January 18, 2026
CHIMING OF THE HOUR
WELCOME
PRAYER
Lamb of God, you take on the sins
and suffering of the world.
Call us into partnership with you,
to love and serve your people by your side.
Call us to witness to your goodness
and to join your ongoing work of liberation.
Call to us by name,
and we will delight in your ways.
Call to us by name,
and we will follow you forever. Amen.
PRELUDE
CALL TO WORSHIP
God calls us here together — each of us, all of us, our whole selves.
We bring our questions, our longings, our hopes, our dreams and our fears.
Jesus invites us to come and see where God is at work.
Across the street and across the globe, Jesus is present.
Within these walls and within our hearts, God is here.
Let us worship the God who reaches out in love and invites us to come and see!
*HYMN No. 408 “There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit”
1 There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place,
and I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord;
there are sweet expressions on each face,
and I know they feel the presence of the Lord.
Refrain:
Sweet Holy Spirit, sweet heavenly Dove,
stay right here with us, filling us with your love;
and for these blessings we lift our hearts in praise;
without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived
when we shall leave this place.
2 There are blessings you cannot receive
till you know him in his fullness and believe;
you’re the one to profit when you say,
“I am going to walk with Jesus all the way.”
Refrain:
Sweet Holy Spirit, sweet heavenly Dove,
stay right here with us, filling us with your love;
and for these blessings we lift our hearts in praise;
without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived
when we shall leave this place.
CALL TO CONFESSION
Jesus, the Lamb of God, came to redeem and reconcile, to take away the sin of the world. We are invited to tell the truth about the places in need of healing and wholeness. Let us join in the communal act of repentance:
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Saving God, we confess that we often have not waited patiently for you. We have preferred to sing our own song, to go our own way, and to put our trust in idols, institutions and individual strength rather than trusting you. We confess that it is easier to bring you sacrifices and offerings, rather than offering our lives to you. We search for delight in all the wrong places. We keep quiet about the ways we have experienced your love and presence, and we fail to invite others to come and see you, the source of life and love, at work all around us. Forgive us, God. Abide in us until your new song of hope and redemption pours from our lips, and your love is shared in our words and deeds. Amen.
Silence is observed
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
God inclines to us, rescues us and sets us again on solid ground. God has not withheld mercy from us. Trust in the steadfast love and faithfulness of God and know that we are forgiven! Thanks be to God.
RESPONSE NO. 581 “Glory Be to the Father”
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen, amen.
*PASSING OF THE PEACE OF CHRIST
Since we are reconciled to God in Christ through our Baptism, let us share the sign of peace with one another:
May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Worshippers are invited to briefly “pass the peace” of Christ to those directly seated around them thus keeping our worship time “decent and in order” with a focus upon being part of God’s community.
SPECIAL MUSIC
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE
UNISON PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION
Holy God, reveal yourself to us once again as we hear your Word. By the power of your Holy Spirit, inspire us to follow where you lead, and to answer your call. Amen.
SCRIPTURE John 1:29-42
29The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ 31I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” 35The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”
37The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. 40One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). 42He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
Pause…
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!!
SERMON “Come & See”
Scene: An August evening during family vacation. Calabash Creamery – Calabash, NC.
My family was sitting around one of the picnic tables on the patio of the ice cream stand, enjoying our various flavors of ice cream including butter pecan, chocolate peanut butter, strawberry and blue flavor. We were there for, probably, the second time that week. The Creamery was our favorite place near Sunset Beach. As usual, we were part of the influx of summer visitors — families, like ours, who came to the Grand Strand Beaches of NC & SC.
We’d only been at The Creamery, a few minutes when three teenaged guys strutted over to us with the feigned confidence of a highschooler about to ask a girl to the prom. You could tell they felt awkward (poor guys), but — still — they were resolved to perform their Christian duty: “Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” they asked.
I don’t think whatever script they’d studied had quite prepared them for our table. “Well,” my dad started, “I am a pastor in the Presbyterian Church. And my son is also a Presbyterian minister. My daughter is an Elder in her Presbyterian Church, and the rest of our family is very involved in their local congregations. So, I think we’re set.”
And those three teenaged boys smiled and nodded and murmured a quick, “Oh, I’m glad you’ve heard the good news.” And they walked away looking a little relieved, I think, to have been let off the hook.
“Do you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?”
