Notice…share…invite

January 15, 2023

Scriptures: Isaiah 49:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, John 1:29-42

Last week, in looking at the circumstances surrounding the baptism of Jesus and the ‘voice’ that spoke of who Jesus was,  we began to consider together who we are as a church, and what it is that makes us truly us…thinking deeply about our calling from the Lord, and all of the ways to share what I believe is our uniqueness.  And I think that is both an open question, and one that will always change and evolve as we seek to respond to the needs and circumstances affecting our own community. And I think that one of the interesting things we have discovered as a church, is that ‘living our faith’, and not just ‘talking about it’, is the most effective way to share who we truly are. Which is not to say that we shouldn’t share with others the joy and purpose we each find here, for that is still a critical way of helping people come into their own relationship with our Lord. But rather to say that both within the gathering of us together, as well as our outward witness of all of our work within the community, the most important thing is our actions, and in particular, our ways of caring for one another. We may bring some into an awareness of our blessings by speaking of them, but once they draw near, it should be our actions that reinforce and strengthen our verbal claims.

So, whereas last week we looked at the ‘affirmations’ or the ‘blessings’ we receive directly from the Holy Spirit as together we strive to live our faith out in the open, I think this week’s readings speak more directly to ‘how we engage’ with the Spirit, after receiving those holy impulses or ‘inner nudges’.

I think we are all aware of the fact that the larger church, the institutional mainline denominations of the Christian faith have been in a gradual decline for some time now. Surely there are many factors that have contributed to this which we are all probably familiar with as well. Which makes sharing the faith or telling the story of ‘church’ that much more of a challenge.  As  the church declines in importance and presence in many people’s lives, and as we see this same institution grow increasingly silent, speaking even less often of the need to engage in serious issues we face together as a society, it can be a hard sell to convince someone that it is important to share their faith story openly with others. It seems that many folks who may have been raised within some measure of a faith framework, feel increasingly more comfortable keeping their faith private. But I am not sure that this sort of faith is as blessed and fulfilling as being part of an active fellowship. And truthfully, sharing and living out our faith-story is still a major part of our calling as followers of him who asked those first would-be disciples that day, ‘What are you looking for’? 

I believe that our reading for today from John’s gospel, might in fact open new doors of understanding for us in terms of how to more effectively share our own story, and to continue moving forward as the body of Christ gathered in right here.  The gospel writer picks up the story the day after Jesus’ baptism, when John the Baptist sees Jesus walking towards him and tells his followers that Jesus is in fact the promised Messiah, that he is the ‘Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’.  He then affirms that Jesus is the one to whom he was referring when he said that an ‘even greater one would follow after him’. 

John explains this assertion of who Jesus is by revealing that he saw the dove of heaven descend upon Jesus and remain on him the day before, fulfilling the words he had received in his heart earlier on in his ministry, instructing him to be on watch for just such an occurrence.  Our reading goes on to say that the next day John saw Jesus walking by and again declared that he was in fact the ‘Lamb of God’.  However this time several of John’s followers decided to leave John and to follow after Jesus.  Jesus, seeing them following along after him, turned to them and asked them, ‘What are you looking for’?  They replied, ‘Teacher, where are you staying’?  Jesus replied simply, ‘Come, and see’.  John’s former followers did so, thereafter becoming the first of Jesus’ own disciples. 

David Lose, who is president of Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and a regular contributor to an online commentary titled Working Preacher, did an analysis of this passage from John from which I was able to draw the initial premises about how we might better share our story.  He notes that of the four gospel accounts of the baptism, John’s speaks best to ways in which we might stand in a place of holy usefulness as witnesses of our faith in God.  He tells of a three part approach to sharing the Good News which he claims is contained within today’s passage. Those three parts which I have already alluded to lightly are first to take notice, second to share that which we have noticed, and third to extend an invitation to others to come and see what it is that is so important to us.

David Lose’s way of teaching how to tell our story may at first seem unconventional, but it is one with which we actually have had some experience in the past, and which we considered last week. And that is to take notice of how the Lord is working among us, which is the first and perhaps most critical first step in being able to boldly share our faith.  If we truly believe we are witnesses to God’s presence or actions, then it is easier to move on to the next step and to share that belief with someone else.

John the Baptist ‘noticed’ Jesus walking in the public square in the two days immediately following his baptism of Jesus in the Jordan.  But not only did he ‘notice’, he also then ‘shared’ with his own disciples that he was convinced that Jesus was in fact the promised Messiah.  He noticed…and then he shared what he had seen with his own eyes, stating what he believed was the significance of that sighting.

David Lose goes on to say that those followers of John the Baptist, who received his testimony about Jesus and began to follow after him, received an invitation from Jesus to come along with him.  He writes that, ‘At its heart, evangelism is noticing what God is doing in our lives, sharing that with others…and inviting them to come and see for themselves’. 

Our reading follows up with a second example of this pattern of ‘notice, share, and invite’ when Andrew goes out and finds his brother Simon Peter, telling him what he has seen and then inviting  him to come and see Jesus for himself.  ‘Evangelism’, which simply means ‘telling our story’, is a call to notice what is around you…to share what you have seen…and then to invite others to come and see for themselves. All of which flow naturally from our consideration last week regarding all that our Lord has been doing among us of late. 

And if ‘noticing’ what God is doing may at times seem daunting or unfamiliar, I can share from personal experience that it is something that becomes easier with practice.  For, looking for God very often…reveals God in places you did not expect.  Expanding your willingness to imagine God as being everywhere you look, will help in actually noticing more and more instances of the holy.  Practice looking for God…and surely God will reveal himself to you.

Sharing with others is much the same, in that the more you attempt  it, the easier it becomes.  Finding opportunities to share your faith understanding, and sharing those times in which you were sure that you saw evidence of God at work, must be cultivated and then practiced.  Truthfully, and this is important…any fear one may have about sharing their ‘sightings’ of God is far less than the ‘hunger’ that exists in so many hearts…hearts longing to hear that God truly does exist, truly does love us, and truly does watch over us.  In other words, the Holy Spirit is already at work before us, preparing hearts by ‘cultivating the soil’, in which you are being asked to place the seeds of your faith sharing.

And then, taking all that sharing to the next level by stepping out and inviting someone to ‘come and see what you have seen’ is really a very natural step when you are convinced that what you have seen is real and that the God you follow is worth sharing.  In other words we need first to be convinced in our own heart that what God is doing here among us is great, important, and wonderful. For then it becomes easy and natural to share our enthusiasm. If we truly believe that our church, and our experience of God’s love here are the special blessings they surely are, then sharing them is not only natural, but will become something we truly want to do.

I firmly believe that ‘growing the church of our shared community of love and holy purpose’ is surely God’s work…but being the witness through which God can do that, is just as surely our own responsibility.  As holders of, and in fact vessels of the Good News of God’s love as we live it out together, we are simply asked to share that message such that other’s lives might be changed as well.

So, as we look ahead to the year that lies before us, full of opportunity and promise, let us commit together to do our best in sharing our story.  Let us be keen to notice every movement of God around us.  Let us excitedly share all that our Lord is giving to us and asking of us.  And then, let us invite all to join with us in watching as this great movement of God continues to unfold in our presence.

There is an old humorous and yet insightful question that asks, ‘How do you get to Carnegie Hall?’ The answer of course is, ‘Practice, practice, practice!’ 

I want to echo that by asking, ‘How do you share the story of our faith in a way that allows God to do even greater things through us?’

‘Practice, practice, practice’ as well.

…amen