Come and See

Come and See – Evangelism Epiphany Style
By Susan Walker, Program Associate

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”  The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.  When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?”  They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?”  He said to them, “Come and see.”  They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day.  (John 1:35-39)

This short vignette portrays how some friends of John the Baptist met Jesus one day, followed him, and came to see where he stayed.  It’s our story too.  John points us to Jesus as the Lamb of God, and we, curiously, follow to find out more about him.  “Come and see” is a simple, straightforward invitation to living out our journey of faith. 
           
All of us have friends, colleagues, or family members who are looking for something - something that the world cannot give.  Epiphany is a church that is intentional about how we open our doors (and hearts) to those who are seeking.  Our location downtown near Metro Center, our Westminster chimes, our emails and other mailings are all effective tools of evangelism.  But, it is that personal invitation that makes a difference.  Statistics tell us that over 85 percent of folks who come to church, do so because of a personal invitation.  And, church researchers of this topic will also tell us that members of mainline churches “are loath to invite their friends to church.”  Why?  Because we are uncomfortable or not knowledgeable when it comes to articulating our faith, and we don’t want to appear that we are pushing religion on anyone.

Let’s remember that by our baptism we are charged to “proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ” (BCP, 305).  So, how do we understand that?  I believe that, like Jesus did, we are called to share the invitation.  It’s not up to us how someone responds – that’s God’s work.
           
So, this summer a group of parishioners are meeting to learn about the ministry of invitation.  We call ourselves “Come and See.”We have learned that each of us came to Epiphany because we were experiencing some sort of change in our lives.  And, we were looking for something that would assist our desire for transformation, healing, or renewal.  The truth is, everyone is looking for, longing for transformation.  Epiphany is a church called to transform lives.  As our group continues to be formed, we hope to grow in the way we articulate the faith so that we can share our stories with others in an appropriate way, and be good listeners to those seekers who have a story to tell – who are answering Jesus’ question, “What are you looking for?”
           
If you are curious about this ministry of invitation and hospitality, speak to Randolph, Susan, or Anne-Marie about that.  We will be happy to invite you to “come and see.”