In the past week, I’ve heard from many people the demands of work, school, family and outside responsibilities. For many of our Shepherds, life is busy. The thought of adding another meeting, appointment, or commitment might be too much to consider. With this in mind, I was struck by a recent conversation I had with some colleagues. In reflection on this past Sunday’s Gospel, we were discussing what it meant to be a “come and see” church. As people who have been invited to come and see Jesus for ourselves, experiencing the depth of God’s promises, how are we to invite others to similar experiences?
Early in my ministry, I thought that the magic answer was to invite people to events. Invite people to worship. Invite youth to a dynamic youth program. But the more I’ve listened to those around me and the wisdom of colleagues, the more I recognize that many people are not looking for “one more thing” to add to their calendar. Rather, people are looking for an opportunity to be invited into relationship, into community, into service, and into experiences that have the potential to transform them.
Might those things be found within worship? Sure. And might those things be found within a program? Sure. But I’ve wondered lately if restricting our invitations to such events limits our potential to be “come and see” people and to be a “come and see” church. Instead, I wonder what would happen if we testified to our own experience of Christ. I wonder what would happen if we prioritized relationship and acknowledged the presence of God even in that space. And I wonder what would happen if we shifted our invitations of “come see” to be less about coming to see what we’re “doing” as a church, or an organization, or a group…and more about coming to see Christ.
As people invited into the grace of Jesus, we all have had the opportunity to come and see Christ for ourselves. So now what? Do we dare live as a “come and see” people and a “come and see” church…pointing to the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and inviting people into the abundant life of our God?