Come and See
John 1:43-51
January 15, 2006
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
Time and time again, in my weekly conversations with my friend Yolanda or with one of my kids, one of them will say something like, "I saw this great movie I think you'd really enjoy."
My friend Cyndi, who lives in Milwaukee, is even more of a book-a-holic than I am. It seems as if she is always reading two or three different books. If she really likes one of them and thinks I would too, she tells me about it with great excitement.
Very frequently during my work-out circuit at Curves one of the women will talk about a new restaurant she has tried out and really enjoyed and then she'll encourage the rest of us to try it out as well.
Whether it's a good book, a great movie, a wonderful restaurant, an awesome place to take a vacation, or a new store with great clothes and fantastic prices; when we experience something good, we are eager to share it with our family and friends, especially if we think it will enrich their lives. Well, believe it or not, that's exactly what's happening in our scripture reading for today. The verses Marty read are part of a longer chain of events that begins in verse 35 when John the Baptist sees Jesus walking down the path and says to his disciples, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" -the one I've been telling you about.[John 1:35] Two of those disciples then head out to see for themselves who this Jesus really is. Jesus notices them and asks them, "What are you looking for?"[John 1:38a] and they say "where are you staying?" [John 1:38b] Now, in truth, these disciples of John are asking far more than whether or not Jesus found room at the local Inn. The word translated as stay also carries the deeper sense of source or origin. So, in the poetry of John's gospel, what these disciples are asking is "where do you get the power to do what you do? Who is your teacher? What is the source of your wisdom?" And Jesus says to them, "Come and see." [John 1:39] Come and experience it for yourselves. They do, and one of them -Andrew the brother of Simon Peter- then goes and tells Simon. Next Jesus approaches Phillip with the invitation to follow, which he evidently accepts and then, after having spent some time with Jesus, he goes and tells Nathanael what he has experienced. But in Nathanael we encounter skepticism and doubt for the first time, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"[John 1:46a]
Now, brilliantly, Phillip does not attempt to argue, defend his statement or prove his point. He simply echoes the words of Jesus spoken just a few hours before, "Come and see." Experience it for yourself. Check it out and see if you think what I'm telling you is true. It works for me, see if just maybe it might work for you too.
That, my friends, is evangelism. The dreaded "e" word which comes from the Greek word evangelon meaning simply "good news." Evangelism -sharing our experience with a good book, a great movie, a wonderful restaurant, or the life-changing love of God. Evangelism -it's nothing more and nothing less than that!
Since my ordination, in almost every search committee interview, for almost every ministry position I've sought, one of the questions asked is always something like "how do you do evangelism"? My answer is always: "I'm not an expert in evangelism. I don't have any programs that are guaranteed to work. But since evangelism is 'sharing the good news of God's love, the excitement you have about your church, your faith, your
life with God,' my job is to make sure this community of faith is a place where you can experience God's extravagant welcoming love, reconciling power and healing grace, so that you have some good news to share with people you meet along the way."
Every week as we close our worship celebration, we say the words of our vision-mission statement. Every week we say that we "seek to embody and celebrate God's love by being a community that lives Christ's compassion and promotes justice, healing and wholeness of life; a joyous family where All are welcome to join together to grow in faith and love." Like the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. these words call us into a future of God's making. Now, I'm sure that there are times when we fall short of this vision. But I am equally sure that there are times when, God-empowered, we live it out in ways that bring healing and hope and love to those whose lives we touch. So, this morning, I want to share with you some of the ways I've seen this dream take shape and this vision take form. I want to share with you come of the good news I have experienced here.
I have seen people come here who have all but given up on God, people whose anger at God is so deep that it's amazing they even walk in the door. But when they did, no one tried to convince them that God exists or change their mind about God. They were just welcomed in love, embraced in joy and supported through all kinds of challenges until little by little they each came to see God's love and recognize God's presence in the hearts and hands and voices who sit in this sanctuary and gather around the fellowship table each week.
I have seen people who sing or play a musical instrument nurtured and loved enough that they finally had the courage to share their talent during worship. I have seen the love and affirmation they experienced and the joy they felt as they shared their gift. I have seen the way their gift then took flight and began to grow into something even more beautiful.
