Come and See

New Testament Lesson - John 1:29-42

Sermon: Come and See

The Lord be with you.

Good morning!

How are you?

I'm James. I'm the Interim Senior Pastor here at Trinity.

What's your name?

Is this your first time here?

Getting to know someone – getting to know ANYONE – even getting to know Jesus – brings up a lot of questions. 

Questions for them. Questions for us.

Are both sides being truthful in the dialogue? 

Are they trying to sell me something?

And if you do get answers, can you trust they're telling the truth?

Can you trust your ears, can you trust your eyes, can you trust your gut? 

How can you know – for sure?

Is this real? Or are we just reciting the social script?

Today's scripture – from the start of the Gospel – today's scripture is about Jesus and the disciples meeting each other -- for the very first time. 

How could they be sure this Jesus was the one they'd heard about? 

You know: The One? 

And how could Jesus know he was getting disciples he could trust?

You know, who wouldn't betray him.

When you meet someone for the first time, how do you know?

Well. As Jesus says, I guess we'll all just have to – "Come and See."

---

Meeting anyone for the first time brings up a lot of questions.

Starting with, "They just told me their name five seconds ago; Why can't I remember it?"

"Do I have lettuce in my teeth?"

"Do THEY have lettuce in their teeth?"

"Do they have teeth?"

"Are they friend?" "Are they weirdo?"

Sounds like dating.

Thank the Lord I'm too old and too married for dating in 2026. 

I've listened to people talk about how insane it is, getting to know a potential partner in the 21st century. 

Last week I did some deep sermon research and asked our daughters, both in their 20's, about this. 

I said, "You know, in a different time, this would have been arranged at birth."

One said, "Well, at least you and mom haven't sold me for a pair of goats."

Always the supportive father, I said, "What goats?" 

Getting to know anyone is negotiation. 

Plain and simple. 

Dating, visiting a church, interviewing for a job – it's haggling. 

Dressed up in T. J. Maxx and Men's Wearhouse finest. 

But at the core, we're just like camel traders back in Jesus's day.

Does Abdul look shady? 

Do we have mutual friends? 

Like the same music? 

Have compatible politics? 

Maybe he's Presbyterian. That's always a good sign. 

--

This morning we heard from the PNC, the Pastor Nominating Committee. 

They're hard at work, meeting candidates from all over.  

And of course, we Presbyterians are hip to the cool stuff. 

We've got own online matching service. 

It's kind of like Bumble or Hinge, if they were ordained by God. 

It's called the CLC, the Presbyterian Church Leadership Connection. 

And it's exclusively ours.

No Methodists allowed.

Churches have online profiles. 

Ministers have theirs. 

There's an Algorithm nobody's ever seen. 

Someday soon, I'll have to dust off my profile and put myself back out there on the market. 

Not looking forward to it. 

In my head, I keep hearing the announcer from the Westminster Dog Show.

"Here's James. 

A bearded Scottie with sleep apnea and bad digestion. 

Originally from Tennessee, he's good with children and needs very little exercise. 

Obedient, well-groomed, and mostly housebroken."

--

In John 1, we see almost body camera video into how things went with Jesus and the disciples in their first meet-up.

The story's incredibly detailed for the Bible. 

AND it's so… normal. So casual. 

So much like what we do – even now - when we meet ANYBODY new – and want to check each other out.

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (Teacher), "where are you staying?" 39 He said to them, "Come and see."

This is no miracle. 

We know it's not because the Bible doesn't tell us so.

If you read the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John -- anytime a miracle happens, they make it super clear – 

THIS is a miracle. 

THIS is a sign. 

THIS is God Almighty at work. 

They tell you, literally, "This is a miracle." 

Just in case you think walking on water happens every day. 

Big flashing lights: MIRACLE! HERE! LOOK!

NONE of that happens here. 

This is a group of normal people doing what normal people do whenever they're meeting up for the first time. 

If we were meeting a stranger – this is the same thing we'd do. 

Check their bio. 

Stalk them on Facebook.

Where do they live? 

Who are their friends? 

Where'd they come from? 

What part of town do they live in? 

But -- do you catch what Jesus does that's pretty exceptional?

In other parts of the Bible when he wants to reveal his true identity, his glory, you know. 

His clothes glow blindingly white.

Moses and Elijah stand beside him.

God's voice booms like thunder, 

"This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, LISTEN to him."

It's like a miracle.

But NONE of that happens here. 

No awkward fanboy or fangirling. 

Not even: "The Lord be with you / Yes, he really be." 

Just – Hello. 

What's your name? 

Where you from? 

Do you live in town? 

The same things we say to strangers visiting church the first time. 

Or moving into the neighborhood. 

