Sermon; Come and see.
My grandfather on my paternal side was a wonderful man. Of course, he was. He was my grandfather. He was a farmer like his fathers and generations back in his family, and I was blessed to have him living just next door, when I was growing up.
My parents’ home was built on a lot just next to my grandparent’s farm and the place where my dad grew up. My parents still live in this beautiful house that was built in 1959 just before they married and settled and started a family. My grandparents farm, Egehoj, the hill of Oaks, was indeed on a small hill compared to my childhood home and it was a beautiful farm surrounded by fields, a small apple orchard and a hay loft which offered hours of entertainment for my sisters, my cousins and me.
My grandfather was Knud Jorgen and he was besides being a busy farmer, hunter and family man, an avid reader, a great load singer, a happy Christian and a very talkative man. One of my vivid memories of my grandfather is when he often joined us for lunch, and when my dad laid down on the couch to get his noon nap, my grandfather grabbed the news paper and started reading. And then he started sharing. “Oh, listen to this…did you know…. What a mess…. Look at this picture. Come and see. “
We like to share. We like to share news, secrets, and gossip. We like to share what we read, what we experience or what we heard. I do realize that I am my grandfather’s granddaughter, as I also like to share what I read, what I have experienced or what I heard with my tired husband or sons.
“Come and see! Listen! Did you know….!”
These shouts, outbursts and encouragements we all know so well. As kids we shouted that out, when we wanted to share something exiting with our friends or eagerly wanted to share a new insight or discovery with our parents. As teenagers we whispered this to our closest friends as we wanted to share something secret, surprising, private or gossipy.
As adult we say it when we read the news paper or find a funny, serious, scary or interesting post on Social Media. “Come and see!”
These years we do live in a time where that shout seems to be constant. Social media is all about sharing news, sharing gossips, sharing information regardless if we check the credibility of the shared news. We shout out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Snap Chat “Come and see. Look at me and my life. Come and see what I did: I ate this meal, I hiked this hike, I visited this city, I traveled abroad, I did this and that. Come and see how wonderful my life is. “or we shared stories, news, political or religious segments that reflect our own views. But these days we need more than ever to check, fact check, double check and cautiously examine the source of our news and stories.
On the pulpit in the old church where I served as a pastor in Denmark, it was written: Whoever has ears, let them hear.” And this is still the encouragement to all who comes to church: open your eyes and see and open your ears and listen. As Matthew says: “Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.”
At another Lutheran church the motto of the church hung above the doors into the sanctuary reminding the congregation every time they came in or went out: “Come and see! All are welcome! Go and tell!” Every week, people gather for worship and are encouraged that all are welcome to come and see, and then go and tell.
This church and the entire Christian Religion are built on a “Come and see. Come and listen. Go and tell.” Shout and acclamation.
Today’s gospel is from the beginning of John’s Gospel. John the Baptist is pointing at Jesus and telling everybody that this man, this man whom he just baptized in the waters of Jordan, that this man is the one. The one they have been waiting for, been listening to prophecies about and have been longing for.
And as he was shouting, pointing and exclaiming: Look, there he is. Come and see. Come and listen.” Andrew stopped and listened and looked. When Jesus met Andrew, he was already a disciple of John, but intrigued by the words of John, he and a friend follow Jesus. When Jesus notices them, he asked them what they were looking for. And he encouraged them to “Come and see”.
It sounds as if at first that the 2 disciples are wondering where Jesus is staying, but that is indeed not what they are looking for. They are looking for far greater things. The words from Jesus is an invitation to come along and a vision to see further and further.
They were indeed looking for something: they were looking for guidance, grace, purpose and pursuit – and just look at the Gospel text again and mark all the words and verbs about seeing in this short passage: John saw Jesus, that he might be revealed to Israel, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven, I myself have seen… as he watched Jesus walk by, Look here is the lamb of God…. Jesus saw them following him… What are you looking for, Come and see, they came and saw, He first found his brother, we have found the Messiah, Jesus looked at him…… it is remarkable, right?
This urges us to ask ourselves on this Sunday morning:
· What are we looking for?
· What do we see and find here in church?
· Where do we see and find Jesus in our ministry?
· Where do we see and find Jesus in our communities, at our work, in our schools and in our homes? Are we even looking for him in these places or only expecting to have Jesus show up on Sundays at church?
· Are we like John the Baptist, Like the Andrew and Simon looking for Jesus?
· Are we inviting others to come and see?
· Are we feeling like my grandfather or like children, tugging the hands of a guest or a friend: come and see my room, my new toy… come and see, come and listen?
· Are there truly places we need to be invited and encouraged to see and visit and are there truly places that we need to invite and encourage others to see and visit? Like our church?
And then the opposite question is:
· What do we not see?
· What do we overlook or ignore?
· What are we so exited to share and showcase and what are we so ashamed of that we tuck it and hide it away?
· Do we ask others to come and see? Come and see, come and listen.
· Do we remember to go and tell after we have been and seen and heard?
We are at the very beginning of the Gospel, and we are at the very beginning of the Christian Church and Religion. We are at the very beginning when it all began, when Jesus was baptized, when he stepped into the public eye, when he started healing, speaking, preaching, walking, touching, blessing and encouraging us to come, see, listen and believe.
We are at the beginning of a calendar year too. It is January 2020.
Perhaps this is a good time to reflect on the opportunities to create a new vision for our church and our spaces. Perhaps this is a good time to reflect on the opportunities to create new ways to share, to come together, to listen and to build relationship in faith and hope.
“What are you looking for?” Jesus asked the 2 disciples.
“Come and see” he told them.
“What are you looking for? “Jesus asks us today.
“Come and see” he tells us.
We are looking for a story and a gospel that reflects on our lives and shines a gracious light on our time. We are looking for something to believe in, to hope for and something to live and die for. We are looking for meaning, purpose, strength, comfort, hope, joy, compassion, commitment and family.
“Come and see! All are welcome! Go and tell!” Every week, we gather for worship in this beautiful church, and we are indeed encouraged to believe that all are welcome to come and see, and then we are all called to go and tell.
When did you last invite a friend or a neighbor to church? What about next Sunday? We have our Sunday Service at 11 am with sermon, singing and sharing, and then we have an exiting Frikadelle Contest and a delicious lunch…. And if that is not enough: then we invite all to attend our AGM to come and listen and get all the information you need about the church, the council, the committees, the classes, the events and the ministry. Maybe we have to be as persisting and sometimes annoying as my dear grandfather was when he was interrupting my dad noon nap.
Let us make this our motto for this new year, this new decade: repeat after me:
“Come and see! All are welcome! Go and tell!”