I have seen people who heard Christ call them to deliver one of the worship reflections yet they were scared to death at the prospect. I have seen them find courage in the knowledge that you would receive what they had to say with love and grace. I have watched as that experience opened doors in their heart and gave them the confidence to take up-front leadership roles not only here, but in other organizations as well.
I have seen people come who have been alienated, excluded, or wounded by other churches because of the color of their skin, the accent of their speech, their life-style choices, mistakes they made or questions they had about God. I have seen them tentatively walk through the doors, uncertain about whether they would experience rejection yet again. I have seen them find true welcome among you as you seek to live out the truth that "no matter who you are or where you are on life's journey you are welcome here," because no matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, God loves you.
I have seen people who would never have believed they could do it, volunteer to lead a study, because they felt Christ calling them to do it. I have watched people step up and take leadership in amazing outreach programs because they felt a world in need tugging at their heart.
I have seen people who are hurting and those who struggle with life-threatening illnesses wrapped in your healing arms and supported by your comforting love so that in you they experience the truth of Emmanuel -God with us.
I have seen people excited and filled with joy as they birth ideas and projects to raise money for hurricane relief and food security.
I have seen a deep passion for justice born as you work together to bring hope and joy to homeless and hurting people in our community.
I have seen a Christian Education program that went the extra mile to meet the needs of all of our children and youth so that each and every one of them can find their place and participate to their fullest capacity.
Time and time again, through your willing hands and loving hearts, through your grace filled smiles and tender hugs people have been touched by God's love and brought from fear to joy, from loneliness to community, from skepticism to faith. I have seen people try new things and stretch beyond the easy and the comfortable to take one more step into becoming who in God's grace we can be.
In this community of faith, I have experienced God's love, seen God's grace and experienced God's radical, extravagant hospitality! That's my good news. Perhaps it's good news that you too have experienced. If so, why not say to your friends, your family, those you work with or go to school with "Come and see." And if you are here for the first time, my invitation to you is also, "Come and see."
John 1:43-51
January 15, 2006
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
Time and time again, in my weekly conversations with my friend Yolanda or with one of my kids, one of them will say something like, "I saw this great movie I think you'd really enjoy."
My friend Cyndi, who lives in Milwaukee, is even more of a book-a-holic than I am. It seems as if she is always reading two or three different books. If she really likes one of them and thinks I would too, she tells me about it with great excitement.
Very frequently during my work-out circuit at Curves one of the women will talk about a new restaurant she has tried out and really enjoyed and then she'll encourage the rest of us to try it out as well.
Whether it's a good book, a great movie, a wonderful restaurant, an awesome place to take a vacation, or a new store with great clothes and fantastic prices; when we experience something good, we are eager to share it with our family and friends, especially if we think it will enrich their lives. Well, believe it or not, that's exactly what's happening in our scripture reading for today. The verses Marty read are part of a longer chain of events that begins in verse 35 when John the Baptist sees Jesus walking down the path and says to his disciples, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" -the one I've been telling you about.[John 1:35] Two of those disciples then head out to see for themselves who this Jesus really is. Jesus notices them and asks them, "What are you looking for?"[John 1:38a] and they say "where are you staying?" [John 1:38b] Now, in truth, these disciples of John are asking far more than whether or not Jesus found room at the local Inn. The word translated as stay also carries the deeper sense of source or origin. So, in the poetry of John's gospel, what these disciples are asking is "where do you get the power to do what you do? Who is your teacher? What is the source of your wisdom?" And Jesus says to them, "Come and see." [John 1:39] Come and experience it for yourselves. They do, and one of them -Andrew the brother of Simon Peter- then goes and tells Simon. Next Jesus approaches Phillip with the invitation to follow, which he evidently accepts and then, after having spent some time with Jesus, he goes and tells Nathanael what he has experienced. But in Nathanael we encounter skepticism and doubt for the first time, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"[John 1:46a]
Now, brilliantly, Phillip does not attempt to argue, defend his statement or prove his point. He simply echoes the words of Jesus spoken just a few hours before, "Come and see." Experience it for yourself. Check it out and see if you think what I'm telling you is true. It works for me, see if just maybe it might work for you too.
