Epiphany 2 B: Come and See
Dear Partner in Preaching,
Come and see.
Think, for a moment, about the effect of those words might have on you were you to hear them in an everyday context. Would they generate a certain sense of excitement about whatever it might be you were being invited to witness? Perhaps curiosity? Or maybe gratitude that someone thought to include you?
Come and see.
The words are both simple and warm, issuing an invitation not only to see something, but also to join a community. To come along and be part of something.
Come and see.
These words, this invitation, form the heart not simply of this opening scene but much of John’s Gospel. John’s story is structured around encounters with Jesus. Again and again, from these early disciples, to the Pharisee named Nicodemus, to the Samaritan women at the well, to the man born blind, to Peter and Pilate and eventually Thomas, characters throughout John’s Gospel are encountered by Jesus. John structures his story this way, I think, to offer us a variety of possibilities, both in terms of the kind of people to whom Jesus reaches out and the kinds of responses they offer…and we might offer as well.
And so across the pages of John’s Gospel there are women and men, Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, powerful and vulnerable, people of all shapes and sizes and varieties that Jesus meets. And to each one, in one way or another, he says the same thing: come and see. Come and see God do a new thing. Come and see as your future opens up in front of you. Come and see the grace of God made manifest and accessible and available to all.
In response, some take up that invitation and follow, while others are puzzled, confused, or simply do not believe Jesus’ offer. And some not only follow but invite others to do the same.
In today’s reading – and I’d suggest starting at verse 35 in order to hear Jesus’ invitation to Andrew and share a larger sense of the story John narrates – we have several of these possibilities before us. By way of background, it’s helpful to remind folks that just earlier John the Baptist had testified that Jesus is the lamb of God, the one appointed to take away the sin of the world. And so he instructs his disciples to go follow Jesus. Several do, including Andrew, who also finds his brother Peter. Jesus then comes to Galilee and bids Philip, who perhaps also was one of John’s disciples and who lived in the same town as Andrew and Pater, to “follow me.” Philip not only does, but he also seeks out Nathaniel to invite him to do the same. And even in the space of these few verses we have folks who run the gamut from eager to downright skeptical (to the point of being insulting). And yet each is invited – some by Jesus, others by each other – to come and see Jesus and, eventually, to follow him.
Come and see.
Such easy, warm, and hospitable words. The heart not only of John’s Gospel but Christian evangelism, as we are called not to cram our faith down another’s throat or question their eternal destiny or threaten them with hellfire, but instead simply to offer an invitation to come and see what God is still doing in and through Jesus and the community of disciples who have chosen to follow him.
But as simple and as non-threatening as these words are, I wonder how many of our people have ever uttered them, or anything remotely like them. For that matter, I wonder how often we have said them, not only to people who came to church one Sunday but to folks we meet in our daily lives.
I don’t ask this question to point fingers, but rather to highlight the reality that most of our people, and perhaps many of us are well, aren’t comfortable inviting others to church. Which is a challenge. You probably know as well as I do that the key factor influencing persons to attend a church for the first time is a personal invitation. It’s not the size or reputation of the church; it’s not the beautiful or simple building; it’s not the service times, style of worship, or quality of the music; it’s not even the brilliant preaching of the minister. All those things have value, but the number one reason people give for coming to a church for the first time is that someone invited them personally. Just as Philip said to Nathaniel, that is, someone said to them, “Come and see.” Which means that the future of the church depends greatly on ordinary, everyday Christians summoning the courage to invite someone to come and see what they have found in the community of the faithful that is their congregation.
Of course, this assumes a) that our people actually have found something that is important to them at church and b) that they are able to name and share that. So I wonder, Dear Partner, if you’d be willing this weekend to test those assumptions. Would you willing, that is, after opening up John’s story about these early followers of Jesus, to ask the present-day followers of Jesus in front of you to answer two questions. First, what is your favorite thing about the life we share in this faith community? Second, would you be willing to invite someone you know to come and see and share this aspect of our congregational life that you enjoy?
Certainly you can pose these questions hypothetically, but if you’re willing to go a bit further, I’d make a couple of suggestions. While you can of course invite people to answer and discuss these questions with each other, I suspect that these particular questions may make people feel vulnerable enough that writing, rather than talking about it, might be easier. You can provide 3×5 cards in the pews or have a half-sheet of paper with the questions printed already prepared and placed in the bulletin. (Either way, it may help to have some pencils or pens available.) They could then pass their answers in via the offering plate. Or you might instead, or also, send these questions out via your email list Monday morning and ask folks to send their responses back to you.