The idea of asking that question of strangers we meet is enough to make most of us cringe for a multitude of reasons, ranging from downright discomfort to theological disagreement. And yet, bearing witness to the good news of Jesus Christ is central to our tradition. We hear this mandate from the lips of Jesus, himself: Then he said, “Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all.” And we see quite plainly the importance of testimony in the Gospel of John. From the beginning of this book, it is clear that those who surround Jesus are eager evangelists … including John the Baptizer. He is introduced earlier in Chapter 1 as a witness. “[John] came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.” Even, here, in John’s account of the Call of the Disciples, it is the work of witnesses — not of Jesus, himself — to draw disciples to the Messiah. Unlike the more familiar ‘call narratives’ in Matthew, Mark and Luke — in which Jesus calls out some version of the phrase, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people” — the Jesus of John’s Gospel utters no imperative, no command. He does not even speak. The One introduced as the Word-made-flesh, does not voice a single word in John’s text until after he notices the first of his disciples following him.
It is John — the one sent to testify to the light — who sets this call narrative in motion. “Look!” he says. “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” And, immediately, Andrew and his companion follow Jesus. It is hard to imagine that this claim alone from John would compel two grown men to change course and follow a stranger. But — remember — they are already disciples of John. They have been following the Baptizer for some time now: watching as John wades into Jordan to baptize with water so that the Messiah might be revealed; listening as John proclaims the Lord who is to come — the Lord upon whom the Spirit rests. So these two men are watching for the Messiah. And as soon as John the Baptist points — “Look! Here he is!” — Andrew and the other rise to join the man from Nazareth.
But it is these disciple’s first encounter with the One they choose to follow that I find so intriguing. Hear the exchange again, this time with words that are a bit closer to the original Greek:
When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you abiding?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was abiding, and they abided with him that day. “Where are you abiding?” they ask. And Jesus replies, “Come and see.”
Andrew and the other disciple rise to follow as soon as John the Baptist points out Jesus. But it is not until these two have abided with their new Teacher and Lord that they are ready to bear witness to the Messiah in their midst. Only then can these disciples proclaim the good news with personal conviction — not as an echo of another’s testimony. After they have “come and seen,” after they have spent a day in Jesus’ presence, after they have experienced for themselves the abundant life Christ offers — only then are they are ready to go and tell others about the God who abides with us.
And this is exactly what happens next. Andrew immediately runs to his brother and declares: “We have found the Messiah!” And he brings Simon to Jesus so that he, too, can have a relationship with the One who comes that we might have life, and have it abundantly.
So begins a pattern that we see unfold throughout John’s Gospel: In the verses that succeed today’s passage, Philip becomes a disciple of Jesus and immediately testifies to Nathanael, saying: “Come and see!” And, a few chapters later, the Samaritan woman at the well does the same thing. She spends time with Jesus, drinking deeply of the living water he offers. So amazed is she by her encounter with the Messiah that she runs to fetch others, saying: “Come and see!” As it turns out — other Samaritans heed this woman’s testimony and come and see for themselves. After abiding with Jesus for two days — after experiencing firsthand the abundant life Christ offers — they say to the woman: “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”
This is how the community of disciples grows: One by one, seeking souls experience the abundant life Christ offers. And then — overwhelmed by grace — they go out and invite others to experience God’s grace for themselves. “Come and see,” they say. “Come and see.”
What if the church’s witness always carried such an eager and enthusiastic invitation? What if our testimony to the seeking souls we encounter in the cafeteria or at the water cooler or across the cubicle wall echoed that refrain from John’s Gospel? — “Come and see.”
It makes me wonder: What if those teenagers who approached my family on a summer evening at the Creamery had posed the question differently? — “We have experienced the abundance of God’s grace. Can we tell you, our story?” Who knows if we would have listened to their testimony while we ate our chocolate dip cones and concretes? But it would have piqued our curiosity, to say the least.
Or: What would have happened had we responded differently? Perhaps: “We do know Jesus Christ, but tell us what your faith has meant to you.”
It’s entirely possible that those three teenaged boys would have shared stories of grace-filled encounters with Christ. Maybe one of them would have said:
When our congregation celebrates communion, I look around and see grandparents with shaky hands serve children who have just been baptized, and teenagers like me serve our friends’ parents. And there is a bond beyond anything we could imagine or create for ourselves. I know that the Holy Spirit is at work in that bread and that cup, drawing us closer to God and one another.
Or, one might have shared:
When I volunteer at our local soup kitchen, I sit down and talk with the people who come in for lunch. Sometimes they’ll tell me stories about how their faith keeps them going, even in really difficult times. And, for a moment, I don’t know if I’m the one serving or the one being served. You should come and see for yourselves; it really is an amazing place.
You may think that sounds a bit far-fetched for three teenaged boys, but I will testify that I’ve heard some pretty profound comments from youth during my ministry.
Can you imagine what doors of hearts and souls might open if the church’s witness and work in this world always welcomed the stranger to experience the abundant life Christ offers? … If we could sincerely, confidently offer the invitation: “Come and see”?
Because, here’s the thing: Our communities are full of those who are seeking comfort or guidance or peace; those who are seeking connection or care; those who are seeking the abiding presence of Christ. Ours could be the very invitation these seeking souls long to hear.
