Hello friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in dogs.
Welcome to this first session in our new series,
The Invitations of Jesus.
As we begin.
.
.
I invite you to find a comfortable position whether you're seated,
Lying down or walking slowly.
Just allow your body to settle.
Be aware of your presence here,
Of the things around you,
Of the things that your feet Your body can feel,
Just notice your breathing.
Notice how each breath is a gift.
A beautiful reminder that life itself is given moment by moment and as you breathe Just become aware that God is already present.
In stopping to pause like this.
We don't bring God into the moment,
We awaken.
To the one who's never left this moment.
The Christian tradition's always spoken of God as closer to us than we are to ourselves.
Before we speak,
God is present.
Before we pray,
God's listening.
Before we seek,
God's already begun seeking us.
So in these moments,
Just allow yourself to become present to the presence of the divine.
Today we're beginning a journey.
Through the invitations of Jesus.
Again and again throughout the Gospels.
Jesus invites.
Rather than coercers.
He calls rather than compels.
He kind of opens a door and waits with patience.
And the first invitation is very,
Very simple.
The first invitation is,
Come and see.
So hear these words from the Gospel of John,
Chapter 1,
Verses 35 to 39.
The next day.
John again was standing with two of his disciples and as he watched Jesus walk by he exclaimed,
Here is the Lamb of God.
The two disciples heard him say this and they followed Jesus.
When Jesus turned and saw them following,
He said to them,
Who are you looking for?
They said to him,
Rabbi,
Which translated means teacher.
Where are you staying?
He said to them,
Come and see.
They came and saw where he was staying and they remained with him that day.
Now what's interesting.
.
.
Is that here in John's Gospel,
The first words of Jesus.
.
.
Aren't a sermon,
But they're a question.
What are you looking for?
It's a question.
That I think.
Strikes all of us at some time in our life.
Probably more than once,
What are you looking for?
It's not just about pointing at one.
We want today or maybe accomplish later this year,
It's much deeper than that.
What's your heart searching for?
Is it peace?
Meaning?
Healing.
Belonging?
Love?
Maybe God.
And I'm sure there are people listening here who could say that they've spent many years answering that question.
Even before we can answer it with words.
Jesus doesn't assume he knows what the two disciples are seeking.
Rather he invites them to become aware of their own longing.
I think this is where spiritual life almost always begins,
With longing.
The Desert Fathers often spoke of desire as the beginning of prayer.
That beneath our distractions and ambitions there dies a deep desire for God.
And it's there whether we recognise it or not.
And even our restless searching.
Can become holy when it begins leading us towards Christ.
And it's interesting because the disciples respond with a question of their own,
Where are you staying?
At first glance,
It's kind of ordinary,
But.
.
.
In John's gospel,
Nothing's ordinary.
Think about what they might be really asking.
Where do you dwell?
Where is your life found?
How do we remain with you?
They don't just want information,
They want relationships.
A lot of us begin our spiritual lives.
Wanting answers,
But Jesus offers us something that's much richer and much deeper.
He offers us presence.
Relationship.
He doesn't turn around to these two disciples and give them a theological textbook.
Or outline the 12 principles for successful discipleship.
He just says.
Come and see.
And notice what he's not saying here too.
He's not saying get yourself sorted out,
Understand everything first,
Become worthy,
Fix your life.
He just invites them.
Come.
See.
Experience.
Style wall.
And this,
This is how God often works.
We imagine that faith begins with having everything figured out,
But the Gospels time and time again tell us something completely different.
The fight begins.
With taking a few steps towards Jesus.
Understanding often comes much later,
Much,
Much later sometimes.
The great Christian tradition.
Has recognised this for a long time.
We come to know God.
Not through study or argument.
As valuable as those can be,
But through encounter we discover Christ by walking with Christ,
Praying,
Serving,
Listening,
Loving.
Filing.
And then beginning again.
We don't just accumulate knowledge about God.
The Christian tradition talks about God as a lived God.
Experience.
And so maybe this is why Jesus gives an invitation rather than an explanation,
Because some truths can't be explained from a distance.
They have to be experienced from the inside.
You can't explain friendship fully,
Can you?
For music?
For love?
Beauty?
But you can enter into them.
And the same's true of the life with God.
There's another beautiful detail in this passage too.
John tells us they remained with him that day.
So the invitation wasn't just a little visit,
It was to remain.
And already at the very beginning of John's gospel,
We hear an echo of one of Jesus' greatest invitations,
Remain in me.
And so the journey of discipleship begins with coming.
It matures through remaining.
And it's really hurried.
Or often in a hurry,
We want the quick answers.
Clear directions,
The immediate certainty.
But a lot of spiritual growth happens through just staying with God over time.
Returning in prayer.
Returning in worship.
Returning after failure.
Returning after doubt.
Returning when life's joyful.
Tuning when love's hard.
And slowly we begin to notice that Christ is changing us through presence.
And Saturday's invitation.
Is simply to come.
And wherever you find yourself today,
Whether your faith feels vibrant or fragile or confident or uncertain,
Or maybe none at all at this point.
You are welcome.
This is an invitation that's not reserved for the experts.
It's to the seekers,
The curious.
Even those who barely know what they're looking for,
And maybe.
.
.
Especially for them.
So now just allow your eyes to close if it feels comfortable and if it's safe to do so.
You just become aware of your breathing.
And as you inhale,
Just quietly pray,
Here I am.
And as you exhale,
Pray,
I come.
Breathing in.
.
.
Here I am,
Breathing out.
I come.
Imagine yourself standing on a quiet shoreline.
The morning light is stretching across the water and you notice Jesus nearby.
No urgency,
No pressure.
Just kindness,
And he turns towards you and sees you completely,
Deeply.
And he asks.
What are you looking for?
Just simply notice what arises in your heart.
What are you looking for?
What longing has been quietly living within you?
What hope or ache?
What desire,
Whatever comes up,
Just offer it honestly to Jesus.
And now hear him say,
Come and see.
Notice that he doesn't explain everything.
He just invites you to walk with him.
Just take a few steps,
Walk beside him.
Notice the peace of his presence,
The comfort that comes from his companionship and rest there for a few moments just in silence.
Jesus,
Thank you for inviting me.
Rather than demanding.
Thank you for meeting us before we understand.
Thank you for welcoming our questions,
Our hopes,
Our doubts.
And even our longing.
Teach us to respond with open hearts.
Give us courage to take the next step.
No matter how small.
Help us to trust that your presence is enough.
For today.
May we continue to come.
May we continue to see.
May we learn little by little to remain with you.
And may grace,
Peace and love be with us and go with us today and always.
Amen.
Thank you so much for sharing this time of prayer.
And as you go into your day,
Carry.
.
.
That simple phrase with you,
Come and see.
Whenever you notice yourself becoming anxious or distracted or uncertain,
Just return to those words,
Come and see.
Just as an invitation.
That's always being spoken.
So until tomorrow,
May you know the peace of Christ who is always inviting you deeper into his life.
Bye for now.
