Every week as Highlands United Church gathers we make an affirming statement declaring who Highlands is and what Highlands intends to be about. It goes something like, “no matter who you are, where you are on the journey of life and faith, who you love, how you identify, you are welcome as you are.” For those who have been around for a while and already feel part of the community, it is a reminder of the affirming intentions and identity of Highlands. For those who are either new to the church or come with some wounds from having experienced judgement from Christian circles in the past, it is a purposeful declaration that such judgement is not what we are about at Highlands. It is an identity statement- this is who we are.
In these Epiphany weeks, we are on a journey through the early encounters with Jesus and his ministry, and with each encounter, we learn something more about who Jesus is and what he is about – his identity. This week we hear words like “lamb of God,” and “Messiah.” To the 21st century ear, those may sound quite foreign- special words and metaphors for special people. To the 1st century ear, they were code words: lamb of God had temple sacrifice connotations. Messiah had political and revolutionary ones. Most of these terms come from the people around him, not Jesus himself. Instead, he simply says, “come and see.” See for yourself. Take the risk of encountering me and what I am doing, and see what happens. Come and see how an encounter with God can change your life.
I am a big fan of learning. I am always learning more about God and life. But when it comes to worship and life in the church, my deeper hope is that, whether it is through study, worship, or service, we will encounter God, heart to heart, face to face. I pray that we
Come and see. Open to another epiphany encounter.
See you Sunday.