That, my friends, is evangelism. The dreaded "e" word which comes from the Greek word evangelon meaning simply "good news." Evangelism -sharing our experience with a good book, a great movie, a wonderful restaurant, or the life-changing love of God. Evangelism -it's nothing more and nothing less than that!
Since my ordination, in almost every search committee interview, for almost every ministry position I've sought, one of the questions asked is always something like "how do you do evangelism"? My answer is always: "I'm not an expert in evangelism. I don't have any programs that are guaranteed to work. But since evangelism is 'sharing the good news of God's love, the excitement you have about your church, your faith, your
life with God,' my job is to make sure this community of faith is a place where you can experience God's extravagant welcoming love, reconciling power and healing grace, so that you have some good news to share with people you meet along the way."
Every week as we close our worship celebration, we say the words of our vision-mission statement. Every week we say that we "seek to embody and celebrate God's love by being a community that lives Christ's compassion and promotes justice, healing and wholeness of life; a joyous family where All are welcome to join together to grow in faith and love." Like the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. these words call us into a future of God's making. Now, I'm sure that there are times when we fall short of this vision. But I am equally sure that there are times when, God-empowered, we live it out in ways that bring healing and hope and love to those whose lives we touch. So, this morning, I want to share with you some of the ways I've seen this dream take shape and this vision take form. I want to share with you come of the good news I have experienced here.
I have seen people come here who have all but given up on God, people whose anger at God is so deep that it's amazing they even walk in the door. But when they did, no one tried to convince them that God exists or change their mind about God. They were just welcomed in love, embraced in joy and supported through all kinds of challenges until little by little they each came to see God's love and recognize God's presence in the hearts and hands and voices who sit in this sanctuary and gather around the fellowship table each week.
I have seen people who sing or play a musical instrument nurtured and loved enough that they finally had the courage to share their talent during worship. I have seen the love and affirmation they experienced and the joy they felt as they shared their gift. I have seen the way their gift then took flight and began to grow into something even more beautiful.
I have seen people who heard Christ call them to deliver one of the worship reflections yet they were scared to death at the prospect. I have seen them find courage in the knowledge that you would receive what they had to say with love and grace. I have watched as that experience opened doors in their heart and gave them the confidence to take up-front leadership roles not only here, but in other organizations as well.
I have seen people come who have been alienated, excluded, or wounded by other churches because of the color of their skin, the accent of their speech, their life-style choices, mistakes they made or questions they had about God. I have seen them tentatively walk through the doors, uncertain about whether they would experience rejection yet again. I have seen them find true welcome among you as you seek to live out the truth that "no matter who you are or where you are on life's journey you are welcome here," because no matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, God loves you.
I have seen people who would never have believed they could do it, volunteer to lead a study, because they felt Christ calling them to do it. I have watched people step up and take leadership in amazing outreach programs because they felt a world in need tugging at their heart.
I have seen people who are hurting and those who struggle with life-threatening illnesses wrapped in your healing arms and supported by your comforting love so that in you they experience the truth of Emmanuel -God with us.
I have seen people excited and filled with joy as they birth ideas and projects to raise money for hurricane relief and food security.
I have seen a deep passion for justice born as you work together to bring hope and joy to homeless and hurting people in our community.
I have seen a Christian Education program that went the extra mile to meet the needs of all of our children and youth so that each and every one of them can find their place and participate to their fullest capacity.
Time and time again, through your willing hands and loving hearts, through your grace filled smiles and tender hugs people have been touched by God's love and brought from fear to joy, from loneliness to community, from skepticism to faith. I have seen people try new things and stretch beyond the easy and the comfortable to take one more step into becoming who in God's grace we can be.
In this community of faith, I have experienced God's love, seen God's grace and experienced God's radical, extravagant hospitality! That's my good news. Perhaps it's good news that you too have experienced. If so, why not say to your friends, your family, those you work with or go to school with "Come and see." And if you are here for the first time, my invitation to you is also, "Come and see."
