Ernie Nightingale

John 1: 29-42

Introduction

How would your life be different if you were not a Christian? For some of us who have been surrounded by Christian people it’s hard to imagine another way of life, but what if you had no interest in God? How would your life be less or more or just the same?

What would you miss about church? For one thing, I’d never sing out loud in public were it not for church on Sunday! Seriously though, what religious activities could you do without, and how would you spend your time on Sunday morning? If you were not a Christian, would your life be more or less interesting?

Every once in a while the disciples thought about how different their lives would have been if they had never met Jesus. For some of them it all started so quietly, so unspectacularly – John the Baptist and two of his disciples see Jesus coming toward them. John makes a casual remark and two of his disciples turn around and follow Jesus.

In response to Jesus’ question about what they want, they almost sheepishly ask where he is staying – it’s as if they were caught off-guard by Jesus question!    

Jesus says, “Come and see” and the disciples stumble along, following without knowing where they are going, discovering well after the fact that they have wandered onto a path that leads to grace; a path filled with wonder and mystery; a way of life they could never ever have imagined

We know what happened – they spend the day with Jesus and have no idea whatsoever what they are getting themselves into. They don’t know that they will end up leaving their nets and boats, homes and friends and having a complete change of heart and attitude about almost everything.

What are we looking for?

So what are we looking for? What are we looking for in worship today and why did we come to church? Did we come with great expectations or is this what we do on Sunday – go to church that is. If we’re in church today for no particular reason, that’s okay because lots of people find their way “by accident”. .

What are we looking for? Deep in our souls we’re looking for something to believe in and hold on to; something important enough to live for, and something big enough to claim our passions. Whether we recognise this or not, we are looking for challenge and purpose – we are looking for God!

“Come and see” is how the disciples’ story begins. For us it’s an invitation to explore, discover and experience without knowing exactly where we are going, but to know that if we catch a glimpse of God, we will also catch a glimpse of who and what we can be.

Come and See

Let’s consider two possible responses to Jesus’ invitation to “come and see”. One response could be similar to that of Nathanael – scepticism. Phillip invites Nathanael to “come and see”. Nathanael is sceptical at the start. His initial attitude toward Jesus is based on his preconception and his contempt for Nazareth, from which he thinks nothing good can possibly come. However, his actual experience of Jesus changes his mind.

Now that’s nothing unusual because there are many sceptics today. There are also people who find Jesus an interesting person and may even privately admire Him, but who reject the Christian faith in its entirety.

In some cases people have been blinded by their preconceptions about the church, just as Nathanael was blinded by his preconception about Nazareth. What they have heard or seen about the church – and generally from a distance of course – convinces them that the church is not the kind of place they should be involved in.

Are people’s preconceptions about the church being filled with cliques and hypocrites correct? Sometimes these preconceptions are unfair. People prejudge the church without actually getting to know it.

But the church (you and me) must also ask itself whether it has failed to offer people reasons why they should “come and see’. Does the church thoughtfully offer people a clear vision for life? Or does it offer a mixture of entertainment and superficial spirituality that satisfies in the short term but leaves people empty when the difficult questions and problems of life arise?

Now if we are convinced that the Christian faith holds the truth about human life, then we must, in all earnestness, show people how that truth makes sense and is embodied in our own lives, both as individuals and as a faith community.

The second response is about invitation – “come and see.” It’s not about cramming your faith down someone else’s throat and instilling the fear of God into them because they are not saved or they don’t speak in tongues or whatever other threat we might resort to.

We’re simply required to say “come and see”. Why? Because this news is so good it’s hard not to share, especially with people we care about. And if they aren’t interested or dismiss what we’re saying or make some sarcastic response, let’s not get discouraged, just try again!

Holy Spirit Partners

Several verses in the Bible make it clear that inviting (or witnessing if you prefer) is something the Holy Spirit and we do together. I like the way Paul put it in Acts 5:32, “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Acts 1:8 and Rev. 22:17 make the same point! It’s about team work – God chooses to use our witness, but God makes His witness too through the Spirit.

Keep this in mind when you feel you’re on your own and not making any headway – and remember it too when you’re tempted to take over, or become too pushy! You’re a team player not a lone ranger!

I wonder whether many of us find it awkward or uncomfortable to invite people to “come and see” because we ourselves might have forgotten what the true nature of the Christian life is all about?

Just in case you might have forgotten here’s a quick refresher course to get us going again:

• It’s a new life, 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
• it’s life imparted by a new birth, John 3:3 – “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” and
• it’s a new life experienced on receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, John 1:12 – “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”

Perhaps if we better understood that God has made provision in Christ for believers to enjoy victorious living, to have a more abundant life, to be delivered from bondage to sin and self and to have an assurance of eternity with God free from the problems and pains of this life we might be more encouraged to invite people to “come and see.”

Here’s a challenge – in December this year your church will be celebrating its 10^th anniversary. The first service in these buildings was held in the hall on 8^th December 2008. How about making your church vision for the year “Come and See’ – a call for each person to pray about whom God would like them to invite to “come and see.” 

We know that the good news of God’s love for us and for the entire world can be hard to believe. In fact, the more we honestly think about it the harder it may become to believe – that God, the Creator and Sustainer of the vast cosmos, not only knows we exist but cares about us – a thought so beautifully expressed by the Psalmist in Psalm 139: 1-6.

Perhaps this helps us to understand why people aren’t sure, why they hesitate, why they’re afraid, why they believe they’re not good enough! Because the news is so good, it may seem too good to be true, so it’s okay if they’re not sure or walk away. Remember – it’s not our job to convert – just to invite!

Our response to the invitation

Perhaps we’re in church today because someone invited us to ‘come and see” and here we are to open ourselves to God who will lead us to new places and new adventures in our faith.

You see people who follow Jesus end up doing the things Jesus did – they care for the hurting, listen to the lonely, feed the hungry, pray for the broken-hearted, welcome the visitor and stranger and do so much more to love and serve God. They look for God and find extraordinary lives.

The people who follow Jesus come to seek the meaning of life, join with fellow travellers on the journey and ask God for help in living in God’s grace.

If we worship God, if we share our lives with other people looking for God, we will see beyond what we have assumed – we will find, like Nathanael, that God already knows about us, that God is looking for us – looking to offer us life.