Can we come with you?

When my wife Nova and I were first married and getting ready to come to the North, I crossed paths with Dr. Isabel Greenwood. I quickly discovered that our encounter was not chance meeting. Dr. Greenwood had sought me out because she heard where we were going and she wanted to help “clue” me in to life in the North. I came to discover that she too had been in the North. Her husband, like me, had been a Church Army officer and was subsequently ordained deacon and priest. He also was then subsequently consecrated a Bishop of Yukon.  The Greenwoods had spent many years ministering to the people of Yukon and Northern British Columbia. Dr. Greenwood had things that she wanted me to see and to know so that I would understand what I was getting myself into when I arrived there. Most of all she wanted me to see correctly.

There was a lot of advice that afternoon about how to minister to the North. But perhaps the most important piece of advice what about home. In particular Dr.Greenwood counselled me never to let my house become a fortress of solitude. We needed to invite people in and have people over for meals and special times. When I look back now, I can see that she was right. The most powerful moments of ministry were at the house, around the kitchen table and in the living room as we sat, talked and shared many things: much of them joyful and some of them hard and difficult for one reason or another.

The Gospel this week (John1:29-42) takes a similar approach. John boldly proclaims “Here is the Lamb of God.” And because John announces Jesus as the one whom God has sent to the nation, they are in a word “curious”. So they start to follow him. They whisper questions and observations back and forth about what they are seeing. They try to pretend like they are not following when they are. They try to look like they are not paying attention but they are.

Finally Jesus turns and confronts these two men and asks them a simple question: “What do you want?” Please note that they now have the complete and undivided attention of the one who is supposed to redeem Israel and make everything right as rain. They could have asked him anything... literally anything. They could have asked him about things to do with the redemption of the nation and how things were going to work out. Yet they simply ask to see where he lives... they ask if they can come with him and check out his life. “Come with me and you will see,” Jesus says to them. They went with him to where he was residing at 4pm in the afternoon and they spent the rest of the day with Jesus.

Andrew then went and found his brother Simon, told Simon about Jesus and then they left their nets and went to see Jesus and where he lived. In that moment, Jesus looked intently at Simon and tells him, “Someday, they will call you ‘The Rock’.” The Change for these, men, for the nation and for you and me has already started – that someday is still ahead. The question is, when you see Jesus, what you are going to do about it? Will you walk home with him or just stand in awe of him as he walks away, leaving you on the side of the road? You decide.

We are being called for supper with the Lamb. It’s time to get around the table with the others. Are you coming or are you staying here and not getting fed?

Jason+