That is our task as followers of Jesus to invite people without judgment:
“Come and see.”
Come and see; there is grace to be found here.
Come and see; here, in this place, you can experience abundant life.
I like to think we have all encountered the One who comes that we might have life, and have it abundantly. While John the Baptizer has not stood beside us to name the One who has just entered our lives, our hearts have known the truth of the encounter—perhaps in a moment when we found comfort from unrelenting grief, or felt the touch of a hand when we were lonely, or in the welcoming smile of a stranger when we stood at a new door. Maybe it was the hug of forgiveness when we thought all was lost, and we find ourselves at home once more. In so many ways, we have experienced grace upon grace. So let us not be shy or selfish about the good news in which we abide.
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
A portion of “The Brief Statement of Faith”
We trust in Jesus Christ, fully human, fully God. Jesus proclaimed the reign of God: preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel. Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal. Amen.
*HYMN No. 468 “In My Life”
1 In my life, Lord,
be glorified; be glorified.
In my life, Lord,
be glorified today.
2 In our song, Lord,
be glorified; be glorified.
In our song, Lord,
be glorified today.
3 In your church, Lord,
be glorified; be glorified.
In your church, Lord,
be glorified today.
4 In your world, Lord,
be glorified; be glorified.
In your world, Lord,
be glorified today.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE & THE LORD’S PRAYER
Holy God, we have come here looking for many things. You, who have shaped us and formed us, know our thoughts, desires and needs before they reach our lips. You know what we are looking for, and you know what we need, and yet, you invite us to come and see, to come and share the prayers on our hearts.
We believe that your desire is for the healing of all nations, the recon- ciliation of all people, and the flourishing of all creation. It is our desire, too. We know that you are present in the places where there is more war than peace, more famine than feast, more death than life. Where we are complicit, forgive us. When we are indifferent, give us your eyes of compassion. If we are ignorant, help us see your truth and know how to live faithfully in such difficult times.
We pray especially for… [name the prayer requests of your specific location and congregation related to reconciliation.]
We believe that you have made each and every one of us in your image, unique testimonies to your love and creativity. Still, there are so many of your beloved children who are hated, judged, feared and cast out from families, communities and nations. We know that you are with them; make us ready to accompany as we are able.
We pray especially for… [name the prayer requests of your specific location and congregation related to conflict.]
As many of us remember the life and ministry of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we give thanks for his work and witness, and for the prophets throughout time and in every place who have reminded us of your call and desire for our life together. For all who have given their lives for the sake of your name, working for your justice and reconciliation, we give thanks. We remember Dr. King, and we remember Fannie Lou Hamer. We give thanks for Isaiah, and for the unnamed woman who would not rest until justice was served. We give thanks for those members of our community and leaders far beyond who are seeking justice and dignity for all people.
Especially we pray for… [name those members of our community and leaders far beyond who are seeking justice and dignity for all people.]
Nothing in creation is outside of your care, and we offer the prayers that are on our hearts today….
We entrust all of these prayers to you, praying in the name of Jesus as he taught us to pray, saying, “Our Father …”.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
PASSING OF FELLOWSHIP PADS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
TITHES & OFFERINGS
God doesn’t desire our sacrifices or offerings. God’s desire is for us to be partners in the redeeming and reconciling work of God on earth. We have been given all we need to fulfill that call, and so we are invited to offer what God has given us in this service. Freely we have received, now freely let us give.
OFFERTORY ANTHEM
*RESPONSE N0. 607 “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow”
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise Christ, all people here below;
praise Holy Spirit evermore;
praise Triune God, whom we adore. Amen.
*PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Holy God, we are not lacking in any gift, and we give you thanks and praise. Receive the gifts of our hearts and lives, not as vain sacrifice, but as a joyful response for your steadfast love. Use what you have given us to your glory in every place. Transform our gifts to become a beacon of hope, a word of life, and a balm of healing for all of creation. Amen.
*HYMN No. 744 “Arise, Your Light Is Come!”
1 Arise, your light is come!
The Spirit’s call obey;
show forth the glory of your God,
which shines on you today.
2 Arise, your light is come!
Fling wide the prison door;
proclaim the captives’ liberty,
good tidings to the poor.
3 Arise, your light is come!
All you in sorrow born,
bind up the brokenhearted ones
and comfort those who mourn.
4 Arise, your light is come!
The mountains burst in song!
Rise up like eagles on the wing;
God’s power will make us strong.
*BENEDICTION
Go and see!
God is at work all around us.
Go and see!
Jesus invites us to follow.
Go and see!
The Holy Spirit sends us out, empowered, renewed, inspired and
equipped to do our part.
Let us go and see, in power and in peace, to share God’s love with all.
The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of our parent God, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit are with us, today and always. Amen.
*POSTLUDE