Everyone is Searching for You
Mark 1: 35-39 (NLT)
Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Later Simon and the others went out to find him. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.
But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.
Have you ever lost something and struggled to think where you put it? I often put things in a place that I’ll be sure to find them later. Of course, when I want it, I can’t remember where I put it. I search and search. . . I only seem to find it when I am looking for something else.
Mark 1 describes Jesus’s early healings and teachings. The disciples were newly chosen and still pretty clueless about their roles and about the work they were being asking to do. As they went from town to town, Christ was building relationships – bridges -- to introduce the world to the new life that would be offered to us all.
During those early days of his ministry, he often went to the “wilderness” (a deserted place) to pray and recharge his battery. Oddly, the disciples apparently didn’t know where he was and they hunted for him. The New Interpreter’s Study Bible notes that the phrase “hunted him down” is from the Greek verb for pursued and is a strong word choice. When we have lost that thing we were looking for, we often panic a bit.
The disciples may have been a little panicked when they lost the Lord! When they did find him, they told him “everyone is searching for you.” Jesus didn’t want or need fame, but he was likely pleased that people were searching for him and that they wanted to hear what he had to say.
Even today, he wants us to search for him. When we are looking for him, we must keep our eyes and attention on him. I think I lose things because my attention is all over the place. Social media, 24/7 news on TV –there are so many things to steal my attention from my Savior.
As we lean into the Advent Season this year, let’s try to keep our eyes on Jesus and focus our attention on how we can be his hands and feet in the communities we serve. How can we use the Christmas season to teach others about his unending love? How can we help the poor and lost who need Christ to give them hope for the future? How can I keep searching for him every day?
Prayer: Good and Loving God: Help us to search for the poor and least of these so they will see you through our churches. Help us build bridges to our communities and the world. Thank you for helping us feel the need to search for you each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Mark 1 describes Jesus’s early healings and teachings. The disciples were newly chosen and still pretty clueless about their roles and about the work they were being asking to do. As they went from town to town, Christ was building relationships – bridges -- to introduce the world to the new life that would be offered to us all.
During those early days of his ministry, he often went to the “wilderness” (a deserted place) to pray and recharge his battery. Oddly, the disciples apparently didn’t know where he was and they hunted for him. The New Interpreter’s Study Bible notes that the phrase “hunted him down” is from the Greek verb for pursued and is a strong word choice. When we have lost that thing we were looking for, we often panic a bit.
The disciples may have been a little panicked when they lost the Lord! When they did find him, they told him “everyone is searching for you.” Jesus didn’t want or need fame, but he was likely pleased that people were searching for him and that they wanted to hear what he had to say.
Even today, he wants us to search for him. When we are looking for him, we must keep our eyes and attention on him. I think I lose things because my attention is all over the place. Social media, 24/7 news on TV –there are so many things to steal my attention from my Savior.
As we lean into the Advent Season this year, let’s try to keep our eyes on Jesus and focus our attention on how we can be his hands and feet in the communities we serve. How can we use the Christmas season to teach others about his unending love? How can we help the poor and lost who need Christ to give them hope for the future? How can I keep searching for him every day?
Prayer: Good and Loving God: Help us to search for the poor and least of these so they will see you through our churches. Help us build bridges to our communities and the world. Thank you for helping us feel the need to search for you each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pam Braden, Calvary United Methodist Church, Ripley, WV pam.braden@wvup.edu, Certified Lay Speaker; Little Kanawha District Lay Leader Conference Communications Lead Team; Conference Lay Ministries Team
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