Come and See

Jesus said to them, "Come and see." (John 1:39)
Philip said to him, "Come and see." (John 1:46)

I read recently (but not recent enough that I can remember where it came from!) that, at least in John's gospel, our faith does not start with a doctrinal statement about what we are to believe; rather, our faith starts with an invitation. Jesus invites Andrew and Philip. Philip invites Nathanael. And, by extension, we are also invited to "Come and See." This invitation is to enter a relationship. Come and see what God is up to in my life. Come and see what God is up to in the world. Come and see what God is up to in my church.

We who are already experiencing a relationship with God in Jesus Christ are called to invite others to "come and see" what God is doing. This is (surprisingly) harder than it sounds. But it shouldn't be. I don't know if we are afraid of sounding like religious nuts, but I find that it is hard to invite people into a relationship with Jesus. (We must remember, that it is just that - an invitation. We are not trying to convince someone to believe a certain way; we are inviting people into a life-changing relationship.)

Come and see. Here's my invitation to you:

I have been the pastor of Community Presbyterian Church for nearly six months. I love my new church and I am truly marveled and grateful for the work of God, through pastor nominating committees and discernment, that matched us together. For me, the name Community Presbyterian, is so much more than a name--it is descriptive. We are a community. One of the things that I love about my church is that there are many ways to  put our faith into action. We are eager to reach out a hand and extend our love. We care about the community, as well as the world and we are willing to roll up our sleeves and do some good work in the name of Jesus Christ. There are many good things happening at Community Presbyterian Church right now. I invite you to come and see. I believe that you will see God at work in the lives of others as we gather for worship, for study, and for service.

Sincerely,
Pastor John