WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? The Second Sunday after Epiphany (Year A) January 16, 2011 Lessons Isaiah 49:1-7 Psalm 40:1-11 (8) 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 St. John 1:29-42 Pastor David J. Risendal www.onelittleword.org drisendal@stplc.org facebook Dave Risendal Twitter: drisendal Saint Peter Lutheran Church 9300 East Belleview Avenue Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111 voice: 303/770-9300 fax: 303/770-9301 www.stplc.org facebook Saint Peter Lutheran Prayer of the Day Holy God, our strength and our redeemer, by your Spirit hold us forever, that through your grace we may worship you and faithfully serve you, follow you and joyfully find you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. Sermon Grace to you and peace, from God our father, and the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. What are you looking for? These are the first words of Jesus recorded in St. John s Gospel. I ve wondered about these words. They are spoken as Jesus meets his first two disciples. They had been disciples of John. One day, they are standing with John as Jesus walks by. John says, Look, here is the Lamb of God! From the very beginning, that had been the purpose of John s ministry. His call was to prepare people for the arrival of the Messiah, and with these two disciples at least, he seems to have done very well. As soon as he points Jesus out to them, they leave John and begin following Jesus. We are left to assume that Jesus continues walking for some time. It may have been five seconds, or it may have been five miles, but eventually he turns around and sees them behind him. So he asks them, What are you looking for? It is a good question. There were many people looking for the Messiah in those days, and many ideas about what the Messiah would be like. Some expected a leader with a strong spiritual presence. Others expected to see someone with great military might. Still others were looking for a political or social revolution, and imagined a Messiah who would begin to make that happen. We don t know exactly what the two disciples of John are looking for when they begin following Jesus. If they have been following the teachings of John, they know that Jesus is greater than John. They know he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. They know he is a teacher, because they call him Rabbi. Other than that we don t know much about

The Second Sunday after Epiphany Year A (January 16, 2011)! 2 what they believe, or what they are looking for as they begin to follow Jesus. Their only answer to his question is, Where are you staying? That certainly doesn t give away much to us, or to Jesus. But rather than asking his question again, Jesus invites them to come and see where he is staying. They do. And they stay. And before long, Andrew finds himself running down the road, looking for his brother Simon, to tell him that they have found what they have been looking for all their lives. They have found the Messiah. What are you looking for? This question stands at the beginning of Jesus public ministry in John s Gospel, in part because it often turns out that what the people are looking for is not exactly what Jesus intends to be. They may have in mind an independent Israel, with Jerusalem as its crown jewel. They may have in mind a mighty leader who will drive the Romans from their lives. They may have in mind a restored kingdom that looks like the one David once led. But Jesus has something different in mind. And as he gets closer and closer to Jerusalem and the cross, it will begin to become apparent to them. What are you looking for? This is a good question for these two disciples; the first of those who would follow Jesus. And it is a good question for us as well. What are you looking for? Why are you here to worship with us this morning? Why have you become involved at Saint Peter? Or for that matter, why are you connected with the Christian faith? What are you looking for? I offer that, not just as a rhetorical question, but as an invitation. I m going to invite our hosts to hand out to you a piece of paper that has that one, simple question on it: What are you looking for? On that paper, I d like you to jot down what it is that draws you here. What are you looking for in worship? What are you looking for in a Christian church? If you are involved at Saint Peter beyond Sunday morning, what are you looking for as a volunteer or as a leader in this church? No matter what your level of involvement here at Saint Peter whether you have been a member for decades, or whether this is your first visit with us I am wondering what you are looking for, in being here with us today. And let me say this, as the hosts are handing these brief questionnaires out: your answers to this question are very important to me. I m going to spend some time with them. I m going to share them with our elected leaders. My hope is that your comments will both help us to identify those things that currently are most important to you about Saint Peter, and those things you most hope will become part of our life together. So take a couple minutes, if you will, and answer for us the question: What are you looking for? [ Give worshippers 3-5 minutes to jot down some thoughts. ] I m guessing that there are more answers to that question today than there were in Jesus day. As I ve spoken with people over the years, I ve heard that they seek out a church because they are looking for: inspiration and help to live the kind of life God wants them to live. a way to pass on faith and morals to their children. a way to find friendship with like-minded people. a support group to help in times of trouble or difficulty. a group to connect with in serving the community. a way to experience the love and grace of God a way to get to know Jesus better. The question, What are you looking for? often draws as many answers as there are people answering. And, of course, no congregation can be all things to all people. Jesus himself occasionally pointed out to his followers that what they were seeking was not necessarily what he was about. But Jesus always showed a keen interest in those who followed him, and we d like to do that with you this morning. What are you looking for? If I am asking you to share your answers to that question with us, then I suppose it is only fair that I share with you my answers. What am I looking for, as Pastor of this congregation? I am looking for a community that is willing to dig into God s word, and explore even those passages that trouble or frighten us.

