Never underestimate the power of a personal invitation.
The opening chapter of John’s Gospel tells a wonderful story about invitations. One day, John the Baptist was standing with two of his disciples when Jesus walked by. John looked at Jesus and said, “There he is, the Lamb of God!”
The two disciples heard this, and naturally, they began following Jesus. When Jesus noticed them, he turned around and asked, “What are you looking for?”
They replied, “Teacher, where are you staying?”
Jesus could’ve given them an address. He could’ve offered a long explanation of who he was and what he’d come to do. Instead, he gave them a simple invitation: “Come and see.”
So they went with him. They saw where he was staying, spent the rest of the day with him, and began to discover that this was no ordinary teacher.
One of those disciples was Andrew. After spending time with Jesus, Andrew immediately went looking for his brother, Simon.
“We’ve found the Messiah!” he told him.
And then Andrew brought Simon to Jesus. Jesus looked at Simon and saw more than the person standing before him. He saw who Simon could become. “You’re Simon,” Jesus told him, “but you’ll be called Peter.”
The next day, Jesus found Philip and offered another simple invitation: “Follow me.”
Philip did. Before long, Philip went looking for his friend Nathanael.
“We’ve found the one Moses and the prophets wrote about,” Philip said. “It’s Jesus of Nazareth.”
Nathanael was skeptical. “Nazareth? Can anything good come from there?”
Philip didn’t argue with him. He didn’t try to answer every question or overcome every objection. He simply said, “Come and see.”
Nathanael came. Jesus welcomed him, surprised him, and showed that he already knew him. By the end of their conversation, Nathanael was saying, “Teacher, you’re the Son of God! You’re the King of Israel!”
Come and see.
Jesus invited Andrew, and Andrew invited Peter. Jesus invited Philip, and Philip invited Nathanael. One invitation led to another, and lives were changed along the way. People discovered new identities, new purpose, and a new life with God.
During the month of August, PTCUMC is celebrating an open house. It’s a wonderful opportunity for all of us to invite our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family members to come and see.
Yes, come and see how we’ve recovered from the flood. Come and see the repairs and improvements that have been made to our facilities. We have plenty to celebrate, and we’re grateful for everyone whose generosity, patience, and hard work helped bring us this far.
But the Church is not a building.
The Church is a people, called, gifted, and empowered by God. So our invitation is about much more than seeing renovated rooms or improved facilities. We’re inviting people to meet the faith community God has gathered here.
Come and see a people whom God has gifted with resilience, patience, flexibility, and creativity.
Come and see the joy that has carried us through difficult days.
Come and see the love that holds us together, reaches beyond our walls, and reminds us that none of us walks alone.
Come and see what God has done among us, and what God is still doing.
Come and see what kind of positive difference this church family, and our Lord, might make in your life.
You don’t need to have all the answers before inviting someone. Philip certainly didn’t. You don’t need a perfect speech or an argument that can overcome every doubt. Sometimes all you need is a name, a friendly conversation, and a few simple words:
“Come and see.”
Never underestimate that invitation. It just might change someone’s life.
