Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The text on which this morning's message is based comes from our Gospel lesson (John 1: 29-41 plus verses 43-51) read earlier.

As many of you know, my family and I just got back from a week's vacation to Arizona, primary destination the Grand Canyon. Last Saturday morning, as we came through the southeast corner of the park, while we were still in desert scrub brush, we all saw one of the deepest, most impressive canyons any of us had ever seen. The girls asked "Is that the Grand Canyon?" I didn't think so, so I quickly looked at the map and realized we were looking only at the tributary canyon carved out by the Little Colorado River. But still it was so huge, so deep, that we were all awestruck that something bigger was yet to come. When we first came to Desert View, the most southeast corner of the Grand Canyon, we then realized how small and minor the Little Colorado Canyon actually was.

In a sense, John the Baptist is like the canyon carved out by the Little Colorado River. When viewed by himself, he is impressive: A prophet called by God, the only prophet to actually fulfill other prophecy. People who saw and heard him wondered if he could be the Messiah, the Grand One they were expecting. But John knew his own role. He was not the main event, he was not the one who people would ultimately come to see. He was only a tributary, a side canyon that would lead interested viewers to the featured presentation. When people came to see John, he said: "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me". John goes on to herald Jesus with great names besides "Lamb of God". He also calls him "Son of God" and "He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit". John knew that he (John) was a tributary, a side feature to the main event of the Messiah Jesus.

But at this time in his ministry Jesus appearance was not all that striking. Jesus looked and talked like any other peasant from Nazareth, the son of a carpenter. He did not look like the main event that was to come. At least He didn't look like their expectation of the Grand Messiah. Even when Philip came to tell Nathaniel they had found the Messiah, Nathaniel said of him "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Philip simply responded with "Come and see!"

I've often wanted to have someone say to me "Come and see Jesus". Wouldn't it be marvelous if we could be led to see Him, face-to-face?   We think "He might not look all that impressive, but I would know. I would sense His greatness." Seeing Jesus would be an even greater thrill for us all than seeing the grandeur of the Grand Canyon. I wish I could take each of you by the hand, and like John Baptist and Andrew and Philip did for others, lead you to see Jesus. I wish I could. "Maybe" I can.

I'd like to use that theme of "come and see". But, I'm going to need some volunteers for these next parts. Is there anyone here who likes to watch the show Antiques Roadshow? Anyone who has watched it at all? OK, thanks.

Now, what happens on the Antiques Roadshow? ….. Right, people bring in their antiques, their old collectibles that they've found in their attic or at a garage sale and have them appraised. Now, I assume that many of the people we don't see on TV bring in items and the appraisers tell them, "Sorry, those are a dime a dozen. That $2 you spent at the garage sale was more than it was worth." But the ones we see on TV are often surprised that the old lamp that was collecting dust in the attic was actually worth $1000, $2000, $5000 or more. What is the highest appraised item you've ever seen on Antiques Roadshow? ….. Let's say you're an appraiser for the Show and I bring in this antique (the basin full of water from the Baptismal font). What do you think the appraiser would estimate as the worth for the basin of water? Probably not much. The appraiser would probably sound like Nathaniel and say "Water! Can anything worthwhile come from that? Water is cheap and common.

We're looking here for expensive heirlooms. Why waste my time with only water?"

But there the appraiser would be wrong. This basin of water, when connected with God's Word and God's name, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, becomes the most precious and valuable heirloom.   Do you remember your Baptism? No, since you were baptized as an infant. Most of you in the congregation probably do not remember your baptisms. But yet you can think of your Baptism as a priceless antique, more valuable to you than any heirloom ever shown on Antiques Road Show. You might not remember your Baptism but you can remember that at your baptism the most precious water of life, connected with God's Word was poured over you, and you were called by name to be His disciple. Unfortunately many of us tend to put our baptism away in the attics of our minds, collecting dust, unaware of its worth.