The Second Sunday after Epiphany Year A (January 16, 2011)! 3 I am looking for brothers and sisters who will be Christ for me: surrounding me with love and care in times of difficulty, and helping to redirect me in times of unfaithfulness. I am looking for a support system that will help me to stand up for justice and righteousness, no matter what it costs. I am looking to be completely transformed by God s love and God s word. I am looking for a bold and faithful community, willing to do whatever it takes to be faithful to God s call. Those are some of the things I am looking for. I look forward to hearing what you are looking for as well. And as we share our hopes and dreams with one another, I am convinced that it will help this congregation to be an even more faithful in its desire to have Christ at the very center of everything we do. What are you looking for? Not a bad question as we consider the future of this congregation and its ministries. Amen. David J. Risendal, Pastor Gospel Lesson; English Text 1 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me. 31 I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel. 32 And John testified, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. 34 And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God. 35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, Look, here is the Lamb of God! 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, What are you looking for? They said to him, Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are you staying? 39 He said to them, Come and see. They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o clock in the afternoon. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, We have found the Messiah (which is translated Anointed). 42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas (which is translated Peter). 2 1 A list of Bible lessons for the coming weeks is available at http://www.elca.org/growing-in-faith/worship/lectionary.aspx. 2 St. John 1:29-42, New Revised Version Bible ( 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America).

The Second Sunday after Epiphany Year A (January 16, 2011)! 4 Gospel Lesson; Greek Text 1.29 Τῃ ἐπαύριον βλέπει τὸν Ἰησου ν ἐρχόµενον πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ λέγει ἴδε ὁ ἀµνὸς του θεου ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁµαρτίαν του κόσµου. 30 οὑ τος ἐστιν ὑπὲρ οὑ ἐγὼ εἰ πον ὀπίσω µου ἔρχεται ἀνὴρ ὃς ἔµπροσθεν µου γέγονεν, ὅτι πρω τος µου ἠ ν. 31 καγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν, ἀλλʼ ἵνα φανερωθῃ τῳ Ἰσραὴλ διὰ του το ἠ λθον ἐγὼ ἐν ὕδατι βαπτίζων. 32 Καὶ ἐµαρτύρησεν Ἰωάννης λέγων ὅτι τεθέαµαι τὸ πνευ µα καταβαι νον ὡς περιστερὰν ἐξ οὐρανου καὶ ἔµεινεν ἐπʼ αὐτόν. 33 καγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν, ἀλλʼ ὁ πέµψας µε βαπτίζειν ἐν ὕδατι ἐκει νος µοι εἰ πεν ἐφʼ ὃν ἂν ἴδῃς τὸ πνευ µα καταβαι νον καὶ µένον ἐπʼ αὐτόν, οὑ τος ἐστιν ὁ βαπτίζων ἐν πνεύµατι ἁγίῳ. 34 καγὼ ἑώρακα καὶ µεµαρτύρηκα ὅτι οὑ τος ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς του θεου. 35 Τῃ ἐπαύριον πάλιν εἱστήκει ὁ Ἰωάννης καὶ ἐκ τω ν µαθητω ν αὐτου δύο 36 καὶ ἐµβλέψας τῳ Ἰησου περιπατου ντι λέγει ἴδε ὁ ἀµνὸς του θεου. 37 καὶ ἤκουσαν οἱ δύο µαθηταὶ αὐτου λαλου ντος καὶ ἠκολούθησαν τῳ Ἰησου. 38 στραφεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησου ς καὶ θεασάµενος αὐτοὺς ἀκολουθου ντας λέγει αὐτοι ς τί ζητει τε; οἱ δὲ εἰ παν αὐτῳ ῥαββί, ὃ λέγεται µεθερµηνευόµενον διδάσκαλε, που µένεις; 39 λέγει αὐτοι ς ἔρχεσθε καὶ ὄψεσθε. ἠ λθαν οὐ ν καὶ εἰ δαν που µένει καὶ παρʼ αὐτῳ ἔµειναν τὴν ἡµέραν ἐκείνην ὥρα ἠ ν ὡς δεκάτη. 40 Η ν Ἀνδρέας ὁ ἀδελφὸς Σίµωνος Πέτρου εἱ ς ἐκ τω ν δύο τω ν ἀκουσάντων παρὰ Ἰωάννου καὶ ἀκολουθησάντων αὐτῳ 41 εὑρίσκει οὑ τος πρω τον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τὸν ἴδιον Σίµωνα καὶ λέγει αὐτῳ εὑρήκαµεν τὸν Μεσσίαν, ὅ ἐστιν µεθερµηνευόµενον χριστός. 42 ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν Ἰησου ν. ἐµβλέψας αὐτῳ ὁ Ἰησου ς εἰ πεν σὺ εἰ Σίµων ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωάννου, σὺ κληθήσῃ Κηφα ς, ὃ ἑρµηνεύεται Πέτρος. 3 3 St. John 1:29-42, The Greek New Testament, Aland, Kurt, Black, Matthew, Martini, Carlo M., Metzger, Bruce M., and Wikgren, Allen, ( 1983, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Stuttgart).

What Are You Looking For? When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, What are you looking for? They said to him, Rabbi, where are you staying? He said to them, Come and see. (John 1:38-39) 1. What are you looking for as a participant at Saint Peter? 2. What are you looking for as a Christian? (please place this form in the offering plate)