Can Anything Good Come out Nazareth?

This is the third sermon I worked on this week.  I woke up this morning and realized that I needed to say something different than what I had originally planned.  The good news about this particular sermon--it's much shorter than the last two.  

Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

It is quite obvious that Nathanael doesn’t hold Nazareth in high regard.  Why would he-- it was a non-descript village dependent economically on its wealthy neighbor -the capital city of Sephoris.  It wasn’t ever mentioned in scripture as a place where the messiah would come from.  It was probably pretty backwater filled with lots of poor, uneducated people.   No place for a Messiah. No place for good-no place where God might operate.

Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

Haven’t we ever felt that way about a place or a group of people—we could probably fill in our own—“Can anything good come out of __________?”

But is this the attitude of Jesus or of God?  Are there places that God forsakes- are there places that Jesus forsakes?

Again and again the Gospels speak of Jesus being one who sups with tax collectors and sinners.  One who stands up for prostitutes—who reaches out his hands in love and  touches leapers. 

Again and again the Gospels speak of a Jesus who goes places that even his disciples forsake—remember the woman at the well in Samaria—Jews and Samaritans—they didn’t get along and yet Jesus goes there to the Samaritan people- he brings God to them . 

I think it is very clear from the Gospels that there are no places that Jesus forsakes and there are no people who Jesus forsakes.   

I believe that to be true today—that there are no places that God forsakes there are only places that we, humankind forsake—there are only places that we forget, that we turn our noses up at.  That we utter words like “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”—that is sin and may we get on our knees today and ask for forgiveness—and may we get up from our knees a changed people. 

Nathanael ends up being changed—he ends up being changed because he accepts the invitation of Philip to come and see—to be open to possibility.

We too as followers of Jesus are challenged to come and see-we are challenge to see that there are no places on God’s green earth that are forsaken by God—we are challenged to come and see that there are no groups of people who are forsaken by God—there are only people and places that we forsake. 

Are we up to that challenge? To Go and see and then tell of the beautiful people we meet when we go and see and then to tell of the beautiful stories we encounter--- in places that others say are forsaken.  

AMEN