Sunday, January 20, 2008 - Come and See: The Invitation

John 1: 29-42

“Come and see for yourself!” Doesn't it sound like a slogan from some marketing genius inviting consumers to check out the products they try to sell? When they are confident in their products, they believe that all they have to do is to ask people to come and see it for themselves, and they will buy for sure. All they need to do is get the customers in the door, so to speak, and the product will sell itself. Can we say that about our church? Do we have that confidence?

This invitation of “Come and See” takes on very special meaning in the Gospel of John. We come across this phrase several times throughout the Gospel: here today in the first chapter as Jesus encountered the first of his disciples. It is an invitation to life, an invitation to discipleship, and an invitation to abide in God’s dwelling.

One of the highlights of John’s Gospel, central to my personal beliefs, is the proclamation that Jesus is the Good Shepherd (chapter 10). The Good Shepherd lay down his life for the sheep. He comes so that they may have life, and have it abundantly! “Come and See” - that is the invitation to Life - the life as promised by Jesus the Good Shepherd, the abundant life not only in the after-life in eternity, but also in the here and now. Eternal life is something that starts in the here and now and lasts into all eternity. It has to do with our relationship with God. Jesus came so that relationship can be re-established, where our sins and brokenness have previously separated us from God. Now because of the cross of Jesus, the gap is bridged, the chasm joined and brought back together by the out-stretched arms of Jesus. His life was given for us, so that we may have life and have it abundantly. That is the Good News of such an invitation to Life, to true living in a world full of illusion, temptation and distraction.

Secondly, “Come and See” represents an invitation to discipleship. Just as the first disciples responded to this call and decided to follow Jesus, we hear this call as our own personal invitation to become a follower of Christ. You have heard it before, that disciples are made; they are not born. When we look at mainline churches in today’s Canada, we feel discouraged by the decline in numbers, an ever-aging membership, and an overall lack of enthusiasm. Part of the problem has to do with the fact that we have neglected to intentionally make disciples for Christ. We expect our children grow up to be disciples somewhat automatically. We assume our religious heritage will be passed on to them with little resistance. However, they need to become Disciples of Christ by themselves, through personal encounters with the living God. It is something we cannot do for them. If their faith is not personal, but remains only faith of their mothers’, fathers’ or grand-mothers’, that may not stand the tests of the world’s temptation and distraction. Yes, we may be able to give them a firm and good foundation for faith, but nothing happens until they start building their own house of faith upon that foundation themselves.

I know of a family who inherited an old farmhouse from their grandparents, after they had to move into a nursing home. When the young couples first moved into this house, they did not change a single detail in its décor; they wanted to preserve the house the way the grandparents left it, as if to honour their place and memories. After grandpa died, one day, they took grandma back to visit. When she came into the house, she was surprised that nothing had changed in the house. She asked them why they had not made any changes and redecorated the place. They said that it would not be polite to make changes to her house. Grandma told them the house is now theirs, they should make it their own home, there is no need to preserve things as they used to be. She gave them permission to truly turn it into their home instead of keeping it for her. Faith and discipleship has to be personal in the same way, each generation has to experience and encounter God in ways that make sense to them. They may need new symbols and expressions, including different musical styles, to bring alive their faith.

In John 11, “Come and See” appears in another context that is ironic and profound, as those words were addressed to Jesus. As he was grieving over the death of his friend Lazarus, we were told:
11:33
When Jesus therefore saw Mary weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he was deeply moved in the spirit and troubled,
11:34
And said, Where have you laid him? They said unto him, “Lord, come and see.”
11:35
Jesus wept.
11:36
Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!

Many of us are moved by this story of Jesus’ love and compassion for Lazarus. However, beyond the literal meaning, there lies a more profound level of those special coded words of John’s Gospel: Come and See! This time, the invitation is being issued to Jesus. It is an invitation to a discipleship that ultimately leads to his death. By bringing Lazarus out of the tomb, he would later have to be buried in a tomb himself. Yet, through his death, we gain new life, abundant and eternal life.

Thirdly, it is an ultimate invitation to be with God – or however ways our language allows us to express it in all its limitation. John uses the special words of abide, stay, or a dwelling place to describe our relationship with God through Jesus. In today’s Gospel (John 1: 29-42), we have the story of the calling of Jesus’ first disciples. Andrew and Simon Peter asked Jesus, “Where are you staying?” Jesus’ reply was, “Come and See!” We were told that they came and saw where he was staying and they remained with him. Earlier in the passage, we have the testimony of John the Baptist who saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on Jesus after his baptism. The same word "remained" was used. It signifies that the Holy Spirit remained in Jesus, and whoever answered the invitation to come and see was able to remain in the presence of God through Jesus.

In John 14, Jesus talks about the ultimate dwelling we can have. “In my Father’s house, there are many mansions, that I go to prepare a place for you…” In the context of Epiphany, which means showing or making known, Jesus is opening a window where we can have a glimpse of the ultimate dwelling he has prepared for us. Just like real estate agents showing us the model home, Jesus shows us the perfect dream home, a huge mansion to dwell in. This spacious dwelling place we can abide represents our special relationship with God. It is a relationship of faith and trust, as demonstrated by Jesus, the true and living way to God.

Whether we are aware of it, or whether we acknowledge it, we are living in God’s presence at all times and in all places. As the Psalmist said in Psalm 139, God is all-knowing and all-loving, that God is everywhere. God is always at work in our lives, whether we divide our lives into something spiritual or secular, something we call work or Sabbath rest. “Come and See” represents an invitation to enter into a deeper awareness and acknowledgement of the presence of God in our lives. Come and dwell, come and abide, come experience and enter into a fuller presence of God in our daily life, where God is technically never absent from us. We don’t invite God into our lives as such; rather we make ourselves more aware of that constant and reassuring presence of God in each and every moment of our lives. The invitation is: Come and See every day!

Enough Light for the Next Step (Henri Nouwen):
Often we want to be able to see into the future. We say, “How will next year be for me? Where will I be five or ten years from now?” There are no answers to these questions. Mostly we have just enough light to see the next step: what we have to do in the coming hour or the following day. The art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark. When we are able to take the next step with the trust that we will have enough light for the step that follows, we can walk through life with joy and be surprised at how far we go. Let's rejoice in the little light we carry and not ask for the great beam that would take all the shadows away.

In this season of Epiphany, let us hear anew the call to become a disciple of Christ, and find fresh meaning as we follow Him ever day. We are called to bear witness to the same invitation we have answered, and invite others to come and see for themselves, too. Just as John the Baptist bears witness to the two disciples that Jesus is the Lamb of God, so they choose to follow Jesus. In turn, Andrew and Simon also bring others to come and see Jesus, for they testify that they have found the Messiah. Indeed, a witness is usually needed to help others see Jesus. We cannot sincerely follow Jesus without also extending the same invitation to others.

Let us reflect on this special invitation of “Come and See”, trusting the guidance of God’s Spirit as we move ahead each step of the way to accept it as an invitation to Life, to a life of discipleship and to follow the Way that leads us ultimately into the fullest presence of God.

Thanks be to God. Amen.
Fr. Victor (www.stjd.ca)