January 18, 2026, 2nd Sunday after Epiphany
John 1: 29-42
Julian Whitney
One of my most treasured memories from childhood was my first midnight mass as a treble.
I joined St Peter’s choir at the age of seven and but it wasn’t until I moved to junior high school, when I was eleven, that I joined the ‘big kids’ and sang from eleven at night until almost one on Christmas morning. The large numbers of communicants meant that there would be four of five anthems sung during Eucharist.
A little before that was ‘The Magic Moment’: Canon Neil Robinson was robed in white, accented with gold and green. The Verger, Cross-bearer and Altar server stood north, south and west of him holding large altar candles to illuminate the large, leather bound King James Bible. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us”
I was a permanent member of the choir until I went to university and continued to help swell the ranks at both Christmas and Easter. Once I moved to Japan my visits became limited to Christmas. Over the years numbers of congregants fell and the choir grew older as children were less inclined to join the choir in the nineties. More modern, accessible versions of the bible were adopted and less ceremony surrounded the Christmas Gospel but still John 1:1-14 held an especially spiritual place in my heart.
All of this magic! John has often been described as metaphysical and beloved by William Blake whose illuminated books merged image and text in order to convey complex spiritual ideas using metaphors. For example: Jesus Christ – the light of the world.
This morning’s metaphor is one of the New Testament’s most well known; Jesus Christ – the Lamb of God.
The Jewish community were familiar with lambs as being central to atonement. During Passover, a lamb was sacrificed, and its blood marked the doorposts of Israeli homes, sparing them from the angel of death. Lambs also represented innocence and purity, qualities necessary for a sacrifice. By calling Jesus the Lamb of God, John the Evangelist points to Jesus’ role as the ultimate sacrifice—one who would give His life to take away the sin of the world. This Lamb is different from any other. He is perfect, sinless, and chosen by God for this divine purpose. Beholding and accepting Jesus means we trust in Him and embrace his gift of salvation.
John The Baptist already had quite a following; people who accompanied and listened intently to him. Two of these disciples, upon John’s exclamation, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” turned to follow Jesus. They began by walking in John’s way and now are following in God’s way.
Jesus asks: “What are you looking for?”
I remember in the early days of the world wide web, the early ‘90s, a curate at my local church asked me, “What would you do if you got an email from Jesus?”
“Does he ask what I am looking for?” I replied.
“I see you still like your John!” he laughed🤣
Thirty years later, I am still not sure how I would reply and I wonder if those first two disciples were anymore confident.
Jesus continues with a kind welcome, “Come and see” so a potentially awkward moment moves gently into a pleasant walk which would become a life-changing journey, starting simply with the first step.
Life-changing from that very first step; “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” which translates to Peter meaning ‘rock’. Jesus saw potential, he does not look back to the (sins of the) past but offers a new identity in a brighter future which we are invited to join as sisters and brothers in Christ.
Our new identity, whether or not our name has been changed, is rooted in Christ. When we follow Him, when we Walk In God the Father’s Way, when we Walk In God the Son’s Way, when we Walk In God the Holy Spirit’s Way, we are redefined and given a new purpose and hope.
The disciples leave everything and follow Jesus. Their response shows the importance of child-like obedience and trust. Following Jesus requires faith and willingness to step into the unknown.
Accepting Jesus’ invitation to walk with him, so he can work with and through us is the first step on a great adventure.
Thanks be to God.
