Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Our Gospel lesson for today from John 1:43-51 serves as the basis for our sermon theme: “Come and See.”
Sometimes when Melanie is giving Daniel a bath or they’re in another room and he’s doing something cute, she’ll yell: “Come and See.” The other day when I saw the news report about the plane that landed in the Hudson with all the passengers out on the wings, I shouted: “Come and see.” Maybe you watch sports with friends and your team hits a big shot or catches an impossible touchdown pass, and you yell to the kitchen: “Come and see!”
Just before our Gospel lesson for today, Jesus called Andrew to be a disciple. The first thing Andrew did was go tell his brother Simon, “Come and see.” In our Gospel, Jesus called Philip to “follow Him”, and the first thing Philip did was to go to Nathanael. Nathanael didn’t quite believe anything good could come out of Nazareth, so Philip said, “Come and see.”
I want you to think back in your memory to our Christmas Candlelight Service – how it started with just a small light and passed from candle to candle to fill the whole sanctuary. We’re in the season of Epiphany now, and that’s what it’s all about – the light shining more and more brightly. It’s about the Good News of Jesus spreading from the Christmas shepherds to the Wise Men to Simeon and Anna – and now to Andrew and Philip – and each one spread the word about Jesus. “Come and see.”
That’s God’s will for His Church and for you and me individually until Jesus comes again, to yell: “Come and see” – to point people to their Savior. Look at our Introit: “I have not hidden Your deliverance in my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and salvation.” Look at our Gradual Psalm: “Praise the Lord! Extol Him all peoples!” When we “Praise and extol the Lord”, we’re simply telling the world: “Come and see.”
Friends, the Church exists and we as Christians exist to invite others, “Come and see Jesus”, God’s heaven-sent Savior, otherwise God would just take us to heaven after we came to faith. We don’t exist for the purpose of raising enough money to meet our budget. We don’t exist to preserve the tradition of a Lutheran presence in Carlyle. We don’t exist as a social organization dedicated to maintaining our own membership. Not that any of that is unimportant, but it loses sight of the life and death calling we have. Our mission is to make disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If making disciples of Jesus is our reason for being here on earth, how do we do it? Well, the Word is preached on Sunday and in midweek and confirmation classes. The Word is preached daily in preschool and in our “In Christ’s Care” latchkey and Christ Our Rock Lutheran High School. Sunday school teachers glorify God by telling the little ones about Jesus. We have Bible studies to grow in our faith and knowledge of Christ. Paul wrote: “As often as you eat and drink of the Lord’s Supper you proclaim Jesus’ death till He comes.” Those are all ways collectively God allows us to participate in His mission of making disciples.
I submit to you today that there has never been a more effective evangelism program in the history of the Church than those three words from our text: “Come and see.” When Jesus called Andrew, Andrew went and found his brother and brought him to Jesus. When Jesus called Philip, he told Nathanael, “Come along and see the Savior.” The Gospel spread first from one family member to another – one friend to another. Andrew loved Peter and Philip, Nathanael, so they spoke. They went and said, “Come and see.” For us, too, it starts with our closest circle. We want to see our kids and grandkids and friends and neighbors in heaven. We love them and want them to know Jesus, so we go to them: “Come and see.”
God gives us the gift of prayer. We have no power to change anything, so it’s foolish for us not to pray for family or neighbors. We pray for God to give us an opportunity to speak the Word. And when it comes, we pray God would help us to see it and boldly say, “Come and see Jesus. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”
Here’s a little secret… You know a rescue even greater than a pilot landing a fully-loaded plane in the Hudson River and every passenger being saved. The greatest rescue of all came when God became man lived a perfect life in our place, died and rose from the dead for our sins. That pilot saved 150 people. Jesus died to save the world. “Come and see. Check out Jesus.” That’s what we have to share.
Now I’ll admit it can be trickier than that. Sometimes not. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying to your neighbor, “Come to church with me” or “If you want a rest, I’ll take your kids to Sunday school with me.”
The devil wants us to be dumb Christians. You probably realize I mean that in two ways. First, he wants us to be ignorant of our faith and unable to defend it. Second, the devil wants us to be mutes – afraid to speak. He wants us to be forced into quietness by our own lack of study in God’s Word. That’s why the Church has classes to prepare you for your calling. God says in 1 Peter 3: “Always be prepared to give and answer when asked about the hope that you have.” That’s not just pastors, but all people, be ready. Learn your faith, and pray that God will help you to speak it. But realize, when we tell our brothers or grandkids or neighbors about Jesus, God will use it. We plant the seed or water the seed of God’s Word planted by someone else, but only God makes it grow.
That’s the beauty of our text, “Come and see.” Andrew and Philip didn’t prove it. They invited. The Holy Spirit is the One who creates faith. He simply uses our lips to speak His invitation, but He brings growth in His good and perfect time. So don’t give up. Be bold. Go to those you love, “Come and see Jesus.”
The reason Andrew and Philip went to Peter and Nathanael was because they knew Jesus was THE ONE – the Savior God had promised. We’ve known the Good News about Jesus so long, we’re used to it. It’s terrible to say, but no one yells into the kitchen, “Hurry up honey, you’ve got to see this, a plane landed safely at an airport.” Big deal! It happens all the time.
Christ is a big deal! All of human history before Jesus’ birth moved by God’s plan until the moment He came. Since His victory over sin, death and the devil at the cross, our world continues for just one reason – so others can know Christ before He comes again! That’s huge! That’s a big deal!
The weight of failure and sadness and sorrow that we carry with us each day… The exhaustion and fears that weigh us down and the sin that tangles and ties us in knots… People are living in desperation and pain. They’re bouncing off walls to busy to keep their heads above water, but God has THE ANSWER. God changed all that in Christ. God sets you free to live without fear, without pain and sadness, without uncertainty. Jesus is God’s guarantee that, through faith, heaven is your future home and “No one can pluck you from God’s hands.”
If you knew the cure for cancer or some terrible disease and kept it secret, the world would forever rightly remember you in the same ranks as Stalin and Hitler and other mass murderers of human history. You and I do know the cure for a disease worse than cancer – a sickness that kills eternally – the disease of sin and death.
That God-given cure for our failures and the world’s is Jesus, God’s Son. That God-given cure that brings eternal health and happiness in heaven is first for you and me, as He forgives our failures and heals our hearts. Jesus died and rose again, because we need just such a Savior as He is. Today, He brings His healing forgiveness to your ears in His promise, “Your sins are forgiven in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Soon, He brings His healing medicine to your lips, as He gives you Himself and with His body and blood life and forgiveness and healing.
He did it all. Jesus did it all for you and me and the world. What a joy to go to our family and friends and neighbors with a simple message: “Come see Jesus. Come see the Savior who came to set you free.” Amen.
And now may the peace of God which surpasses human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.