“Sir, We Wish to See Jesus”

According to John 12, a group of Greeks were looking for Jesus. In their search, they approached Philip, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” That phrase has become important for the ministry of the church and the preaching of the gospel. Many churches have a small plaque in the pulpit that says, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus,” or the older translation, “Sir, we would see Jesus,” to remind the preacher that listeners in the pew are longing to hear the good news about Jesus. Whatever else happens in the sermon, it ought to point people to Jesus. Of course, I’d prefer “Ma’am, we wish to see Jesus,” but I love the use of this phrase, originally directed to Philip, as a reminder to preachers and to the whole church today.

I’ve been thinking about this phrase in our current season of experimentation as a congregation. Really, I’ve been thinking about it more broadly in the context of these decades of declining church involvement throughout North America. Our tendency is to worry about our ability to attract new, young members to our congregation, especially when there is no longer a social pressure to be a regular church attender. It is perfectly acceptable now in our culture to spend a Sunday morning going for a jog, going out for brunch, or staying home with your family and getting ready for the week ahead. We know that people no longer feel shame about not attending church, so then, we worry: why would they choose to attend at all?

An important part of the mission of the church is to discern if there are parts of our culture or way of being as a congregation that have become barriers to welcome for those on the outside. We want to work hard at removing those barriers and growing in our ability to welcome people from all cultures and backgrounds. We may have to change parts of how we understand ourselves in order to become more welcoming.

At the same time, there are things about our identity that will not change. The centrality of Jesus to our mission and identity will not change, and this does not compete with our desire to welcome people. In fact, the centrality of Jesus to our mission and identity ought to be the most compelling and welcoming part of who we are and what we do. The world longs to know Jesus, to be welcomed by his mission of love for the world, to be a part of a community shaped by him. The world longs to hear a message of acceptance from God, and to be a part of an intergenerational community that will support them as they learn to live out the Christian life.

People who do not attend church are just like those of us who do attend church in that they are searching for meaning, belonging, and purpose. Jesus is the answer that we all are searching for. Even as we work hard at communicating the gospel of Jesus Christ in compelling ways, we can trust that the gospel itself is very compelling indeed. The world is saying to the church: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” When we allow the light of Christ to shine through who we are and what we do, we are living out the true purpose of the church and welcoming others to join us.

Written by Pastor Rebecca Jordan-Heys