The simplicity, the ordinary way of Jesus, the HUMAN way. 

Is astounding in how normal he is, how much like WE are HE is. 

And how close to him he lets us be, without scaring us, or intimidating us, or clouds and lightning.

And this is what Jesus does again and again. 

It's kind of his thing: 

Almost when we're not looking, Jesus takes the ordinary, and makes it holy.

Just...

"Come and see."

"Come and see."

Come and see for yourself. 

Come and see with your own two eyes. 

Come and listen with your hearing aids in. 

Come on over to my house. 

Let's have dinner.

Get to know me. 

For real.

For real.

--

In my professional opinion – right now – in 2026 - 

the Christian Church has an amazing opportunity to present itself, 

yes, to market itself, 

to promote itself – for real -- 

as one of the last bastions of real, live, human contact between real live human beings.

Let me explain.

First, being unplugged.

We keep hearing how, with all this AI generated slop out there, it won't be long until we'll no longer be able to trust the evidence of our own eyes and ears. 

It's already happening. 

Want a video of the President parting the Red Sea? 

It's on YouTube. 

Want to see very a realistic-looking deepfake of outer space aliens touring the White House? 

It's there, too.

Is that phone call really your granddaughter calling you from a Mexican prison? 

Sure sounds like her voice.

This kind of tomfoolery isn't science fiction. 

Isn't witchcraft. 

It can be done by pretty much any smart 14-year-old with a good device and the right apps. 

They give you just enough misinformation that you don't know if it's a lie or not.

But it doesn't even have to be that high-tech AI stuff.

We're now seeing live videos recorded by live people on the streets. 

And then, people who we've been brought up to trust tell us, "No, that's not what you're seeing at all." 

"You're not seeing this person getting shot by that person. You're seeing the opposite."

And then, we start to doubt our own eyes. 

Our own ears. 

Maybe we're the crazy ones. 

Maybe we're defective. Broken. Wrong.

It reminds me of what George Orwell wrote about this same thing in his book that keeps getting banned. 

He wrote: The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.

I think ALL this is handing the Church an amazing opportunity. 

To rediscover its HOLY, HOLY, HOLY obligation. 

Here, now, we're being given the most simple, most honest, most human, most essential invitation of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

The invitation Jesus gave his curious would-be followers:

"Come and see."

"Come and see."

Come to church and see for yourself. 

With your own eyes.

Come and talk to real, live people for yourself. 

Come and listen to real, live music with real, live people, who sing together --

some well, some not as well. 

It's not supposed to be perfect – because perfect isn't real.

Come and pray to God for deliverance from this present darkness. 

Come and cry.

Come and laugh, and share pain, and share joy with people just like you. 

Come and hear scripture, come and read this precious book, this Bible for yourself. 

Together. 

In Real Life. 

Offline. 

And in just enough tune with friends, neighbors, strangers – 

anyone looking to find, anyone looking to see, anyone looking to meet – 

The Messiah, the Lord, the Savior – the honest-to-God real thing.

Not AI generated, not forwarded from God knows whom. 

Come and see. 

Come and learn. 

Come and know.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with other real people, with real living, beating hearts.

I believe – I really believe – this is the chance Trinity has, 

the opportunity all churches have – 

to set aside the made-up theological checklists -- 

and to just be REAL.

You be you. And let Jesus be Jesus. 

In this place. This CHURCH. 

Breathing the same air. 

Seeing into each other's eyes. 

Reaching out to press together fingers smooth and newborn, 

to grasp hands dry and wrinkled, 

to walk beside each other, 

in the rhythm of shared humanity, 

shared with each other, 

and shared with Jesus Christ, our Lord, Emmanuel, God-WITH-us, 

born that we no more may die, born to give us second birth – 

real, life, alive. 

You and me. 

And Jesus, too.

Come and see.

Come and be.

--

Someday soon.

And soon is a relative concept in the church-time continuum.

Church moves in lowest gear.

I mean, look.

Jean and I are still wearing 16th century uniforms.

And that's OK. Black is slimming.

Someday soon, the PNC is going to introduce you to your new Senior Pastor.

And you'll start the "Getting-to-know-you" process all over again.

THE most important thing you can do…

keep wearing your nametags. Please, for the love of God.

The most important thing: 

Introduce her or him to yourselves,

but – and this is most important --

introduce them to Jesus.

Not the Jesus in the brochures.

Not the Jesus in your head.

Introduce them to the Jesus who – bless his heart – is really, truly here every time the doors open.

And when that very lucky, God-ordained pastor, asks, "What's Trinity REALLY like?"

Take them by the hand, and say exactly what Jesus says.

"Come and See."

[eos