On Invitations

[Sermon delivered at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Phoenix, Arizona, The Second Sunday after the Epiphany, January 18, 2026. The readings for this Sunday may be found at https://www.episcopalchurch.org/lectionary/epiphany-2a/ ]

✠ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, one in Essence and Undivided. Amen.

“Come and see,” is perhaps one of the most profound and simple invitations we can ever hear, both non-committal yet compelling. While it is not as elevated as a formal invitation on 50-pound cardstock and copperplate engraving, which frankly can be a bit intimidating, it nonetheless tells its recipient to put aside their preconceptions and all hearsay and to investigate personally a phenomenon, a person, an event, that the person making the invitation deems important enough themselves to offer it up as worthy of consideration. Granted, sometimes the invitee’s investigation uncovers a Pandora’s box of squirrely, gnarly, or sometimes totally unsettling gobbets of cringe, but at other times the investigation yields delights of unmeasured fascination and even joy. Perhaps your presence here today is a result of someone asking you to come and see.

Perhaps one of the most significant times we have heard the words, “Come and see,” a hitherto unknown itinerant preacher said them to Andrew of Bethsaida, a follower of John the Baptizer.[1] Up until then Andrew had not heard of Jesus of Nazareth, but when Jesus walked by one day Andrew heard John declare that this man was the “Lamb of God.”[2] John had also said a few other fairly grandiose things about this rabbi from Galilee, and Andrew’s curiosity was piqued.[3] Rather than taking John’s word for it, Andrew decided to follow along to see what Jesus would do and what fueled John’s declaration. What did Andrew think he was going to see? All John let him know was that this man in front of him was to take away the sin of the world, and since he revered John as a Prophet in the great tradition of Israel’s Prophets, it may be understandable that Andrew thought, “Him? He seems so ordinary! I have got to see this. John has not been wrong yet and obviously sees something I don’t.” It was when Jesus saw Andrew and another disciple of John’s following him that the famous exchange took place.

Here is something that many of us miss in this exchange and in turn miss when we extend an invitation. Jesus did not start out with an invitation; he started out with a question:

“What do you seek?”[4]

Our Lord was not simply going to drag along just anyone who happened to be stalking him (which is good advice for us all to follow, by the way), He wanted to know, and especially wanted Andrew and his fellow disciple in turn to know, what exactly they were hoping to accomplish in tagging along. They replied, “Rabbi, where are you staying?”[5] Now, I would suggest that, if someone following you were to say this, you would exercise extreme caution, but in this case Jesus knew this was not some deranged co-stalker arrangement but that these followers of John the Baptist wanted to know more about this Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. So, Jesus said the next fateful three words,

“Come and see.”

So, Andrew and the other of John’s disciples came along and spent the rest of the day with Jesus, listening to what He had to say, most likely asking Him questions, perhaps even engaging in debate over items where His teaching and their previous learning did not exactly line up. Apparently, it was enough for Andrew to make a decision. He straightaway went to his brother Simon and says, “We have found the Messiah!”[6]

Now on a side note, tomorrow we have the transferred Feast of St. Peter’s Confession, where this same Simon tells the Lord after being asked, “Who do you think I am?” that Simon believes Jesus is the Messiah,[7] and much is made of this Confession, but strictly speaking, Simon was not the first to make this confession, it was his brother Andrew. Even Martha of Bethany may have beat Simon to the punch, but that is another story for another time.[8]

Now, obviously Andrew and his fellow disciple could not have discerned Jesus’ full mission and all its implications in a few short hours. Yet in a few short hours Andrew had heard enough to convince him that John’s claims definitely had merit, that he had seen for himself this Mighty One Who was finally to be revealed to Israel.

Where do we want to go with this? Are we going to treat this as a simple opener for the account of Jesus’ ministry, or is there more we can make of this?

