COME AND SEE

SERMON PREACHED BY FR. TONY NOBLE ON JANUARY 15, 2005

John 1:44-46 “Now Philip was from Bethesda the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathaniel and said to him: “we have found him – Jesus of Nazareth.” Nathaniel said to him: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him: “Come and see.”

I would like to give you a more modern version of this story. Names have not been changed to protect the innocent!

Now George was from San Diego, the city of All Saints’ Church. George found Gerry and said to him: “We have found the Rector we want - Fr. Noble from Australia.” Gerry said to him: “Can anything good come out of Australia?” George said to him: “Come and see.” The rest, as they say, is history.

Today my mind goes back to that time three years ago and to when I was chosen as your Rector - because today we have the annual meeting of the parish. It is a time for me to prepare my annual report - to reflect what has transpired since I became your Rector. The things that have happened, my hopes and yours, the challenges and the changes - not least the accent in the pulpit!

This past year we have experienced tremendous challenges as well as continued growth, with all its stresses and changes. In particular the school and our finances are issues that have concerned us, and I will address those in my report later.

These issues, of course, are not the real issues that concern us. Worship and faith are the center of our life as a church. So let me re-tell the story again.

Now Jack was from San Diego, and he found Jill and said to her “We have found All Saints’ an Anglo-Catholic parish using Rite 1.” Jill said to him: “Anglo-catholic and Rite 1 - can anything good come out of that?” A lot actually!

An Anglo Catholic parish and its Rite 1 worship have much to offer Christians today. Yet as I said at our parish dinner in November - it is a bit of a hidden treasure to many, people even ourselves. In churches today there are many styles of worship that one can find. But if All Saints’ is merely seen as another style of Episcopalian worship then we have failed miserably. Our worship is not a style. It expresses what we believe – the Catholic faith as we have received it from the apostles.

And yet this is not actually what people are looking for. If you ask them if they are looking for the Catholic faith, it is not the answer they would give. What people are actually looking for is illustrated on another occasion involving Philip in today’s gospel. Later in John 12 some Greeks came to Philip and said: “Sir we would see Jesus.”

It is the same in today’s gospel: “come and see” said Philip. Come and see Jesus.

Seeing Jesus is at the heart of our worship and our ministry here. In the rich tradition of Anglo-Catholic worship, in the ceremony of the Eucharist, we see Jesus. In our parish we come to see Jesus most particularly in the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. But also in each other. If we only see him in the Eucharist and not in each other, then we have also failed miserably. A true spiritual experience is available here to you and I in the celebration of the Eucharist, in the receiving of Holy Communion. For here we are assembled at the banquet of the lamb.

So you see today’s gospel is very appropriate for the day on which we have our annual meeting. The purpose of any church is that the people might see Jesus.

Also in today’s gospel story there is challenge to us as individuals. At the very beginning it says that Jesus found Philip and said to him: “follow me.” This was the day after he similarly called Andrew and Peter to follow him.

My dear bothers and sisters - we have all been called by Jesus to follow him. And All Saint’s exists so that we might follow Him. And in following Him, we must lead others to Him.

At that parish dinner I said statistics show that churches which grow are those that emphasize their distinctiveness in relation to secular culture. And I said on that basis we would outstrip all the other Episcopalian churches, because we are so distinctive compared with secular culture. So when people come here and find it different we ought to be glad.

Statistics also show that most people join a church because a friend invited them to come. “Come and see” said Philip to Nathaniel 2000 years ago. “Come and see” must be our slogan too.

After meeting Jesus Nathaniel was converted because Jesus said he saw him under a fig tree. If only conversion was so simple! Even though it was so simple Jesus promised Nathaniel he would see greater things - angels no less.

On this day of reports, elections, finance and practical matters to do with our parish, let us grasp the spiritual experience of Mass here. Let us grasp the experience to see Jesus. And in seeing Jesus we may see some of these angels, too.