John 1:29-42
Last Sunday, we celebrated the baptism of Jesus, and many of us in worship
remembered and renewed our baptismal vows.
We touched the water and remembered that
through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus,
we are named and claimed as God’s own, cleansed from our sin, and adopted
into God’s family by God’s gracious and eternal “so love”.
(John 3:16)
In the gospel lesson for this Sunday, January 15th, we hear what happens
after the water dries.
After Jesus’ baptism, after the water dries, John the Baptist tells others
what he has seen. The scripture says that “John bore witness…” (John 1:32)
As a result of what John says, two of his disciples, Andrew and another,
follow after Jesus.
Then, because of what they experience in their day with Jesus,
Andrew invites his brother Simon to come and meet Jesus, the Messiah, for himself.
Pastor, scholar, and author, the Rev. Dr. David Lose points out an important
pattern from this scripture and what should happen for all of us after baptism,
after the water dries.
He says that we are to notice, share, and invite. Workingpreacher.org
John the Baptist “bore witness” to or shared what he noticed when Jesus was baptized.
He says, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on Him.”
Then John shares what God told him,
“He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain,
this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” (John 1:34)
John the Baptist then invites his disciples to see for themselves when he points to
Jesus and says, “Behold the Lamb of God.” (John 1:36)
Notice, Share, Invite
My husband, Tom, excels at this when it comes to nature.
I’m sure it’s a result of his love of nature, growing up in the country,
and his years of hunting and fishing.
Anyone who hunts and fishes knows that there is a lot of time spent waiting
for the squirrel, the duck, or the deer to get close, or for the fish to bite.
And while you are waiting, there is a lot to see.
Tom is someone who has perfected the habit of noticing.
It’s as if he is simultaneously seeing the ground, the sky, and everything in between
all at the same time.
We will be walking and he’ll stop and say, “Look, look!” I’ll look and say, “Where, where?”
“To the left of the pond where the line of pines begins. There’s a deer!”
We’ll continue walking and while I’m scouring the pines for more deer he’ll say,
“Look, turkey tracks.”
To which I wonder, “how can he be looking out there to see deer
and see turkey tracks on the ground?!!”
We’ll then hear this soft high-pitched sound and he’ll point to the sky and say “Wood ducks.”
(Actually, he usually pretends he’s blowing their little brains out with a rifle, blam, blam!”)
As I am then looking to the sky, he stops and flips over what looks to me like a piece of rock,
but is actually an arrowhead.
I’m constantly amazed at how he sees so much! He’s great at it!
Tom is great at noticing nature, sharing what he sees, and inviting you to see for yourself,
and by doing that, actually teaches you how to also notice and see.
(Let’s not miss that. As Tom shares it, he’s teaching it.)
Tom is great at this for 2 reasons:
1. Nature is important to him. He cares about it. It’s a point of soul nurture for him.
2. He has intentionally cultivated the habit of noticing.
Which brings us back to what happens after the water dries.
As those named and claimed by God through baptism, and called to live out our baptismal vows as followers of Christ our Savior, we are also to notice, share, and invite.
Just as John the Baptist does, just as Andrew does, and just as Jesus does.
When Jesus notices some of John’s disciples following Him, He asks them what they are looking for. They, in turn, ask where Jesus is staying. Jesus then shares Himself by
inviting them to “come and see.” (John 1:37-39)
David Lose says that notice, share, and invite are 3 basic elements of evangelism
and all of us can do these 3 things on the regular, in any place and any situation.
We already do it with things that aren’t soul related and don’t have eternal value:
With food: “You’ve got to try this restaurant, or recipe.”
With information/entertainment: “Have you seen that Tik Tok/You tube video?”
No matter what it is, we notice what’s good, we share why something matters, and we invite others to try, taste, and see for themselves.
As Jesus followers, we are called to do the same regarding God’s love and grace.
This is what we are called to do after the water dries,
notice the goodness of God at work in the world and in our own lives,
share what we have experienced,
and invite others to see for themselves through our story, and by God’s grace, their own lives.
How have we experienced the presence of God this past week, or in 2023 so far?
Let us notice and give thanks. Then let us live our thanks by sharing something about that experience with someone else. As we share, we are inviting them to “come and see” for themselves through our story, but we are also teaching them to notice God’s presence at work in their own lives and in the world.
Let’s practice together. Please share what you notice about God at work in your life, your church, the world, on our Fairway District Facebook page.
Take a picture. Write a post.
Let’s notice, share, invite, and proclaim together:
“Look, the Lamb of God!”
Journeying with you and thankful for you,
Dena