The Second Sunday After the Epiphany - The Rev. Colette Hammesfahr

 

Mary Grams loved to work in her garden. Day after day she would go out to pull weeds, till in the soil, plant seeds, and harvest her vegetables. One day in 2004, as she was cleaning up after working in the garden, she noticed that her wedding ring was missing. She believed it probably slipped off while pulling weeds or while working in the soil. She searched everywhere. She searched in the dirt of her garden beds. She went through every nook and cranny of her house. She went through her compost bed. She looked through her shed and all her tools. Mary could not find her wedding ring.

Eventually, Mary gave up her search. The ring was gone. Embarrassed that she had lost her ring, she told only her son. So, to avoid her husband noticing, she went and bought a cheaper ring that looked a lot like hers. Her life went on from there.

In 2017, thirteen years later, Mary’s daughter-in-law was working in Mary’s garden, pulling up the carrots. She gathered all the carrots and took them into the house to wash. While washing the carrots, she spotted something odd – Mary’s ring. The ring had been lost in the soil, and a carrot had grown through the ring. The carrot was wrapped tightly around the ring. For thirteen years, the ring had been underground the entire time – unseen, untouched, and unchanged – while life continued above it.    

“What are you looking for?” This is the question Jesus asks Andrew and his friend, two of John the Baptist's disciples. John had been teaching them about the Lamb of God, the Messiah whom John had baptized. Jesus came by and they followed him. Jesus asked them, “What are you looking for?”

I’ve been thinking a lot about that question this week. Wondering, myself, “What am I looking for?” Seven years ago, when I walked into the living room and told Kurt I wanted to quit my job and go to seminary, I knew what I was looking for. I was looking for courage, stamina, and strength. In times of illness, tragedy, or loss in my life, I know what I was looking for. I was looking for hope, strength, and healing. This week, I’ve been thinking, “What about when everything in my life is copacetic? What am I looking for when things are going okay in my life?”

What are you looking for?

What are you looking for when you come to church? We all come to church looking for something. Some people come to church for community and a sense of belonging. People come to church for a divine connection with God. Others may come for a foundation to build their lives on. People come to church for healing and forgiveness. What happens when you’ve found these things? What happens when you’ve been searching and you haven’t found these things? Do we stop…do we give up?

My favorite band is U2. One of my favorite songs is “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” The group’s lead singer, Bono, describes the song as a “gospel song with a restless spirit.” It’s about our ongoing desire to be looking for something. Even when we think we’ve found what we are looking for there is more.

In the song, Bono sings, “I have climbed the highest mountains. I have run through the fields. I have run. I have crawled. I have scaled these city walls, only to be with you. I believe in the Kingdom Come. You broke the bonds, and you loosed the chains, carried the cross of my shame. You know I believe it. But  I still haven't found what I'm looking for.”

Jesus asks, “What are you looking for?” And then he says to Andrew and his friend, “Come and see.” “Come and see” is Jesus’ response to the fact that we are never to stop looking – no matter what is going on in our lives – good or bad. Jesus says, “Come”—move closer to me and “see” – pay attention to me. Jesus’ question, “What are you looking for?” is an invitation. When our lives are falling apart, we turn to Jesus for answers. When life is going well, Jesus invites us to stay. Jesus is present with us in both moments – answering and inviting.

When Mary lost her ring in the garden, her life went on. For 13 years, the family kept planting, and the garden kept producing. All the while, something meaningful was quietly growing beneath the surface. Searching doesn’t always mean something is missing. Sometimes it means something more profound is unfolding.

When we ask, “What am I looking for?” or say, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for,” it’s not because of a lack of belief. It’s because in full and meaningful lives, our longing should still remain. God works quietly, patiently, and faithfully in our lives over time. God is present even when we don’t see anything dramatic happening in our lives, growing in us, sometimes unseen. God honors our longing to find and want more.

God walks patiently with us as we ask the question, “What am I looking for?” The answer to the question is to continue what we are called to do. To stay in prayer, in relationship, and in worship with God. We are called to trust the ordinary seasons in our lives, even when we feel no urgency. We are called to pay attention – to “come and see.” Our faith doesn’t mean we stop longing. Our faith means that we can trust that our longing is being held by God.

What are you looking for? We should never stop looking. When we stop looking, we stop growing in Christ. Amen.