Show and Tell

Rebecca Sheridan
Sunday, January 18, 2026
John 1:29-42

    Does anyone else get irritated when they travel and get asked to do a quick survey or evaluation for almost everything they experienced on their trip?  American Airlines wants to know – how was your flight?  How was the service and food at the restaurant you had dinner at?  Please take a few moments to give us your feedback at the hotel where you stayed.  Want to really thank your Uber driver? Give him a 5-star review as well as a tip!  When I go on vacation, I just want to be on vacation.  I really wonder who does take the time to do all of those surveys and reviews.  Maybe you do – good for you.  I know that it helps other people have a positive travel experience because I am one of those people who looks at the reviews before booking hotels, restaurants, Uber drivers and so on.  And I’ve been on the other side of the coin, where I am asking people to post reviews of our church and school, because honest feedback does help us improve, and let people know we are worth checking out!  I get why these companies are asking for an evaluation, I just get exhausted with the process of evaluating every. single. experience.
    In our gospel for this morning, John the Baptist is giving Jesus a 5+ star review.  “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”  he declares, to anyone who will listen.  He is so excited to talk about who Jesus is and what he can do for people.  When two of his disciples are with him the next day, we see his positive words about Jesus go into action – they move from being John’s disciples to Jesus’ disciples.  The words we say about Jesus matter and can have a lifechanging impact on someone we know!  In our gospel reading for today, we see how John tells Andrew who tells Simon Peter about Jesus, and all three men are changed forever because of their relationship with Jesus AND because they tell one another about who Jesus is and what he can do.  Telling others about Jesus is one review we want to take the time to share.
    Telling others about Jesus, though, is only half of the equation.  Our words about Jesus are important, but so are our actions – showing others who Jesus is.  Let’s look also at their actual experience with Jesus and how Jesus impacts them.  In other words, it’s one thing to read a review about a place or even a person – it’s another thing to go experience that restaurant, that hotel, or to meet that person face-to-face.  Go back and reread this gospel passage.  Notice how everyone is trying to give Jesus different titles to describe who Jesus is.  John says he is the Lamb of God and the Chosen One.  Andrew calls him Rabbi (and the gospel writer has to explain, this means Teacher).  Then Andrew tells his brother Simon that Jesus is the Messiah (which has to be translated, Anointed).  These names for Jesus are important descriptions of who he is.  I could preach a whole sermon on each one of them.  But let’s remember, we’re in the season of Epiphany which means that God is not only trying to tell us something about Jesus, but to SHOW us who Jesus is. When we experience who Jesus is for ourselves, these titles for Jesus start to make sense.
    In our gospel for today, Jesus doesn’t go into a long discourse about his mission plan or unpack these titles about himself.  He simply asks the two disciples of John, “What are you looking for?”  They ask him where he is staying.  And he invites them to “Come and see.”  They remain with him the whole day.  We don’t know what Jesus shows them while he is with them all day, but by 4 o’clock in the afternoon we see how Andrew has changed from understanding Jesus as another good Rabbi or Teacher to proclaiming that he is the Messiah, and he has to find his brother to have him meet Jesus, too.  Jesus doesn’t just tell us who he is; he shows us who he is when we spend time with him.  These are simple, but profound questions for us to ask ourselves.  “What am I looking for?”  Healing, forgiveness, assurance that I am enough or have worth, some kind of miracle, a positive change in my life, better health, knowing that even in bad times, even in the face of death, God is with me and will never abandon me?  Jesus invites us to, “Come and see.”  Come and see what I have done for others.  Come and see what I can do for you.
    It’s one thing to talk about Jesus or learn about Jesus and another to experience Jesus daily at work in our lives in a relationship with him.  When we think about sharing the good news about Jesus, it may be giving him a positive review to others with our words, but we can also follow Jesus’ example to simply invite someone else to “Come and see.”  Do you know someone who might be looking for a church community?  Invite them not only to come to worship on a Sunday, but make a plan so that you can sit with them, just as Andrew brings along his brother to meet Jesus.  Do you have a friend who is going through a difficult time?  Encouraging words or a card can be nice, and also just showing up for them and being with them – a hand to hold, presence in the waiting, another listening ear – can be a powerful witness to the love of Jesus for them.  Our gospel this morning gets us thinking not just about the words we say as Christians, but how we show up for others so that people not only hear about Jesus but see Jesus working through us.
    Here’s the thing about reviews:  I went to this continuing education retreat in Scottsdale, Arizona at the beginning of the year, and I went because my friend Pastor Amanda went last year and she said, “I’m going again, because it was a great conference, and I’d love it if you could join me.”  I did not do the American Airlines, Uber, Hyatt or restaurant surveys, even though not one of those experiences was bad, I have to say.  The food was delicious, the lodging comfortable, the flights miraculously on time.  Here’s what I did take the time to do: I did do the post-conference evaluation.  Because I had a powerful experience that I want others to have.  I had time to reconnect to Jesus and my call as a pastor.  I plan to go back, and I want the event next year to be even better – for myself, and for others.
    Too often, I’ve noticed people get excited about a new restaurant they’ve tried, or a movie they’ve seen, or a good book they’ve read, and they are telling everyone about it.  “You’ve got to try it for yourself!”  One thing that hasn’t changed since biblical times is that word of mouth is still the most effective way to grow a business or a following.  I trust your personal invitation or recommendation because I have a relationship with you – it’s not just words on a page or a rating from some anonymous person on the internet.  So why is it so easy for us to want to tell the world about a good restaurant or Netflix series but we never, ever mention our church experience, or a personal experience we’ve had with Jesus?  Jesus shows us today it’s as simple as a few words of invitation:  Come and see.  Come and see what Jesus has done for millions of people all over the world, and come and see what Jesus has done and continues to do for you.  Amen.