I remember the first real “wrong turn” I took in DC. I was coming home from taking my mom to the airport and was coming back to St. Paul’s for my first day in the office. The drive there was fast and non-stressful. The drive home took a bit longer. I ended up coming back into the city via US 1 and I was really afraid I would never make it back to NW DC. And there I was in the middle of the National Mall. It was absolutely beautiful. It was one of those “come and see” moments, where I pulled out my camera at the stoplight and took a picture of the beautiful city that I live in. Now every time I drive to the airport I make that “wrong turn” and drive up US 1, no matter how much longer or stressful it might make my trip. It is that view that I love to see and that view that I love to invite others to “come and see.”
“Come and see.” This is what Jesus says to the two disciples that are with him, when they ask where it is he is staying. Instead of telling them where it is he is staying, he simply says, “come and see.” “Come and see” what you may be asking. “Come and see” the way God is working in this place. “Come and see” Jesus Christ who takes away the sins of the world. “Come and see” the Holy Spirit actively moving through each one of us.
Inviting others to “come and see” is one of the most important duties of Jesus’ disciples, which means it is one of our most important duties, too. You might be thinking this is much easier said than done. Yes, I know the task of talking about Christ is not easy. I will admit it is not even easy for me. Studies tell us that 50% of Lutherans never speak to anyone about Christ. And 40% rarely do. That means 90% of Lutherans rarely or never reach out verbally to the unchurched. I think that the most difficult part of this is the “verbally” part. There is a quote that is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, which says, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.” This is a great quote and a legitimate way to evangelize, but it is not what the Gospel of John is talking about. This way of evangelism isn’t as focused on how we act or what our Christ-like actions say to the unchurched. It is about actually speaking about Christ.
I remember my speech class my first year of college. Sam was in my class. He was also in his first year of college. He stood at the podium; it was his turn to give his speech. His knees were knocking together. His palms were sweaty. His mouth felt like it was full of cotton balls. He tripped over his words. He was afraid. Sam had glossophobia. The fear of speaking in public. This fear often ranks in the top ten fears list and in a few instances is number one. Of all the people in the world that fear speaking in public, Jesus was not one of them. John the Baptist didn’t seem to be bothered by it either. And in our text today we encounter Andrew, a fearless disciple and public witness of Jesus Christ.
Andrew is not afraid. Andrew does not even seem to think twice about going and finding his brother Simon and sharing with him the good news of the Lamb of God, the Messiah. After all that is the job of a disciple. His job is to echo the words of Jesus, “Come and see.” Throughout the Gospel of John, Andrew isn’t mentioned a lot, but when he is, he is always publically bringing someone or something to Jesus. He invites his brother Simon to “come and see” the Messiah. He also brings to Jesus the young boy, who has the five barley loves and the two fish, which Jesus miraculously uses to feed 5,000. Andrew does not suffer from glossophobia. Rather, he is an exemplary model of a public witness of Jesus Christ.
It might be difficult for us to reach out verbally about Christ. Yet, we reach out verbally about other things; inviting others to “come and see.” “Come and see” our new house. “Come and see” my new car. “Come and see” our new baby. “Come and see” me graduate from high school. “Come and see” our blooming garden. “Come and see” the beautiful view from my office window. We want people to “come and see” what is important to us.
When I first arrived in Washington I was bombarded with recommendations about the city; it was really good advice. Make sure you go to the zoo. Comet Ping Pong has good pizza. Politics and Prose is a great bookstore. Don’t forget to see all of the Smithsonian museums. Get a SmarTrip for the Metro. Avoid rush hour. Stand right. Walk left. Make sure you go to the Kennedy Center. Don’t forget to go to the cherry blossom festival. People were inviting me to “come and see” the places that they liked; the places they frequented. There was a sense of fervor about these invitations and pieces of advice. What if there was the same sense of passion about inviting people to “come and see” Jesus? What if we could reach out verbally to others about our faith?
“Come and see” how God is actively working to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. “Come and see” children learning about the love that God has for them. “Come and see” a group of dedicated people knitting and crocheting prayer shawls for those who are sick, grieving, or lonely. “Come and see” people receiving the bread and wine, the body and blood of Jesus Christ, which offers the forgiveness of sins. “Come and see” Charolette Kjersten, who will be washed in the waters of baptism at St. Paul’s and marked with the cross of Christ forever. “Come and see” a community of believers that shares their faith and love of God with each other. “Come and see.”
Many of us have spent the last week with a “come and see” attitude in the midst of a tragedy. As I held hands with the youth and the chaperones on the youth retreat last weekend only moments after we first heard about the shooting in Arizona, we prayed to God for help, for healing, and for peace. Throughout the week many Facebook statuses have invited me to “come and see” what is happening in Arizona, to learn more about the victims, and to read updates about Congresswoman Giffords. In the midst of tragedy and bad news, it is our job to look for God in the midst of it all, and to show God and God’s work to those around us. We may not always feel like we have something worth of inviting other to “come and see,” but the truth is that God is always working, even in the midst of darkness and tragedy. In the words of President Obama at the memorial service in Arizona, “in the fleeting time we have on this Earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame, but rather how well we have loved and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better.” God is working in our midst. God has given us the chance to enhance the lives of others. God is counting on us to invite others to “come and see.”
This is our calling. This is our duty. To share the good news. To be witnesses of Jesus, the Messiah. To put aside our fears of speaking in public and start proclaiming the Lamb of God. To echo those words that Jesus spoke to his disciples, “Come and see.” To invite the colleagues we work with, the friends we go to school with, the strangers on the side of the road to “come and see.” Invite them to “come and see” what Jesus is doing at St. Paul’s. To “come and see” the place where we worship on Sunday mornings. To “come and see” the new thing that Christ is doing in our midst. To “come and see” global transformation. To “come and see.” Amen.
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