Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and See,” said Philip. John 1: 45–46

In the first chapter of the Gospel according to John, Philip invites his friend Nathaniel to meet the new prophet, Jesus of Nazareth.  Nathaniel wonders aloud if anything good could come from Nazareth.  Philip responds simply, “Come and see."

In my own life I have found myself shaped again and again by invitations to “come and see,” to meet the Lord Jesus.  

Once, more than 40 years ago, when I was counting the offering after the morning Eucharist, I asked the rector, “Can you tell me something about the theology program mentioned in the morning bulletin?”  He smiled and said, “That’s six, that’s good, we can start now.”  He needed six students to begin his next class of the program we know today as Education for Ministry, or EF; and I had been recruited. To my surprise, I did the entire four-year program; and it changed my life significantly.  

Invitations may be come in strange ways, and they can change who we are and where our lives go.  

Later, almost 30 years ago, friends whom I trusted invited me to go on a Cursillo Weekend.  I had pushed aside Cursillo for years, “Thank you, very much, not interested.”  But I respected the folks who asked me to go, so I attended that weekend and found myself part of the Cursillo community for years afterward.  

Our Diocese sponsors men’s retreats at Claggett each winter, opportunities to escape to a quiet place, a time for reflection and fellowship; but I had never attended. Then one day I was attending a Cursillo event, and a friend said to me, “Dick, you are coming to the men’s retreat at Claggett this year, aren’t you?”  Well, I had not given it any thought; but I went home, gave it some consideration, and sure enough I not only attended, I became one of the regulars for many years.  

And the story continues. Fifteen years ago, as we arrived at Claggett for a men’s retreat on a chilly Friday evening, most of us were wearing denim, fleece, or flannel, and I teased a new arrival who was wearing a necktie, blazer, and dress trousers. I discovered that he was a Friday docent at Washington National Cathedral, and he had beat his way up Interstate 270 from the Cathedral that evening to join us for the retreat.  

I was curious and I asked him about that.  He was eager to tell me, to provide information and follow-up, even to become a friend. When I later retired from the Government, as a direct result of that discussion, I too became a Cathedral docent. I have been welcoming visitors to the National Cathedral and helping to offer general tours and tower climbs since 2008.  

Invitations come into our lives in many ways, to expand our experience and to broaden our faith.  Even in the time of the pandemic, we find new opportunities for growth and expansion of our commitment to the Lord.   

—Dick Mitchell

Grant us, Gracious Father, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path may not stumble;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Prayer 59: For Quiet Confidence, BCP, p. 832 [alt.])