+As so often is the case, the disciples in this initial call story in John’s Gospel have no idea what to do nor do they have any idea how to interact with Jesus. Intrigued/confused/drawn toward this man whom the Baptist refers to as the Lamb of God, the disciples start following Jesus.… literally. They have no idea who he is and instead of walking up to him and introducing themselves they literally follow him as we journeys down the road….follow him….you know kind of like that odd person at the grocery store who follows behind you a little too closely? Jesus stops, turns and inquires: what are you looking for? Instead of expressing some deep theological longing they simply reply, “where are you staying?” Right then and there Jesus could have nipped this awkward encounter in the bud by saying—Bethany or Capernaum—-but he doesn’t. He doesn’t because Jesus is aware enough to realize they don’t care where he lives, they care that their teacher, John the Baptist, has labeled him the Lamb of God….John is decreasing and Jesus is increasing. The disciples had sensed that and so they begin to follow Jesus in a somewhat stalker type of way. But Jesus gets it and instead of giving them an address, offers them an invitation: Come and See.
Within this story we find our own Christian task:
The people we’re trying to reach—-those who walk or drive by this beautiful church but have never stepped through the doors, those who feel so hopeless and helpless, those are are lost and have no idea they can be found——those people don’t need to hear us preach about how great it is to be a follower of Jesus, they don’t need an exhortation on the glories of the Holy Trinity, they don’t need a lecture on the ten commandments or the BCP. No, these people need to see. They need to see the love of God, the compassion of Jesus Christ, the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, in action. They need to see it at work in the world. They need to see a way out of their hopelessness, out of their lost-ness. They don’t need to hear about it. They need to see it, experience it, feel it. Know it deep in their souls.
And this task—-this holy and sacred task— has been assigned to us.
Remember last week when we renewed our baptismal vows? Those vows are our compass, our guide, our road map for life. We are to love God with our whole heart and mind and soul. We are to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ in all that we do,. We are to, when we mess up, repent and try again. And in all things and all times we are to respect the dignity of every single human being. No exceptions.
When we do this— when we follow these guidelines—people will notice, they will see and they will be, just as the early disciples were, intrigued, confused, and drawn by this way of being we exhibit.
They’ll be intrigued by the self-assuredness that comes with knowing we are loved, no exceptions.
They will be drawn to the love that we spread to all those whom we encounter.
‘They will be confused by how there can be hope in this world of darkness and fear.
That confusion is good, because it is that confusion which draws them toward us, intrigued by how it is we can live this way. And when they ask us?
We invite them to come and see, come and learn, come and be loved.
Now to do this—-to live into the fullness of what we were anointed to be and to do at our baptism—-requires strength, courage, and faith.
It’s easy for us to leave this work of evangelism, this work of spreading love, this work of being a beacon of hope and light—-to others. It’s easy for us to say we don’t have what it takes, we are not good enough, smart enough, faithful enough to do this work.
I’ve been there before, I’m sure I’ll be there again. But….we must never forget the bumbling, bewildered and belligerent disciples. They were a most unlikely ragtag group of followers and yet it was they whom Jesus chose. The messy, the doubting, the denying 12. You see, God loves our messiness. Jesus embraces our confusion, our fear, our trembling. It’s through our very human foibles and follies that the love of God, the peace of Christ, and the sustaining hope of the Holy Spirit lives and moves and has its being.
The disciples noticed Jesus.
They were intrigued by Jesus.
They were drawn to Jesus.
They were confused by Jesus.
In other words they were just like us….
my siblings in Christ… let us go and be seen… let us go and be noticed…. let us go and be just who it is God created us to be…followers of God’s Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
For when we do that, when we live as Jesus lived, when we love as Jesus loved, we—-yes you and me— will change this world.
Amen. And Alleluia.
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