Come and See

Have you ever seen a picture of a place and thought, “I’d really like to go there and experience it for myself?” This has happened to my wife Jean and me a number of times. On several occasions, we followed through and wound up visiting and photographing in some spectacularly scenic spots! Below are three examples.

During one of our journeys out west, we were looking at a rack of postcards after supper one evening. One of these cards depicted unusual and dramatically-shaped sandstone formations. We found out where this location was, changed our travel plans, and discovered a photographic treasure:

Another example occurred when Jean was looking at a short article on the internet and came upon a picture of an area we’d never even heard of before. After a good deal of research and planning, we arranged a visit to this inspiring spot:

On another occasion while watching a nature show on television, we saw video footage of majestic snow-capped peaks and refreshing alpine lakes. Visiting this area was well-worth the effort it took:

In each of these instances, striking images extended a visual invitation for us to “come and see” and experience these places for ourselves.

In the first chapter of John’s Gospel, there are two examples where people were extended an invitation to “come and see” and experience Jesus for themselves. In verses 35-39, John the Baptizer pointed out Jesus to a couple of John’s followers. These two men, one of whom was Andrew (Simon Peter’s brother), went after Jesus and asked him, “Where are you staying?” Jesus replied, “Come along and see for yourself” (John 1:39a, The Message). These two guys did and stayed with Jesus for the remainder of the day.

A day or two later, Philip, a brand-new disciple of Jesus, found one of his buds, Nathanael, and told him about Jesus. When Nathanael expressed downright incredulity, Philip responded, “Come, see for yourself” (John 1:46b, The Message). Which Nathanael did.

These first century events serve as an example for me to use my photography, my words, and my actions to invite other people to “come and see” and experience for themselves, not only the beauty and wonder of God’s creation, but also the love and forgiveness of the Creator God and his Son, Jesus Christ.