“What Are You Looking For? – John 1:29-42 – January 20, 2008

In the northern Portuguese town of Sobrado, a lady has a dog name Preta. Preta leaves her owner's home every Sunday morning at 5:00 a.m. and walks 16 miles to a Roman Catholic church in time to take her usual place next to the altar for mass. The dog stands and sits whenever worshippers do the same. She usually walks back home, though some of the parishioners will give her a ride. What is interesting is that the Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha has reported that church attendance has grown as many people have attended just to see the faithful dog. Not the faithful God - the faithful dog. Go figure. (from Wesley Taylor, Tualitin, Oregon, Homiletics, January 20, 2002)

What are you looking for? Do you seek God or are you like the people in Sobrado, Italy who go to church to see a dog that worships? When someone misses worship in our church and they meet another member who worshipped they ask, “Who was there?” If the person is a member of a Pentecostal Church and misses worship and then sees a fellow parishioner who worshipped that Sunday they ask, “What happened?”

For some of us our faith is about relationships, friends, relatives and members of the flock. For others it is about what they experienced.

What are you looking for? Are you seeking a God who is all compassionate and loving? Are you seeking an improved lifestyle? Perhaps you are seeking friendship because you are lonely. Perhaps you are overwhelmed with life and you need some peace in your life. Perhaps you are sick and need healing. Or, perhaps you are lost and you need to find some purpose for your life.

As we look at the appearance of Jesus in Galilee and his newest disciples we can get a sense for what they were looking for.

Jesus was described by John the Baptist as “the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Jesus was all about forgiveness. Although we have no knowledge of the sins of Andrew or Peter we know that they accepted Jesus’ invitation and went to where Jesus was staying. As the gospel story unfolds we know that these two disciples continued to follow Jesus. We don’t know what happened in their first meeting with Jesus, we just know that they spent some time with him.

To spend anytime at all with Jesus is to experience forgiveness. Jesus continues to call us today to come to where he is and embrace the forgiveness that he gives. The disciples would not be effective unless they learned the value of forgiveness and the same is true for us.

In 1755 a young colonel, only 23 years old, was in the midst of running for a seat in the Virginia assembly. Unfortunately he made an insulting remark as part of a campaign speech. Things haven’t changed much. The remark was addressed to a hot-tempered man named Payne, who responded by knocking the colonel down with a hickory stick. Soldiers rushed to the colonel’s assistance and it appeared that a full-blown fight would ensue. But the would-be politician got up, dusted himself off, called off the soldiers, and left the scene.

The next morning the colonel wrote Payne, requesting his presence at a local tavern. Payne obliged, but wondered what the colonel’s motive might be. To Payne’s surprise, the colonel met him with an apology, asking forgiveness for his derogatory remarks and offering a handshake. The moment we feel like demanding forgiveness from others may be the very moment when we need to forgive. Fortunately, in this case, Colonel George Washington realized the wisdom in forgiving the man who knocked him down.

What are you looking for? When you find forgiveness you have found Jesus. I believe that Andrew and Peter found forgiveness and that enabled them to follow and continue in Jesus’ footsteps. Having learned one of the most important tenets of the faith, the disciples were able to keep the faith community alive and build the church.

What are you looking for? It has been my experience that few people have the courage to reach beyond their domain. When Jesus invited the disciples to come to where he was staying, they responded by saying, “rabbi.” In other words they understood him to be their teacher.

Just exactly where was Jesus staying? I’m guessing it wasn’t an inn or a resort on the shores of Galilee. Jesus didn’t own a home, so he was likely a guest at a friend’s home. No matter, it was a place where learning took place, quality time devoted to studying the scriptures and receiving counsel. The word “disciple” means pupil or student. As a result of fresh knowledge of the scriptures and new insights, the disciples could make the connection with Jesus’ ministry and be effective in building the lives of others.

It has always puzzled me as to why Jesus gave Simon the new name of Peter. Perhaps it was to symbolize a change in his personality. Perhaps he had graduated from follower to leader as a result of learning from Jesus. The name Peter, means “rock.” Jesus saw in Simon the potential to be much more than the person he was. By giving him a new name, Jesus was affirming his faith and therefore ordaining him to be a role model for others to follow.

In 1986 I received my Doctor of Ministry degree after three years of intensive study. It meant a lot to me since I am the only one in my family to have advanced degree. My grandfather was given the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity. All his parishioners, colleagues, family and friends referred to him as Dr. Arnold. But for the last twenty years my mother has always addressed her letters to me, including birthday cards and Christmas cards, as “Rev.” Keith Wagner. When I received my birthday card from my mother in December she had finally addressed my card as “Dr.” Apparently, in the eyes of my mother, I have finally aspired to be endured with the title, “Dr.” When I received the card I cried. My mother has no idea how she has increased my confidence as a pastor. I had been looking for that affirmation for over twenty years.

For Peter to receive that name change from Jesus was life-changing. His life would never be the same. Undoubtedly it helped to motivate him to be the next leader of the church.

The disciples experienced forgiveness and teaching by entering into the private world of Jesus. Had they rejected his invitation to “come and see” our world would not be the same. Their courage to befriend the “Prince of peace,” changed everything.

I also believe that people are looking for intimacy. The world we live in is complex, irrational, and hostile. People need friendship and interaction with others who they can trust and confide in. People need others who care about them.

I have always been fascinated by Canadian geese. They wing their way in a V-formation, rotating leaders because they can only survive with teamwork. What you may not know is that when a goose gets sick, or is wounded, it never falls out of formation by itself. Two other geese also fall out of the formation and follow the ailing goose down to the ground. One of them is very often the mate of the wounded bird. Once on the ground, the healthy birds help protect the goose and care for it as much as possible. They will even throw themselves between the weakened bird and predators. They stay with the wounded bird until it gets strong enough to return to the flock or it dies. The geese wait for another passing flock of geese to fly by and safely join them becoming new members of a new team.

Life as a disciple and life in the church is to be like geese who care about each other, sharing one another’s burdens and being part of the team. When we can identify with a group such as that we have found what we are looking for.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio