Psalms (83), 145 * (85), 86; Judges 8:22-35; Acts 4:1-12; John 1:43-51Yesterday Jesus invited two disciples to Come and See after they asked him where he was staying. (We didn't read this yesterday because we were celebrating the Feast of the Transfiguration.) Andrew, one of the disciples so invited went back to his brother, Simon Peter, who comes and meets Jesus. Today Jesus invites Philip to Follow me. Philip spreads the word and tries to bring Nathanael into the fold using Jesus' own phrase Come and See.
Such gracious invitations extended today to this forming band of Jesus followers. There is an underground excitement that can be felt and heard: something new is amongst us! Only, what they expected and how it turns out are two radically different ideas of what it means to follow and to lead. We are still learning these basic lessons but our first step in learning, in understanding this mysterious God in human form, is to accept that gracious invitation to Come and See. All our expectations are changed when we truly accept that invitation. We see a different world around us, we have a new appreciation for things we have taken for granted before. And we are different for following. And that difference makes it hard for others to understand, which in turn can make it hard for us to continue following and in our turn, inviting.
Perhaps that initial excitement we hear and see in today's invitations can be bottled up somehow to break open and infect us at those times of doubt and misunderstanding. The only way I know how to uncork that bottle is through prayer.
jfd+
Copyright 2008, John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.
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