Street Creds

January 14, 2024

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

John 1:35-42

Perhaps you have heard of the song “I Can Only Imagine” by the band Mercy Me. It has been one of the best-selling songs since 2005. When it was first popularized, the headlines read “New band launches smash hit!” New band? They had been together since 1997, crisscrossing the country in a converted school bus, singing at youth retreats and conventions. No band, singer, artist, writer or any other creative is truly a “smash hit out of nowhere.” In nearly every instance, they have been toiling for years trying to break through. They all start somewhere long before they become famous.

In today’s Gospel, we hear that moment when Jesus began his ministry, long before he was famous. And, like all creatives, it took a few years for him to gain notoriety and renown. Of course, we could say that his story began maybe 30 years earlier at his birth, which would make him a really late bloomer! But when Jesus accepted Andrew and the other one as students, his ministry truly began.

And what trust Andrew and the other had to be able to walk away from John the Baptist to follow Jesus to…well, Jesus really didn’t say. But follow him they did. And because the two had “street cred” as followers of The Baptizer, Simon respected his brother, Andrew, and followed Jesus too. From there, it was just a matter of time that Jesus had accumulated a group that would follow him to Jerusalem and beyond.

When I reflect on my faith journey, I recall the people who I listened to and accepted what they told me about Jesus. In particular, my parents, as well as a few select clergy, and a few chosen friends. If it were not for them, I may never had heard about Jesus and the love and peace I receive from him. Even in my life, it has been a long journey. But I had to start somewhere long before I became… infamous.

There are so many times when I have the opportunity to demonstrate my own “street creds” to people I meet. So many people have a longing to have peace in their world and in their heart but have no idea where to begin. I need to be like John the Baptist and say, “"Behold, the Lamb of God." Okay, so actually I’m not going to use those exact words, but I do have to say something about where true peace comes from. And if my life has demonstrated the “street creds” I think I have, perhaps they’ll want to know more. And then their journey will begin.

Every Day.

#evangelization #gospel #creds