Come and See: An Evangelistic Approach

In the Gospel lesson for this coming Sunday, Philip says “Come and see” in response to Nathaniel’s initial hesitation at his proclamation that he had found the Christ in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

I have a friend who left my church body for another several years ago.  In trying to understand the confession of his new church, I asked him several questions about their teachings.  He hesitated to give me simple answers to my simple questions.  Instead, he said that in order to understand his church, I would truly have to come and live their life with them for a while.

I have always been struck by his answer.  In one way, I know he gave this answer because his church devalues systematic expressions of the faith.  But in another way, I have always seen great wisdom in his answer.

He was not suggesting that I should see his deeds and therein find his faith.  This was not “preach the gospel, if necessary use words.”

It was to say that to truly understand his faith, I would have to come and see the life the congregation shared together in Christ.  He was suggesting that only by immersion into the Church’s life together could one really understand his faith.

And I think this is important.  I think those of us that cling to the confession of faith we call Lutheran are prone to simply try to explain someone into the life of Christ.  We explain why  our systematic formulations are most correct scripturally and assume that is sufficient.  We often take a very cerebral approach to witnessing.

Far better is the come and see approach.  Yes come and hear our theology and the scriptures which undergird it.  Hear of your sin and your savior.  But also come observe the liturgy.  Become familiar with the sound of our music.  Get to know the people gathered in this place.   Watch how we sit and stand and pray.  Come live right in the midst of us, even if you do not yet believe or confess what we do.  We believe that as God is active according to his promise in our life together and that you will see him as clearly as you can right here where he has promised to be.

Sometimes our initial response to quickly answer every question with what we know means that people will never come and see Jesus where he has promised to be.  I can help but think if Philip would have been a modern Lutheran, the story might have been quite different.  When questioned in his judgment of who the Messiah was, he might have just sat down and went through prophecy after prophecy and showed Nathaniel how it all tied together into a perfect little package.  Instead, I think thankfully, he said, “Come and see.”