What Are You Looking For?

Yesterday, I preached a sermon that asked and partially answered a question of faith. “What are you looking for?”

Part of the answer acknowledged the searching questions that occupy our own hearts and affirmed the validity of that search. There’s nothing wrong with seeking out authentic wholeness. St. Augustine’s God-Shaped Hole comes in a variety of flavors, so different people are looking for different things. I happen to believe that all of those answers are found in relationship to God.

 But the thrust of the sermon was aimed at the many men and women at Piperton UMC who have already found the initial answers to their initial questions. Most of them have discovered that there are still holes in their lives–smaller than the originals, to be sure. But holes nonetheless.

I tried to point out that those holes are God-Shaped, too. And only God can fill them. But the process is a little different for this stage of discipleship. Once you’ve found Christ by finding the Body of Christ (the Church), the time has come to seek out Christ in the world.

So the question, “What are you looking for?” has two general answers. Both of them are “Jesus Christ.” One is the Body of Christ, and the other is the Christ of Matthew 25. “I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was naked and you clothed me; sick and imprisoned and you visited me.” When we do these things to the least likely persons in this world, we are reaching out to find Christ again.

Now, this isn’t earth shattering. Pastors have been preaching this for years–decades and centuries, even.

What was moving for me was the fact that that acolytes didn’t make it back out for the end of the service. Now, if you know me at all, you know that the symbols of the Church MUST become real for the folks I’m serving. So when the light of Christ couldn’t be symbolically carried out into the world, I asked a very simple question.

“Who will take the light of Christ into the world? Who will go out from the Body of Christ to find Christ in the world?”

Of course, the question was taken rhetorically, but I quickly corrected that situation. “Seriously, folks. Who will step forward and carry the light out?” After some punching and urging in several of the pews, an enthusiastic woman in our congregation came forward to settle the issue.

“Not so fast,” I said. “We don’t send just one out to take the Light into the world. Who will go with her?”

Before much more time had passed, half of the congregation (including every member of the choir present yesterday) was gathered in the very small altar space behind my brave volunteer.

We processed out, ate our monthly potluck meal together, then had one of the most productive Church Council meetings I’ve ever seen in my life.

I got the answer to my question. Come get yours.