Rev. Corey Meyer, Director of Mission Partnerships
In the opening chapter of the Gospel of John we are introduced to a story about two disciples who are curious to know just where Jesus is staying in the community. As they follow him down the road they verbalize their curiosity and Jesus simply responds, “Come and see.”
In my first years of ministry I met a man name Raphael from Zimbabwe who was now working and living in Texas. As we talked after worship one morning I grew curious to know what is was like growing up as a boy in what was then Rhodesia. His response was quickly, “Corey, you have to come and see for yourself.”
We have a natural curiosity to want to see how people live. We want to know what their house looks like, how the landscape around it feels, what colors greet our eyes, and what kinds of stuff fill the space between the walls. I think there’s something behind seeing how one lives to get a closer glimpse of who one actually is. In Jesus’ invitation there is human intimacy, to come and see of where he eats, sleeps, bathes, relaxes and simply is.
As I spend my time in Northeast Kansas City talking to neighborhood leaders, business owners, and non-profits there is a resounding theme in our conversations. I tell them we as a church are curious about how we can best help in healthy and transformative ways. Their response is always quickly, “Come and spend time with us in the Northeast, meet our neighbors and our people.” They say simply, come and see.
If we are to be a people passionate about helping our neighbors in community we have to be quick to heed these words. First, we have to arrive, to physically go into the space where people live. Then, and only then, can we truly have eyes to see the beautiful ways in which people live.
I believe if we follow this invitation we just might be surprised that along the journey to transform we ourselves are transformed first. Perhaps then, it’s not so much about our familiar commandment from Jesus to “go and do,” but rather to accept the invitation to “come and see.”
