See Jesus

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21 They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22 Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23 Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
John 12:20-26

Some Sundays I wonder what brings people to worship.  I’m sure for some there is a sense of duty or obligation.  For others, it is an opportunity for fellowship with friends or extended family.  Still, for others, it is the opportunity to receive the sacrament, to hear the word, to lift up prayers, to lift the voices in song.  

Some people come to worship on a Sunday after the death of a loved one; some come after medical tests as they await a diagnosis; or they come for a whole host of other reasons.  I’ve met many people who have shared their stories about why they walked through the church doors that Sunday morning.  The bottom line, I think, is that like these Greeks in the text, they “wish to see Jesus.”

How many of us come to the house of worship because “we wish to see Jesus?”  Can we see Jesus in the faces of our brothers and sisters in Christ?  Can we see Jesus in the word proclaimed, the sacrament received, the prayers crying for mercy, the son of God lifted up with one voice?  I sure hope so.  That is the intention of worship planners and worship leaders.  God uses us all to help us help each other to see Jesus.

We gather for worship - in person or online - with a desire to encounter the living God in the risen Jesus Christ.  May our eyes be open to see him, our ears open to hear him, our hearts open to receive him.  Let that be our prayer.  Amen.