I’m reading in John’s Gospel, and today read this:
35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come and see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.
Reading this reminded me of a Sunday morning probably in January 2008. I was preaching on this passage at the church where I was vicar – St Nicholas, Beverley. We spent the longest time there that we have lived anywhere, and it was a very rich, sometimes tough, but basically a brilliant time for us.
My text for the day was ‘Come and See.’
I had noticed during the service someone I didn’t recognise sitting near the back of the church. At the end of the service I was keen to introduce myself to her, and as it turned out, she also wanted to speak with me.
Jane’s story was that she had woken early that morning, and decided to take a walk along the Beck – the canal that comes into Beverley from the river Hull. As she was walking, she sensed a voice saying ‘Come and See.’ Jane was a Christian, but for some time had been away from the church. Sadly this is a common experience, and is often due to the words and actions of church leaders that result in people leaving.
When Jane ‘heard’ the words, she knew what it meant. She knew that she had to find a church to go to straight away. Jane and Nigel lived just by the Beck, only a few hundred yards away from St Nicholas Church, and so it was that she walked through the door that January morning, only to hear the words ‘Come and See.’ It wasn’t long before Jane and Nigel became a part of our community at St Nicholas. Wherever you are today, may God bless you.
Grace and Peace
Five Short Words 