Preacher: Christie Dahlin

Scripture: John 1: 29-42

I am in the midst of starting a Mennonite church in Portland, Maine. After being a pastor at an established church in Boise for a couple years it is a very different experience to try to start something new. 

While there has been some exciting movement, 

some good hymn sing gatherings and potlucks. 

There are also times that I wonder if anyone will show up or want to join us. Inviting others to join something you care about can be a vulnerable thing to do. 

With that in mind, it was helpful to ponder the various ways the disciples started following Jesus and his invitation to come and see. 

John’s Gospel tells of the calling of the disciples in quite a different way then the other Gospels. 

In the other ones, Jesus invites fishermen to stop what they are doing, put down their nets and come follow him. 

Jesus does the inviting. 

In John’s Gospel Jesus invites, 

but so do others who have started to follow him. 

It has led me to ponder the various paths we each take in our faith journeys from enthusiastically jumping in, to some scepticism, or following along with others and inviting others to join in.

In the text we heard today, 

John’s disciples leave John and start following Jesus because John says “ there is the Lamb of God” 

it seems they listen to their teacher and go, and follow Jesus. 

Then one of them, named Andrew, after following Jesus for just a day, went to get his brother Simon Peter to tell him he should also come follow Jesus. 

The call of disciples goes past what we read today, 

with Jesus finding Phillip and saying “Follow Me” 

and then Phillip goes and finds Nathanel, 

who is a bit more skeptical then the rest have been, 

but decides to join as well. 

I am curious what it was that they saw so quickly that they knew they needed to invite others to come and listen and follow this teacher, Jesus. 

What good news could they not wait to share with another? 

Which leads me to ponder for myself, what is it about my faith, about being a Jesus follower that I feel excited about? That would lead me to run and tell my sibling, my friends, to come and see? 

We need some good news in the world right now 

and we need communities and spaces for leaning on one another and discerning together what it means to be Jesus followers in our world. 

We need spaces to be reminded that love is at the center of the story, that there is hope to cling to, because each of us is loved 

and if we all lived out of that place of belovedness, 

imagine where the world could be. 

I have noticed within myself a hesitancy to invite others to join in community spaces that connect to faith because of the ways that Christianity and Jesus has been portrayed in our country to support things that I firmly believe do not actually reflect who Jesus is.

But to counter those narratives, we need Christian spaces that are standing up for the oppressed and marginalized and not being shy about inviting others to join us. It means being vulnerable to invite others to join us. 

And also reflect on what we are inviting others into. 

A good place to start might be to reflect on the question Jesus asks the first two disciples who started following him. 

He asks “what are you looking for?” 

What are you looking for? 

There are various ways you could understand that question. 

What are you looking for in your life? 

What are you looking for by following me (Jesus)? 

What are you trying to find, trying to figure out, trying to discern? 

Their response seems a little odd, “ Rabbi, where are you staying?” But maybe they are curious to learn more before they answer, they want to see what Jesus is about. And maybe they aren’t sure what they are looking for, but there is something about Jesus that intrigues them. 

And he responded, come and see. 

Come and see. 

What are you looking for? 

Come and see. 

Some good words to reflect on for ourselves and also to lean into the invitation from Jesus to come and see. 

Throughout this story of Jesus’ calling disciples, 

Jesus seems to be giving permission to take whatever journey you need to to come and see, to come and follow. 

How might we lean into this invitation, 

to come and see and invite others to join us.

To take whatever journey we each need to on our way to living out our faith in a world that is in desperate need of being reminded what it means to love our neighbors. 

A world that is in desperate need of the inclusive love that Jesus offered. A love for those who are different from us, a love for all who are hurting. 

Jesus was invitational, come and see. 

We get to join in that invitation. Both for ourselves and to invite others. 

What are you looking for? 

What about your faith, what about being a Jesus follower, do you feel excited about, that it would lead you to run and tell your brother, your sister, your friend, to come and see? 

Part of responding to everything that is happening in the world around us, is to care for one another by inviting others to come and see. 

To come and find community, 

to come and find a space to share what you are looking for. 

We all need spaces where we can be seen, 

and known and loved, spaces to listen and be listened to. 

How might you invite another into seeing Jesus’ embrace this week? How might you lean into Jesus invitation, to come and see? 

May we each remember that we get to walk this journey of life and faith alongside one another and alongside Jesus who is always inviting us with our questions, our doubts, our fears and our longings. 

May it be so. 

Benediction: 

God has told us again and again how to live as God’s people: to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly. May you go planting seeds of transformation that will grow into forests of love, inviting others to join in this transformative work. Go in peace.