Daily Devotional for February 11

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February 11                                                    John 1:43-51

The dialogue between Nathanael and Jesus begins with
Nathanael's skepticism. "Can anything good come out of
Nazareth?" Jesus discloses a prophetic knowledge of Nathanael
by responding, "Before Philip called you, when you were
under the fig tree, I saw you."

The pattern of this discourse with Nathanael is often the
pattern of our experience of God. God comes to us from the
most unexpected places. When truth comes unexpectedly, it
catches us off guard and pierces our defenses. Perhaps this is
one of the reasons why God often encounters us when we
are least prepared. Perhaps it is also why God chooses the
foolish things in the world to shame the wise. (1 Corinthians
1:27)

In today's world, God is speaking from the most unlikely
places. Not so long ago many Christians did not expect a
woman to speak the Gospel from the pulpit or offer sacraments
at the altar. Gay people, once thought by many to be outside
the faith, have become a place of God's revelation of love and
justice. When God speaks to us from unexpected places we
are often called to examine our ideas about God. If God's new
prophet is someone we never expected to be carrying God's
Word, we are left with the need to look again at this person
God has chosen to use.

When you are in places where you do not expect God to be,
beware, for God favors such places to encounter us. When
you hide from God, seeking to evade revelation, be prepared
for a divine encounter. "Can anything good come out of
Nazareth?" Something good comes from any place God comes
from.

             God, there are people who don't expect you to
         come from me. As you prepared me to receive you,
        prepare them also. I know they will be surprised, as
             I was. I know they will end up being changed,
                      as I was. Have your own way, God.

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From The Road to Emmaus - An inclusive devotional Edited by Joseph W. Houle

Emmaus House of Prayer - Washington D.C