Epiphany 2A
January 15, 2023
John 1:29-42
INTRODUCTION
This second Sunday after Epiphany we continue with a strong Epiphany theme: the revelation of God in the world. We’ll see it in the form of Spirit, and voice, and call. And in our Gospel reading, we’re hear it in a special name John uses for Jesus: the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. If you are familiar with the liturgy, you will likely notice: this is the text on which the song we sing at communion is based. It’s actually the only time in the Bible that this particular phrase is used, but it is clearly important – which is why John the Baptist uses it twice in a row, to make sure we get the message!
That’s interesting, and important, but it is not what draws me in about our Gospel text today, or Epiphany in general. In the season of Epiphany, we talk a lot about seeing God revealed, and this word, see, and other words like it, play a prominent role in today’s story. So, as you listen especially to the Gospel story, notice how often you hear words like see, look, behold, found. Maybe you even want to circle them whenever you hear them. We’ll be making a quick detour today from Matthew’s Gospel into John’s Gospel, and for John, words like that, about seeing, are a big deal, so we’re going to explore that a bit today. Let’s listen.
[READ]
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
In my dream life, I live in a house where I know where everything is. Like, I think, “I need that book,” and I go to the place where the book is, and I find it there, every time. Does that sort of house exist? Does anyone have one? (Teach me!)
Of course, I live with two active and creative young children, and a sometimes absent-minded husband, and I have myself been known to pick something up to do something, get distracted, put it down somewhere else to do something different instead, and then come back later and wonder why my car keys are in the fridge. This is one reason I am almost always late to things – I spend a solid portion of my life looking for things.
Even if you do have one of those magic houses where you never lose anything, I think all of us spend a good portion of our lives looking for something – and a lot of the time, we don’t even know what it is. I’ve been thinking about that a lot this week, because what gripped my attention in our Gospel reading are those first words that Jesus utters to his disciples: “What are you looking for?” It seems innocuous enough. Yet this question has taken hold of my heart this week, and not let go. These are the first words Jesus utters in this Gospel at all, and first impressions matter. The Evangelist John is incredibly careful in his writing and every word choice means something, so I have to assume that this first question Jesus asks is an essential one in our understanding of entering a life of discipleship. What are you looking for?
I think a lot of times, our culture tries to answer this for us. It tells us that we are looking for a new car, or a bigger house, or whiter teeth, or a new outfit, or a flatter belly. And then it tells us that if we can find these things, we will be happy. And then it tells us that these things can be ours, for a price. Suddenly, we no longer know what we are truly looking for, because we are so busy trying to acquire what we think will fill whatever void needs filling. But all the while, Jesus’ question lingers over us, persistently asking, “But what are you really looking for? What is your deepest longing? What is your greatest hope? What are you looking for?”
As I said, I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and so here are some of the things I am looking for, or have found myself looking for in my recent life:
I’m looking for peace, for an escape from my constant monkey brain and the demands of my to-do list.
I’m looking for spiritual stillness and rest – not the sort that I get from binging Netflix, or playing Candy Crush, but rather, the sort that truly rejuvenates my soul and makes me feel refreshed.
I’m looking for community, for places where I can be my authentic self and still trust that I belong, where I can connect meaningfully with other humans trying to live this life with as much wholeness and holiness as we can.
I’m looking for hope, in a world that seems committed to bringing despair.
I’m looking for joy – real, deep joy – that lifts the weight I sometimes carry, often that I’ve taken upon myself.
I’m looking for guidance, for ways of being or praying or living that draw me out of my rut and open my perspective to new ways of encountering God and the world. …
Are you looking for any of these things? What are you looking for? A way to make a meaningful difference in the world? Something to make you feel alive again? Fulfilling work? A deeper prayer life?
I am actually genuinely interested in your answers. In your bulletin, you will find a sheet of paper with this question on it. Take a minute right now to jot down your thoughts, and give it to me after worship (this will help me know how best to pastor you in the coming year!). Or if you prefer, text me your answer, right now, and I will read it aloud, without your name. Or if you’d rather, talk about it with the person sitting next to you. Go ahead and take a moment, and when you hear the bell, we’ll regather. What are you looking for? And, if you like, where are you looking to find it?
…
Let’s see how the disciples answer Jesus’ question. Interestingly, they seem to dodge it, by asking another question: “Rabbi, where are you staying?” That word, “staying,” is an important one for John the evangelist. In Greek the word is meno, which appears over 40 times in this Gospel and is often translated as “abide.” The reason it is important is that for John, “to abide” is to be in relationship with Jesus, and this is John’s definition of faith, of discipleship: it is abiding with Jesus.
So what does it mean, then, that the disciples’ answer to Jesus’ question, “what are you looking for?” is, “Rabbi, where do you abide?” I read that and hear from them a longing for a life-giving relationship with the Lamb of God. What are you looking for? I’m looking for you, Jesus, for you to know my heart, for you to guide my ways, for your peace and wisdom to fill me up. Where do you abide, teacher, so that I may abide there with you? I’m not sure what exactly I’m looking for, Lord, but I know that I’m going to find it when I abide with you.
Because in the end, that is what we all are looking for, isn’t it? For a meaningful relationship in which we find truth, peace, comfort, wisdom and purpose, to abide for all of time in the one who brings life, who brings it abundantly. For the one whose very essence is love, who is a light to scatter the darkness of night. For the one who loves us just exactly as we are, but who also loves us too much to let us stay in our lostness and our brokenness, and so always is calling us out into service and into life.
Let us pray… Abiding God, we don’t always know what exactly we are looking for, but we know that we will find all that we need in you. Guide our hearts and our ways, so that we would find whatever it is that we are looking for. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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