Come and See!
John 1:29-42 (NRSV)
January 20, 2008
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
Have you ever been so excited about a wonderful new restaurant that you simply have to tell your family,
friends or co-workers about it? Have you ever watched a really good movie and afterwards thought, "My friend
needs to see this movie. She would really enjoy it?" Have you ever been so intrigued by what you are reading that
every chance you get you share insights you are learning and things you are experiencing? Have you ever enjoyed
something so much that you wanted to experience it again and take your friends with you so they can share the
experience? Have you every received an e-mail that was so inspiring or funny or contained such important
information that you actually wanted to pass it along to family and friends? I know I have and I know some of you
have as well because I've been on the receiving end of your sharing. It's natural to share experiences that are
meaningful to us with those we care about isn't it?
That's exactly what we see happening in the portion of John's gospel that Dwight read for us today. John the
Baptist is talking to some of his own disciples -his friends and co-workers- when he sees Jesus walking toward
them. Perhaps he had just been telling them about what he experienced when he baptized Jesus or sharing
insights he learned from the encounter. So when he saw Jesus he said, "Look, there he is, the one I was talking
about; the one who will bring freedom, acceptance and belonging in place of fear, rejection and oppression. I have
seen it. I have experienced it! I know it's true!"
John 1:29-42 (NRSV)
January 20, 2008
Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf
Have you ever been so excited about a wonderful new restaurant that you simply have to tell your family,
friends or co-workers about it? Have you ever watched a really good movie and afterwards thought, "My friend
needs to see this movie. She would really enjoy it?" Have you ever been so intrigued by what you are reading that
every chance you get you share insights you are learning and things you are experiencing? Have you ever enjoyed
something so much that you wanted to experience it again and take your friends with you so they can share the
experience? Have you every received an e-mail that was so inspiring or funny or contained such important
information that you actually wanted to pass it along to family and friends? I know I have and I know some of you
have as well because I've been on the receiving end of your sharing. It's natural to share experiences that are
meaningful to us with those we care about isn't it?
That's exactly what we see happening in the portion of John's gospel that Dwight read for us today. John the
Baptist is talking to some of his own disciples -his friends and co-workers- when he sees Jesus walking toward
them. Perhaps he had just been telling them about what he experienced when he baptized Jesus or sharing
insights he learned from the encounter. So when he saw Jesus he said, "Look, there he is, the one I was talking
about; the one who will bring freedom, acceptance and belonging in place of fear, rejection and oppression. I have
seen it. I have experienced it! I know it's true!"
Moved by the joy of his witness, those disciples left John and went to see for themselves what made Jesus so
special. When Jesus noticed them following him he turned and asked, "What are you looking for?" Jesus always
meets us where we are and so in this simple question, he is asking these two seekers to search their hearts and
clarify their desire so that he can meet them at the point of their deepest need. "What are you looking for?"
"Where are you staying?" they respond. An odd sounding response until we remember the Jewish tendency to
answer a question with a question and the fact that in the language of John's gospel "to stay" or "to abide" has
something to do with "drawing power or life energy from." This is most clearly revealed in John 15 when Jesus
says to the disciples,
5I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in [stay with] me and I in them bear much
fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
So what these two are asking Jesus is, "We've heard about you, our hearts have been stirred and we want to
know what gives you your power? Where do you find your joy, your strength, your wisdom, your compassion, your
love? We'd like to know; we need to know. Where are you staying?"
Jesus, knowing that faith is experience, not doctrine, says, "Come and see! Come and discover for yourselves.
Come, enter into a relationship with me and you will meet the One whose love is the source of all love, the One
whose compassion is the source of all compassion, the One whose wisdom and joy and blessing are the source of
life -true and abundant life! Come and see!
It was through this relationship with Jesus that these two disciples found what their hearts were seeking.
What they had experienced, they wanted to share.
Now I know that one of the scariest words in many churches is the word "evangelism." It conjures up all kinds
of images, not many of them pleasant. But in truth, as our story today points out, evangelism is simply sharing the
good news of what you have experienced with someone you care about. It is inviting another to come and
experience the blessings you have discovered and see if they are likewise blessed.
Carol, a nurse in a large hospital, was on her lunch break. She had just finished paying for her food and was
heading to the corner of the cafeteria where her friends usually sat when something made her glance around the
room. That's when Carol saw her. She was sitting alone at a table which was meant to seat ten. Her head was bent
low over her tray and her shoulders were rounded. She looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her
shoulders. Carol stood and stared. There was something about that woman that seemed to touch Carol's heart,
and before she knew it she found herself standing beside her and asking, "May I join you?" The woman nodded
her head "Yes" and then she again bent her head over her tray. "What am I doing here?" Carol asked herself. It
was clear that the woman wanted to be left alone. But for some reason Carol couldn't do that. She knew she had
to start up a conversation with this stranger. It was hard work, but finally the woman began to open up. Her name
was Barb. Her 55-year-old husband was dying. Both of them had been only children. Their parents were dead.
