Please, come and see.
The wise men came to see the baby, Jesus.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry scores of people, a blind man, a bleeding woman, a man seeking healing for his daughter, and multitudes more would come and see.
Countless came to see Him crucified.
After He defeated death, Mary came to the empty tomb, unknowing she was there to see Him.
Jesus himself invited the disciples to come and see where He was going.
This Christmas season we come and see all the lights.
We come and see all the shiny stores with a million gift options for every person.
We come and see all the parties and people dressed up to celebrate.
We come and see all the beautiful trees and decorations.
All of these are wonderful, and I love looking at them, but they are not the hope of Christmas.
We have gotten so far from the original intention of the season that it has also become about coming and seeing a lot of junk too. We rush, we hustle, we plan, we drive all over trying to locate that perfect gift while the deafening roar of a tight schedule is screaming hurry up you have to be somewhere. I am as guilty as anyone.
This Christmas I want to encourage us all, myself included, to come and see.
Come and see the elderly who are alone and shut in.
Come and see the orphans who have no stable place of belonging.
Come and see the sick, physically and mentally.
Come and see the hurting. The crying ones and the happy ones. Oh, the pain that a smile can mask!
Come and see the lonely and the poor.
Come and see the homeless, the hungry, the outcast.
Come and see the addict.
Come and see the widow, the divorced and the single mom or dad.
Come and see the grieving who have lost a parent, a grandparent, a sibling or a child.
Many who are hurting will not ask for help. Support manifests in many forms, but to come and see a soul; to genuinely recognize and gently touch the depths of their story is a gift that no amount of money can buy. It will transform two lives, theirs and yours.
Friends we were given eyes to see. Let us use them to see beyond all the distractions of what is alive and visible and into what is dying but viable.
This Christmas season may we all come and see, and in doing so be reminded that the center of Christmas is a Savior who came to see you and me, dying so that we could freely and without shame, condemnation or guilt come and see Him.
Come and See.
