What Are You Looking For? A Sermon for 2 Epiphany Year A

It felt as if there were several directions I could have gone with this sermon. But the line "What are you looking for?" wouldn't leave me alone. And, just to make it a little more fun, I did a demonstration of the way I generally walk into a room...look around cluelessly... until the question "What are you looking for?" from Isabelle. 

It also opened some room to talk about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on this, what would have been his 94th birthday. 

Texts: Isaiah 49:1-7; Ps.40: 1-12; John 1: 29-42

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Prayer: God be in our heads, God be in our hearts, God be on our lips, and may God’s Word be heard. Amen.

“What are you looking for?”

If your households are anything like mine, this is one of the most common questions getting asked.

And it usually looks something like this… (demonstrate walking around, puzzled, looking high and low)

Typically…what are we looking for?
Glasses.

Purse.

Phone.

Am I right?

 

“What are you looking for?”

In John’s Gospel… these are the first words we hear Jesus speak.

Prior to this…we have that beautiful prologue…where John does a remix of the opening lines of Genesis to tell the story of the Word made Flesh coming into the world and dwelling among us.

Now we have John’s version of what happened at the River Jordan with Jesus’ baptism.

These past couple weeks…we’ve heard Matthew’s telling of the story. We’ve seen John the Baptist out there on the river bank...first as a firebrand screaming at the Sadducees and Pharisees and then as a somewhat confused but compliant participant in Jesus’ baptism. 

Today… John the Baptist recounts what he saw as he brought Jesus up out of the water.

He tells his disciples, “I didn’t know this one, but God had told me that I was going to know who is the one when I see the Holy Spirit descend and remain with him. And then…wouldn’t you know?!… it happened! The Holy Spirit descended like a dove and remained over this guy. He’s it! He’s the Lamb of God! This is the one I’ve been telling y’all was coming!”

John is basically telling his followers, “Go on! I’ve done my part. You must now go after Jesus!”

We’re seeing a passing of the torch. John the Baptist knows that it’s time for him to step back and give way to Jesus to be the leader.

And so, John’s disciples…including Andrew and Peter…go off to follow Jesus.

And Jesus… realizing that he’s suddenly picked up some traveling companions… turns to them and—in good Rabbinic fashion—asks a question:

“What are you looking for?”

Interestingly…what the disciples do is to ask another question:

“Rabbi, where are you staying?”

And Jesus…again doesn’t give them a direct answer…but instead gives them the invitation

“Come and see.”

It’s a very curious exchange…

What the heck are they looking for?

We might get a clue if we go behind our English translation and check the Greek translation of these lines.

In the Greek… the verb John the Baptist uses to describe the Holy Spirit’s descent and “remaining with” Jesus is the verb “meno.”

“Meno” can mean remain, to stay, to be present with.

So when the disciples ask where Jesus is staying… the verb used again is “meno.”

Meno can also mean “abide”

So it will be the verb of choice much later in John’s Gospel as Jesus tells his disciples to be like the branches on the vine and “abide” in him.

By abiding in him… those branches will bear much fruit.

What is it about this one… this person in whom the Holy Spirit abides… remains… meno?

Do they follow after him just because John the Baptist says so?

My guess is that for Andrew and Peter… and maybe for you and certainly for me… what pulls us in and makes us want to seek out Jesus cannot necessarily be put into words.

Mostly because words sometimes feel empty or inadequate.

There’s something about Jesus… the way he lives and moves and his being… that is attractive.

Maybe it’s because his life and mission is one that speaks to integrity.

His is a life that we can see is closely tied to the servant song we heard this morning in Isaiah.

Just like the servant… Jesus’ life is a response to that call to bring light to the nations and empower and lift up those who have been despised and abhorred.

It’s a life and mission that has motivated and provided comfort and strength to so many who have dared to take a stand for the have-nots in the face of the powerful haves of the world.

This weekend… our nation honors the life and struggle of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior.

Every school child in the United States by now has learned something about Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s.

Many will quote Dr. King’s words from his famous “I Have A Dream” speech.

But many of those same people will have little clue that Dr. King… the Reverend Dr. King… employed a rhetorical device in that speech derived from the source of his strength: Jesus.

King’s beautiful oratory about a dream where all people… white men and black men…Jews and Gentiles… Protestants and Catholics… could proclaim the words “free at last” has its foundation in the Gospel.

We’ll be hearing in a few weeks the teachings of Jesus as he delivered his Sermon on the Mount.

Dr. King patterned his “I Have a Dream” address on those words.

That became clear to me when I was in a philosophy class in college.

Our professor had assigned us to read King’s speech and then look at the Jesus’ words from the Gospel of Matthew.

Jesus recognizes the wrongs done against the people of God… the indignities and the oppression of the Roman Empire.

But he also redirects that hurt and anger toward a resolve to remain steadfast in Love.

King’s speech also acknowledges the promises that the nation had made to African Americans that were unfulfilled.

But like Jesus… he encouraged holding the nation accountable through Love not violence.

As Dr. King said in that speech, “Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”

King placed his trust in the Lamb of God.

King’s dream was in line with God’s dream.

And during the times when Dr. King was sometimes at his greatest doubt about his ministry of social justice… it was that deep-seated faith in him that kept him going… kept him marching… kept him praying for a day when we would all finally see each other as the beloved children of God that we are.

His dream…which is God’s dream… hasn’t been realized yet.

But it’s also not lost.

“What are you looking for?”

Perhaps on this weekend we should consider that question.

Are we looking for a champion for goodness?

For justice?

For righteousness?

Are we looking for a spiritual guide?

For peace?

It’s tempting to answer that question right away.

I encourage us to pay attention to the words of the psalmist and wait patiently on that question.

Take the bulletin insert home if you’re so moved… and pay attention to the readings during these next several weeks during  this “After The Epiphany” period.  

Consider what it is that we might be looking for from Jesus…from the church… and from ourselves.

Let that question linger…and see where it leads.

What are you looking for?

Come and see what is this next step in this journey with God.

In the name of God…F/S/HS.