connected Jesus with Peter. Thanks be to God!

One last word on Call, there are also times when we get a gut punch from the Spirit to do something right now! It is not a call to question. It is clear and it is emphatic.

Even in Jesus’ stories we see this. There is a lost sheep, GO FIND IT RIGHT NOW! There is a man bleeding in the road, STOP AND TAKE CARE OF HIM RIGHT NOW! (Good Samaritan) You have fallen as far as you can go, and you remember that there is someone who loves you and will help you, GO HOME RIGHT NOW! (The Prodigal Son)

And from today’s reading, you think you found the Messiah, GO AND TELL YOUR BROTHER RIGHT NOW!

When the Spirit says move, MOVE! And let me be clear, the Spirit will never tell you to do or say anything which goes against God’s teachings. The “God told me to do it” excuse has been used by many a psycho- and sociopath to rationalize and justify horrendous actions.

The greatest task in living a life of faith is discerning what to do, and when. God is not a God of confusion. God speaks clearly when God speaks. But we are not doing it alone. We have our calling from God, we have our community to help us divine what God wants, and we have God who keeps calling and loving us wherever and however we are. As St Paul started in his letter to the Church in Corinth: 

to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…

God calls us and we call on Jesus in whose name we are given this most amazing privilege.

I watched a movie the other day, and the way they described the call of God was the beat of a drum, and the main character had a choice, would he follow the beat of the drum and dance, or not? It was sad and sweet and beautiful. Sad because he almost didn’t. Sweet because he did. And beautiful because the invitation was there for each and every one of us, too.

God is calling, I believe This may be an Epiphany to you, or it may be old hat, but if you have ears to hear, listen. The beat of the universe is the heartbeat and the call of God, will we listen? And if we are listening, will we dance? I hope you dance. Amen