They'd never had children of their own. They had no close friends or family. Barb had never worked outside the
home. When her husband died she wanted to die, too. Carol was overwhelmed by Barb's story. She had to get
back to her floor, but she didn't want to leave Barb alone. They arranged to meet at the same table for her
afternoon break. That chance meeting set the pattern for the rest of Carol's working week. On her last day of
work, Carol knew that she had to take one more chance with her newfound friend. "I won't be here tomorrow,"
she said. "But I will be going to church with my family. Why don't you meet me there?"
In the midst of her pain and fear Barb accepted Carol's invitation. Years later, Carol and Barb were
reminiscing. "Do you remember that day you sat down at the table in the cafeteria?" Barb asked. When Carol
nodded, she went on, "I saw God's Spirit resting on you. I knew that God was answering my prayer to die by
sending me a reason to live."
We live in a world where so many people are hungry for hope, for acceptance, for belonging, for purpose, for
love. We live in a time when so many lonely, disconnected people are trying to carry tremendous burdens without
the support of family or friends. One of the classic definitions of evangelism is "one beggar telling another where to
find bread." Perhaps what you have experienced will point the way for others to find nourishment for their souls
and bread for their journey. Will you dare to share the good news with a simple invitation, "Come and see"?
Amen.
special. When Jesus noticed them following him he turned and asked, "What are you looking for?" Jesus always
meets us where we are and so in this simple question, he is asking these two seekers to search their hearts and
clarify their desire so that he can meet them at the point of their deepest need. "What are you looking for?"
"Where are you staying?" they respond. An odd sounding response until we remember the Jewish tendency to
answer a question with a question and the fact that in the language of John's gospel "to stay" or "to abide" has
something to do with "drawing power or life energy from." This is most clearly revealed in John 15 when Jesus
says to the disciples,
5I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in [stay with] me and I in them bear much
fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
So what these two are asking Jesus is, "We've heard about you, our hearts have been stirred and we want to
know what gives you your power? Where do you find your joy, your strength, your wisdom, your compassion, your
love? We'd like to know; we need to know. Where are you staying?"
Jesus, knowing that faith is experience, not doctrine, says, "Come and see! Come and discover for yourselves.
Come, enter into a relationship with me and you will meet the One whose love is the source of all love, the One
whose compassion is the source of all compassion, the One whose wisdom and joy and blessing are the source of
life -true and abundant life! Come and see!
It was through this relationship with Jesus that these two disciples found what their hearts were seeking.
What they had experienced, they wanted to share.
Now I know that one of the scariest words in many churches is the word "evangelism." It conjures up all kinds
of images, not many of them pleasant. But in truth, as our story today points out, evangelism is simply sharing the
good news of what you have experienced with someone you care about. It is inviting another to come and
experience the blessings you have discovered and see if they are likewise blessed.
Carol, a nurse in a large hospital, was on her lunch break. She had just finished paying for her food and was
heading to the corner of the cafeteria where her friends usually sat when something made her glance around the
room. That's when Carol saw her. She was sitting alone at a table which was meant to seat ten. Her head was bent
low over her tray and her shoulders were rounded. She looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her
shoulders. Carol stood and stared. There was something about that woman that seemed to touch Carol's heart,
and before she knew it she found herself standing beside her and asking, "May I join you?" The woman nodded
her head "Yes" and then she again bent her head over her tray. "What am I doing here?" Carol asked herself. It
was clear that the woman wanted to be left alone. But for some reason Carol couldn't do that. She knew she had
to start up a conversation with this stranger. It was hard work, but finally the woman began to open up. Her name
was Barb. Her 55-year-old husband was dying. Both of them had been only children. Their parents were dead.
They'd never had children of their own. They had no close friends or family. Barb had never worked outside the
home. When her husband died she wanted to die, too. Carol was overwhelmed by Barb's story. She had to get
back to her floor, but she didn't want to leave Barb alone. They arranged to meet at the same table for her
afternoon break. That chance meeting set the pattern for the rest of Carol's working week. On her last day of
work, Carol knew that she had to take one more chance with her newfound friend. "I won't be here tomorrow,"
she said. "But I will be going to church with my family. Why don't you meet me there?"
In the midst of her pain and fear Barb accepted Carol's invitation. Years later, Carol and Barb were
reminiscing. "Do you remember that day you sat down at the table in the cafeteria?" Barb asked. When Carol
nodded, she went on, "I saw God's Spirit resting on you. I knew that God was answering my prayer to die by
sending me a reason to live."
We live in a world where so many people are hungry for hope, for acceptance, for belonging, for purpose, for
love. We live in a time when so many lonely, disconnected people are trying to carry tremendous burdens without
the support of family or friends. One of the classic definitions of evangelism is "one beggar telling another where to
find bread." Perhaps what you have experienced will point the way for others to find nourishment for their souls
and bread for their journey. Will you dare to share the good news with a simple invitation, "Come and see"?
Amen.
