“Come, and you will see” : Sermon for Epiphany 2

(Tomorrow’s sermon. Because I can. Readings are 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 and John 1: 29-42. Isaiah 49: 1-7 is set, but not referenced here).

Have you ever worshipped in a really large, full and vibrant church? I have and it was wonderful. Some days I really miss it. Perhaps you might thank that the church that Paul describes in his letter was one of those. Some sort of “super” church maybe, a powerhouse of mission and ministry. Or what about the megachurches that seat thousands and whose pastors have their own satellite TV channels?

No. I think not! By all account the church in Corinth was faithful but faction-ridden, riddled with discrimination, desperately needing to show and promote God’s love among it’s members, as prone to persecution as any other church of the time, and dependent upon the partonage of the wealthier members for the provision of a place to meet.

Perfect? Hardly! Professionally-speaking it sounds very common and rather familiar. It display many of the problems found through all churches, megachurches and paragons included, once you look under the lid.

Maybe I could look and say to them “Come on! Get your act together! Call yourselves Christians? You’re a disgrace!” (And if you don’t believe me, take the time to read the letter. For example a church that’s got it all right wouldn’t need to receive the teaching on love that we’re so familiar with in the 13^th chapter!)

But to hear Paul’s introduction, you’d think that the Corinthian church was the bees knees and the coolest thing in the city. You’d expect it to be a treasure store of grace, a dynamo of evangelism and a paragon of pastoral care!

I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way – in all your speaking and in all your knowledge – because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Dare we say that these comments apply just as much to us here? And to any and all of God’s churches? Dare we?

Because what I see is that Paul’s introduction applies universally, wherever Christian faith is to be found. And that faith is found in many places.

his Tuesday sees the start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. A week in which we are called to recognise, in the words I use so-often, that the things that unite us far outweigh those that divide us. The WPCU will see opportunities for us to look across our boundaries and denominational borders on seven of its eight days. Here, at St James’, at St Andrew’s Methodist, at the Anglican-Baptist Church on the Heath, at Doddridge Memorial United Reformed Church and at the Roman Catholic Convent on Harlestone Road. Next weekend we’ll welcome Paul Barford, a Methodist Circuit preacher, while I’ll be let loose upon St Andrew’s (pray for them!)

I don’t think any of us would say that our church is perfect, and neither would our brothers and sisters who worship in those churches make the same claim of theirs. But neither are any of our churches worthless.We all carry something of value to teach others, just as we can all learn from each other.

As individuals we too can aid in the manifestation of God’s gifts and purposes, just as our church season reminds us of the the Epiphany, the manifestation of Christ to the wider world. Our Gospel reading continues that trend with John the story-teller’s account of the impact of Jesus’ baptism on his cousin John-the-Baptist. And then, of the impact that John’s words had upon those he led, “I have seen and testify that this is the Son of God.”

John’s recognition before others helped them to open their eyes, to see something new. These last few weeks I’ve had my ears opened, enjoying some new CDs that a friend recommended to me. I’d probably have never have come across them otherwise, and I’m so glad I have. In their own way they have brought a little more light and enjoyment into my life. And it cost my friend Tim nothing to simply say, “I liked these, you might too.”

It cost John-the-Baptist a bit more, to publicly recognise who Jesus was, but that was his calling and mission anyway, even if it meant that he was diminished as result.

I frequently ask whether we too have something to share when it comes to our faith and our relationship with Christ. I ask you, because I know we have, even if we may doubt it, or feel inadequate to simply say, “this is Jesus; you might find him worth following.” It may not be something we can all say as individuals, quite at the moment, even if some of us aspire to it, but it is something that we as a church possess. Good news, and the power to pass it on.

In the doubt, or uncertainty, listen again to Paul: I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way – in all your speaking and in all your knowledge – because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

It’s all in the past tense. God has got there first, before we even ask! The grace is here, used and waiting to be used. The enrichment is here, even if it may need discovering and applying. We do not lack, even if sometimes our eagerness may be a little lacking. He will keep us strong, even if we don’t feel strong.

Not only that, we are called into fellowship with Jesus, just as much as those first disciples – the ones he told, “Come, and you will see.”

We haven’t reached perfection, just as the Corinthian church hadn’t. We know it and they knew it. We do not agree, on many things. Most of us recognise that some are more of a part of “us” than others, if we are honest with ourselves. We stumble and fail.

And yet, despite all this, God is faithful and God has provided. All we need to do is open our eyes, confront our uncertainties and follow… and the rest will develop as we do, if we hold firm.

Jesus Christ our Lord is faithful, and says “Come, and you will see.” Amen.