What are You Looking For

 

John takes charge of our readings today (John 1: 29-42) and loudly proclaims Jesus’ arrival: “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, after me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” As if to validate his prophecy John cites "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him…this is the Son of God." In so doing, John goes out of his way to shift attention from himself to Jesus as if to say this isn’t about me. It’s about this guy. Yeah. He’s the one. The Lamb of God. It appears that John’s work, for the time being, is done; now, it’s up to Jesus… and us. 

And so Jesus' ministry begins not with a command to silence a demon, as in Mark's gospel, or with a sermon to the crowds who have gathered on a mountain, as in Matthew's, and not with a prophecy from Isaiah, as in Luke's. No, John's gospel begins with a question: "What are you looking for?" Needless to say, throughout the centuries and our faith's journey we continue to wrestle with this profound question.

What are we seeking? What motivates us? What is it that we really need, not just on the surface, but down deep at the core of our being? As we close out the 2022 Christmas season with last Sunday's celebration of the  Epiphany and begin our desire for an intimate, enduring relationship with God, the word “abide” has particular meaning for me. We let go of pretense and rest in God's presence and...the Word becomes flesh and abides in us, and the seeds of transformation are sown in us... and we are born into a new life.