But just as Jesus used his own human voice to call Philip to be his disciple when He said "follow me", Jesus used the human voice of a pastor to call you by name and make you Jesus' disciple. The waters of your Baptism don't look all that precious to an uninitiated appraiser, but to those who trust in His Word, they are the most precious heirloom we could ever imagine. Our Baptism is that point in our lives when Jesus says to us "Come, and you will see", when Jesus comes to us and opens the Kingdom of heaven for us to see. At our Baptism He washes us, body and soul, so that we can remain in his presence. As Mr. Cynova said last week, at our Baptism we become watermarked by Jesus.   We not only come personally to Jesus with this precious watermark, but we are actually buried with Him in His death and raised with Him to new life in His resurrection. At our Baptism He becomes the Lamb of God for us, the one who takes away our sin in a very personal way. Just as Jesus didn't look like the grand Messiah to his first disciples, these waters of Baptism don't look like much. But just as God used John the Baptist and Andrew and Philip to introduce Peter and Nathaniel to Jesus, He uses the waters of Baptism to introduce us to Jesus. So can I introduce you to Jesus? You already have been, at your Baptism. Thank you for coming up and seeing.

I need another volunteer, this time someone who knows a little bit, not about antiques, but about wine…. Thank you. Now, like antiques, wines differ in price.

What is the most expensive wine you've ever seen or tasted? That much per bottle? (Uncovering the communion set). Do you think we used expensive wine like that to use for communion? No. We use a good quality, medium priced wine that a member contributes, but it is not a French wine that connoisseurs would spend hundreds of dollars to taste. But yet, in a few moments, this will become the most precious drink you could ever imagine, because in a few moments, when it is connected with God's Word of promise and forgiveness, this wine and this bread will become Christ's body and blood, a source of spiritual life and forgiveness for those who believe.

Philip introduced Nathaniel to Jesus with the words "Come and see." Nathaniel was not initially impressed, just as the world and our sinful hearts tend to be unimpressed with preciousness of this bread and wine when it is connected with God's Word. A response of someone like Nathaniel to the Lord's Supper might be: "Bread and wine? Can anything that great come from simple bread and wine?" The answer is YES! Here we meet Jesus. Here we come and see and touch Jesus' body and receive the strength that he alone can give. Here the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world through His death and resurrection appears physically to us and touches our bodies with His body. Come and touch Jesus? You bet we do, right here in a few minutes.   Thank you for coming and seeing.

I'd like one more volunteer for the "come and see" theme…. Thanks for coming up. Andrew was able to introduce his brother Peter to Jesus. Philip was able to introduce Nathaniel to Jesus by saying "Come and see". John the Baptist had introduced all of them to Jesus by saying, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" But Jesus wasn't just a statue or silent spectacle like the Grand Canyon. They didn't just come to see him. They came to hear him, to hear what he taught, to hear why he came. We have the opportunity to come and hear him too, here from God's Word. Here in the Scriptures we have Jesus' words recorded, the words of the prophets of God. Here we have the sermons and letters of the Holy Apostles' of Jesus. Here in the pulpit I am given the privilege to proclaim those Words to you on Sundays, to repeat the messages of those prophets and apostles in words meant for ears of people in this century. You are given the privilege to hear those words proclaimed. Here we hear that Jesus is the Son of God, filled with the Holy Spirit, the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world, your sin, my sin.

Now I know, I was a layman myself for over 40 years. I know how hard it is to sit and prepare mentally for the sermon and readings from Scripture. I too know the temptations in my mind of "here comes another sermon like I've heard before, yada, yada, yada. Say something I haven't heard before pastor." Our sinful natures want be like Nathaniel and say "A sermon, or a Bible. Can anything that great come from there? But God's Word, from the Bible, from the pulpit, God's Word that empowers the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper take us to see Jesus, the Lamb of God who came to take away our sin. May we always be willing to "Come and see" Him in all the ways he has provided for us.

Let us pray... (Extemperaneous prayer asking God to be able to always come and see, touch and hear Jesus in all the forms He comes to us in, without responding like Nathaniel. Pray that we will be constantly amazed at his love and willingness to come and be the Lamb of God for us who took away our sin.)
Amen.