Have You Seen Jesus Lately?

          This year, the Narrative Lectionary focuses on the Gospel of John.  A number of themes run throughout this gospel, including darkness and light, seeing and not seeing.  And, when it comes to Jesus, the invitation is given more than once to “come and see.”

          While the light shining in the darkness is sorely needed these days, it might also be helpful to focus on what we see or what we don’t see.  I often get the impression that we are somehow hard-wired to see only the negative.  Some people manage to be optimists, but many automatically focus on whatever is wrong in the world.  And when we do this, we are likely to miss the presence of Jesus in our midst.

          These days, all we need to do is to watch the news in order to find many things to feed our negative outlook.  And, for those who are into social media, there is plenty of negativity there, as well.  The pandemic that never seems to end certainly doesn’t help, and focusing on all of the things that we can’t do will be sure to bring us down.

          What would happen, then, if we were to accept the invitation of Jesus to come and see?  What would this even look like these days when many can’t physically travel anywhere?  If we take some of the things that we find in the gospel of John, it might give us some clues.

          In this gospel, Jesus has long conversations with people about new birth, worshiping in spirit and truth, and living water.  We get a glimpse of the abundance that Jesus brings as water is turned into wine at Cana, and there is enough bread for 5,000 or more on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.  We see Jesus’ power to heal and to give life, as those who have been ill for many years are healed and Lazarus is raised from the dead.  We see Jesus breaking down barriers, as he dares to talk to a Samaritan woman in public and does the work of a servant by washing feet.

          One has to wonder if we can see any of these things happening today.  Have you seen anybody healed through prayer and the laying on of hands in the name of Jesus?  Have you seen the kind of abundance that only God can bring?  Have you seen barriers being broken down in the name of Jesus, through servant leaders, and ministry with the most vulnerable?  Have you seen new birth or new life where previously there was only hopelessness?

          It is not a given that we are able to see these things, but this does not mean that they are not happening.  In the gospel of John, many people saw the same things happen as the disciples did, but still did not “see” Jesus’ true identity.  At the same time, some who were physically blind knew exactly who Jesus was.  No matter what it is that we are currently seeing, the invitation to come and see still stands.

          We are invited to take the time to pray and to pay attention to signs of God at work in our world.  We are invited to pay attention to what we hear in the gospel of John and to look for the ways in which Jesus is still revealed to us today.  We are invited to worship in spirit and in truth, and to drink deeply of that living water that is the Holy Spirit.

          Yes – it is easy to find ourselves in the darkness – but may the power of God be made known to each one of us as we enter a new year.  God is faithful, and continues to give the gifts of the Spirit.  Thanks be to God!

          In Christ,

          Pastor Lynne Hutchison