Service for January 18 Second Sunday of Epiphany

“Come and see.” Jesus speaks these words as an open invitation, simple yet profound, calling each of us into encounter with him. They remind us that Christianity is not a label, a résumé, or a set of behaviors. Too often, the word Christian has been stretched into a brand: Christian radio, Christian clothing, Christian home… yet none of these capture the life God calls us to. Faith begins not with what we do, but with the God who has come to us, and our works flow from that love, mercy and hope.

John the Baptist shows the courage of pointing others away from ourselves toward Christ. His witness is quiet, costly and often unnoticed, yet it is faithful. Isaiah’s servant and Psalm 40 remind us that waiting is a part of following God: patient endurance is not passive; it is hope held through uncertainty, grief and unanswered prayer. Sight without waiting is shallow; waiting without sight leads to despair.

“Come and see” is both immediate and patient. It invites the hungry, the lonely, the imprisoned, the broken, the confident, the sinner and the saint alike. Jesus does not ask for credentials, he asks for trust. To come and see is to step into relationship, to witness mercy, healing, justice and love in action, and to let that encounter shape our lives.

Disciples are formed not by obligation but by encounter. The truth we carry is lived, not polished, a quiet courage that names how Christ has carried us through fear, grief or shame. The rhythm of faith becomes clear: our works flow from love, our witness points to Christ, and our waiting draws us into God’s faithful presence.

“Come and see.” It is the heartbeat of Christian life, the call to follow, the invitation to hope, and the path to discovering who God truly is in our midst.