I suggest this exercise because I think it’s really important to help folks to identify for themselves what elements of the congregation draw them to come to church in order to help them imagine inviting others to come, see, and share what they appreciate. (If they don’t know why they come, or can’t name anything they enjoy, why would they invite others?) But I think this exercise might also be helpful because, even if folks appreciate their congregation, they may not feel comfortable or confident in inviting others. That’s important for both you and them to know. If that’s the case, you may want to discuss how you can help people feel more competent and confident sharing their faith and inviting others to church. (For instance, resources like Martha Reese’s Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism
I said earlier that the future of the church may rest on our ability to invite others to come and see what we have found in our congregations. I should clarify that. In a culture that no longer has a vested interest in encouraging congregational participation, the future of our faith communities will, I believe, be greatly determined by our willingness to invite others to share what we have found. But the future of the church is without a doubt in God’s trustworthy hands. And the same Spirit who descended on Jesus at Baptism is still working among us. Indeed, the Spirit that inspired Philip and Andrew, who reached out through their efforts to others, and who overcame even the skepticism of Nathaniel is still offering all kinds of people all over the world an invitation to “come and see” and creating in them the desire to do just that.
So no matter how you may approach this text, perhaps we might end with this simple prayer: “Come, Holy Spirit, that we may see and taste the grace of God afresh. Come, Holy Spirit, that we might share the grace of God with others. Come, Holy Spirit, that we might bear witness with our whole lives to the grace of God made manifest and available to us in Jesus. Amen.”
Come and see, dear Partner, for God is working in you and through you for the nurture, care, and growth of God’s people and church. Thank you for your faithful witness.
Yours in Christ,
David
Come and see.
What have you discovered?
Great thoughts Dr. Lose.
Peace,
Geoff Sinibaldo
Old Saybrook, CT
I wouldn’t inflict most Sunday services on my worst enemy. Boring music. Boring preaching. Boring ritual. B-O-R-I-N-G. I can’t believe God has been reduced to boring.
And, there are few things more boring than church services. Waiting in a doctor’s office might top it, but at least doctor’s offices usually offer magazines to read.
I will stick to bible study class where there’s always a lively and interesting discussion concerning Jesus.
Come and See – being an inviting people. The church certainly needs to be better at that. Inviting to worship, bible study, fellowship groups, times of prayer, or eating a meal together.
Also, while some will see worship as boring – perhaps we need to work at making it more dynamic. I hear Julie’s comments about bible study class being more lively, and I would agree. One item that Dr. Lose has often proposed is engaging the congregation in conversation as a part of the sermon. I have found this to work very well. Some insightful comments and powerful testimonies, to some great laughter. Worship can be lively and interesting.
Thanks for the insights.
I couldn’t agree more! We have learned, in our Church, that interaction and laughter actually makes our worship more meaningful and certainly more memorable.
Thank you Julie for your candor. I know there are many others who feel the same way. Can you give any thoughts or suggestions as to what would make going to church worthwhile? What is it missing? What, frankly, does it need to continue to be relevant?
I’m a church pastor and I agree, sometimes church services are boring. I don’t want them to be I assure you. What I wouldn’t give though to have someone who was bored come forward and volunteer her or his energy to the service. Perhaps you have a gift to share with your congregation in the worship ministry.
When you’re walking with the Lord, you won’t get bored.
Come and See – being an inviting people. The church certainly needs to be better at that. Inviting to worship, bible study, fellowship groups, times of prayer, or eating a meal together.
Also, while some will see worship as boring – perhaps we need to work at making it more dynamic. I hear Julie’s comments about bible study class being more lively, and I would agree. One item that Dr. Lose has often proposed is engaging the congregation in conversation as a part of the sermon. I have found this to work very well. Some insightful comments and powerful testimonies, to some great laughter. Worship can be lively and interesting.
Thanks for the insights.
Perhaps the question isn’t what do you like about your church. This makes it a church growth technique which means it’s all about us. But come and see what Jesus is doing in our lives as we seek to put others before ourselves.
