A Sermon for Epiphany 2
Olympic Judo champ Eve Aronoff Trivella is certainly not the most well-known Olympic athlete. A member of the historic first women’s Olympic Judo team in 1988, Trivella credits her success to her coach, Rusty Kanokogi, who spearheaded the effort to get women’s Judo into the Olympics. Trivella said her coach didn’t believe in excuses. Her motto? “Unless you’re dead, do another pushup!” Coach Kanokogi never got a shot at the Olympics, but her protégé, Eve, did.[1]
This Epiphany season, what if we took training for our life in Christ as seriously as an Olympic athlete?
This week, our scriptures seem to be calling us to get in shape! For this, we could sure use a coach. This morning, we heard three unique voices shining a light on Christ, who came to wake us up to who we really are. What if these guys were our coaches? What are you looking for – in a coach, that is?
Imagine, if you will, the prophet Isaiah, the Apostle Paul, and John the Baptist not just as ancient, enigmatic biblical figures, but as three experienced and enthusiastic applicants, each with a distinct coaching style and program for getting us into the best spiritual shape of our lives.
Take the prophet Isaiah, for example, whose vision and ministry to ancient Israelites in exile is legendary:
(Steve as Isaiah)
“From the womb I called you”—that’s how my pitch begins. My coaching is identity-based. I don’t start with a checklist; I start with who you are. You are spoken for. Even before you knew your gifts, God had named and formed you. My program helps you remember your origin story: called, shaped, and appointed to be a light to the nations. When you struggle to keep your promises—when your resolutions falter—you might need someone to remind you that your life is part of a larger story. That reminder re-orients your motivation from duty to vocation. Keep your baptismal vows because you are who God says you are.
(Connie)
Our second coaching candidate is the Apostle Paul, whose stunning encounter with the light of Christ on the road to Damascus rendered him temporarily blinded. In the intro to Paul’s letter to the community in Corinth, we heard words of encouragement. Let’s see what encouragement coach Paul has for us.
(Steve as Paul)
“Grace to you and peace… My style is that of a coach who gives you tools and a team. I (certainly) don’t rely on willpower alone. I point to the gifts you have been given and to the community that surrounds you. Your baptism was not a private resolution; rather, a communal covenant. We will remind one another of the promises, pray for one another, and practice the disciplines that form us. I promise you this: God is faithful. You are not alone. I will give you practical rhythms—prayer, scripture reading, confession, service, small groups—so that your baptismal resolutions are sustained not by grit but by grace working through people and practices.
Thank you.
(Connie)
In today’s Gospel, John the Baptizer makes it clear that his job is to shine a light on Jesus. I present the one and only, wilderness-dwelling, locust-eating prophet himself, John the Baptist.
(Steve as John)
My coaching is urgent and incarnational. I point you to Jesus and say, "Repent, turn, and follow.” I don’t waste time on clever programs when the matter is this: are you willing to change now? I’m the “come-and-see” coach—follow the Messiah, follow where he leads, and your life will be re-ordered. I will push you out of complacency. If your spiritual life is stuck in a rut, I will demand a fresh turning toward the Son of God.
That’s all. Ciao.
(Connie)
Three coaches. Three different approaches. “What kind of coach are you looking for?” The Greek word for looking, zeteo, also means seeking, searching, striving, or desiring… what is it you seek? Jesus wants to know.
- Identity? —do you need to be reminded that you are called, that you belong? Isaiah may be the coach for you.
- Are you looking for tools, a team, some steady rhythms to sustain you? Paul’s got your back!
- Want more immediate change—repentance, a radical reorientation? Sounds a lot like John the Baptist to me.
Any good coach will tell us that training demands regular practice. We might start with our baptismal promises:
“Will we continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?”
- Isaiah reminds us: we are called out of our exile and into community.
- Paul gives our community a practical structure: gather, pray, break bread; share equitably. Hold one another accountable.
- John insists: Come NOW! The light of the world is here with us!
“Will we persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever we fall into sin, repent and return?”
- Isaiah’s vision of God’s faithfulness gives us our WHY. God’s still in charge of history.
- Paul’s insistence on mutual support gives us the WHO. It’s a team effort!
- John’s blunt challenge offers us the WHEN: Which is NOW.
“Will we seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves?”
· Isaiah teaches that our vocation is for the nations—that Christ’s love, our love, makes a difference.
· Paul reminds us that the Spirit equips the community to serve—and that our gifts are also for one another.
· John calls us to action: show up, change things for the better, serve.
We’ve got some solid coaching candidates here. Thankfully, we don’t really have to choose. Coach Steve, can you make this actionable for us?
(Steve)
- Sure, I can do that. What’s one positive change we can make now? Start small. Create a concrete, focused practice. If your promise is to persevere in prayer, begin with five minutes each morning. If it’s to seek and serve others, commit to one small act of kindness each week.
- Find a team for accountability. Tell one person (or small group) what you’ve chosen. Ask them to pray for you and check in.
- We can ask Jesus’ question daily. What am I looking for?”—let that question reorient us. Are we looking for comfort, approval, control—or for Jesus? Practice answering the question with honesty and intentionality, then do the next right thing. We can also turn the question inward, asking What is God looking for in me?”
(Connie)
Olympian Eve Aronoff Trivella said when she entered the tunnel leading into the Olympic stadium, at first, everything was pitch dark, but as she walked on, likely feeling the support of her coach and her teammates, the light grew and grew until it was almost blinding.[2]
It can take a moment for our eyes to adjust to such a bright light. And while the source of the light may not be visible to human eyes, we see what the light lights up…You see?[3]
I imagine that as athletes from around the world gather for the opening ceremonies, the stadium lights reveal what is most thrilling about the Olympics. And it’s not the competition.
We don’t have to try out to be on the “J Team.” And nobody here’s keeping score. Point is to create a level playing field, so everyone can shine just as we’re made, for the benefit of all, and the glory of God. Jesus, the Lamb of God who willingly offers himself to shine a light on our human predisposition to violence and scapegoating, came to show us how to play this worldly game from a much higher perspective.
What are you looking for? It’s okay not to be sure. Jesus says so. Just keep showing up at the table. Come and see. Come and see. Come and see. Amen.💛
Lover of the universe
Love incarnate
Love that is alive all over
our world today:
Warm our hearts and
melt our indifference.
Ignite love within us
that is big enough
to overcome our
smallness, and
big enough to extend
to all the earth
and all our
more-than-human
neighbours.
Luminous Love,
shine deep within,
with a light that
shares the darkness
with a graciousness that
does not overpower.
May we, too,
be bearers of the Light.
Amen.
- Wendy Janzen, Burning Bush Forest Church
[1] “‘She’s Probably the Strongest Woman You’ll Ever Meet.’ Remembering the Mother of Women’s Judo,” StoryCorps, accessed January 14, 2026, https://storycorps.org/stories/shes-probably-the-strongest-woman-youll-ever-meet-remembering-the-mother-of-womens-judo/.
[2] Ibid
[3] Frederick Buechner and George Connor, Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner, 1st ed. ([San Francisco]: Harper, San Francisco, 1992), 225.
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