First, let us consider the role John the Baptist plays in this drama. He is the catalyst, the one who excites interest in the first place in this Jesus of Nazareth. John has the ear of a lot of people: poor people, rich people, respectable people, decidedly unrespectable people, religious leaders, religious followers. They are present to hear him, to hear his message, and as a First-Century influencer he knows whatever he says and regardless of what they choose to do with his message, these people will definitely hear him. Yet what he says does not further advance his reputation or increase his entourage. Instead, what he says is that this Jesus of Nazareth is greater than he, is worthier than he, and is none other than the Son of God. Does this sway all of his followers to drop everything and follow Jesus? No, but it does encourage at least two of his followers to see what this is all about, and that two were enough.

For those of us who potentially have people who for one reason or another hear what we say, do we speak of what we know of Our Lord? Do we occasionally stop our ongoing narrative and when Jesus “passes by” mention that this is the One Who takes away the sins of the world, in Whom the nations hope?

Second, let us consider Andrew and his fellow disciple’s roles. They heard John’s declaration concerning Jesus and are curious. They may not be the only ones whose curiosity piqued when John declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God, but they are the only ones in this account to investigate the claim. They begin to tag along behind Jesus, observe what He is saying, where He is going, what He is doing, hoping to get clarity for their questions. It is when He notices their interest that Jesus asks, “What do you seek?” Not, “Can I help you?” or, “Can we be a little less creepy?” or, “State your business?” but, “What are you looking for?”

Perhaps we notice that someone is playing around the edges, making offhand comments that we might construe as interest. Perhaps someone is asking you about a ministry you perform, or why you behave a certain way under stress, or why you lean the way you do in political or social opinion. Perhaps they see how you treat others, particularly the marginalized and less fortunate among us. Maybe they ask where (or why) you go to Church. Maybe they share that they have been going to this parish or congregation or faith community but did not really find what they were looking for. Do we let this go, do we give a non-committal answer, or do we ask them what interests them? Do we try to find out whether their curiosity is piqued or whether they are merely passing the time? Do we ask what they are looking for, what they truly are curious about?

Third, after Jesus sees their interest and learns what they are looking for, He merely says, “Come and see.” He does not go into a long sermon or mission statement or teaching. Those are for later. Andrew and the other disciple are curious about Him, and He simply invites them to see for themselves. It is when they accept the invitation and spend time with the Lord that they conclude that John had the right of it, that this indeed was the Son of God, the Lamb of God, the One Who takes away the sin of the world, the Messiah.

So, we have asked what these people are seeking. Perhaps they tell us that they are looking for more, but they do not know what. They tell us they are curious about this Jesus that has led you to give to the poor, to show mercy around you, to bless instead of curse in the face of provocation. Do we let it pass or do we tell them to come and see the Risen Lord among us, to come among us to see the Body of Christ, to see what it means to follow the One That died and rose again to free us from the chains of Sin, Death, and Corruption, to find out for themselves what this is all about?

Today the opportunity to proclaim the Gospel, to call out the seekers, to invite the interested to come and see the love of God in action has grown. While the world darkens around us, while even our government has abandoned even the appearance of decency and due process, when oppression and cruelty to the poor, the immigrant, the minorities among us defined by race, orientation, ethnicity, gender, or class (among others) is now popular and expected and present daily in our streets, when the government turns an enforcement agency criminal to further the work of Hell, where it engages in open aggression with its neighbours for the sake of pure and simple greed, the opportunity for us to cast off the bushel and let our light shine in the darkness[9] has become greater and our efforts stand out more. Will there be risk? Certainly. We only need to look at both ancient and recent history to prove it. Yet the stakes cannot be higher, for we proclaim the salvation of us all from the Darkness. Now is the time that we proclaim the Lamb of God, that we ask those who seem interested what they are looking for, and that finally we tell them to come and see the Risen Lord living among us. So many in this darkness want to see where God is staying, where Jesus is living, where the Darkness cannot overcome. To them we must say, “Come and see.”

“Come and see.”

✠ Through the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Holy Dominic, and all the saints, Saviour save us. Amen.

[1] Jn. 1.39

[2] Op. cit. 1.29, 36

[3] Op. cit. 1.30-34

[4] Op. cit. 1.38

[5] Ibid.

[6] Op. cit. 1.41

[7] Mt. 16.16

[8] Jn. 11.21

[9] Mt. 5.14-16