While I agree that it’s difficult for most churchgoers to invite others to “come and see” their churches, it’s even more difficult to invite them to “come and see” Jesus, which is what Andrew and Philip were inviting Simon and Nathanael to do. We want to believe that our congregations and faith communities will allow people to know Jesus, but we must be careful that he isn’t obscured by the business of being the church, or buried under “stuff I like about my parish”. It’s easier to talk about our churches than our faith, I expect; and of course it’s true that the support of a community can help anyone, new or seasoned, to grow in faith. I’m struggling with how to present this passage on Sunday. Your posts are always helpful, David – thank you.
I try to shift our culture of worship
FROM:
God prompts the Pastor/Band/Organist to perform for the People
TO:
Pastor/Band/Organist prompts the People to speak/sing to the Audience of ONE (God).
Also, in our new member classes, our committee chairs/ministry leaders share their answers to the following questions:
1. Where have you seen God in your ministry?
2. How has God blessed you in this ministry?
3. How has God blessed someone else in/through this ministry?
In our culture today, “come and see” sounds like a commercial for cars, clothes, shoes, dating sites and, yes…churches. It sounds full of commercialism and consumerism. Indeed, churches are fighting, it seems, to be relevant in a culture of commercials and marketing. I wonder what Jesus would think about how his “church” has evolved (or devolved) into? I, like most, don’t pretend to know the big answers to the big questions, biblical or otherwise. Nonetheless, my life experience and living evidence has led me to think that “come and see” is not about being “excited” about Jesus, but being in relationship with God’s desire to heal and repair this suffering world as a gift for all people and all living beings. I don’t think Jesus called followers to be excited about life (though I think there is positives to that), but he called followers to be in relationship with God which means taking risks to lift up the poor, bind up the broken and wounded, set free the prisoners (of consumerism and capitalism?) and free people from debt in the Lords Jubilee. This “invitation” would set them against the “kingdoms of this world” that operate out of different rules, goals and conventions. This invitation would get them all martyred. So much for not being bored…
I’m thinking that perhaps we also have to learn to stop trying to do more than say “Come and See.” Preaching was a daunting task until I realized that my only job is really to proclaim and tell the story as best I can and then the ball is in the Holy Spirit’s court.
I’m handing out papers to the whole congregation tomorrow, thanks David! (From Regina, SK)
I am probably very naive but I believe church is for believers, and cannot understand the constant urging to get folks to “come and see” what goes on in churches.
Surely an invitation to “come and see” what difference Jesus has made, and makes in our lives, would be more productive. If they “get” that, and want relationship with God in Christ, they can make their own minds up about church. (And I’m afraid though I am a regular attendant, and preach myself, I find church, – not worship – often deeply boring.)
I don’t experience worship as boring, but I imagine it can be for some. No matter the style of worship, it can be led without passion, and participants can be be there without passion or paying attention. That is truly uninspired worship. But is boring the worst thing? Most Americans watch TV, play video games, or spend endless hours on their computers to avoid being bored, and then what? Are their lives better? Do they feel more fulfilled or more human? No, the makers of these products have just effectively tapped into the human predilection for visual stimuli. The watchers have been interminably distracted. For most of us, it’s probably an addiction (and I didn’t even mention porn). BUT, they have avoided boredom. I am just offering this example because I am not sure that being boring is the heart of the issue. Incidentally, I like TV and I like my computer.
Living fully requires effort. Loving requires effort. Routine is a big part of both of those things. Be present and putting effort and passion into all the routines, including worship, makes them all different.
So I hope we invite people to see and enter into the Reign of God in worship, in study, in service, in prayer, in practicing forgiveness. Unfortunately, I think the truth is that many will decline the invitation because following the path of distraction is so much easier and quite pleasant.
Pastor David, your sermon notes on the “Come and See” theme were literally a Godsend to me. I am a lay person. My pastor contacted me on Saturday evening to tell me that he was too ill to preach on Sunday. He asked me to read your notes as the sermon the next day. I edited them to fit my style and our situation, and the response from the congregation was powerful. I handed out cards to ask “What keeps you coming back week after week?” or for visitors “What did you come here hoping to find?” We received 82 heartfelt responses that will give us much to think about in the days to come. Thank you so much for this unexpected gift.