questions, sunday

Sunday, May 24

Opening Prayer: O God, our Father, Creator of all that is, give us the courage to wrestle with the questions you ask us rather than jumping to some immediate answer—thereby cutting off any possibility of real growth or struggle.  Help us stay in the question long enough to hear what it is you have for us there.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen. 

Scripture: John 1:35-42

Journal: What are you seeking?

Reflection:

 

     It seems like we are people always in search of answers, which, in and of itself, is not an entirely bad thing.  But I think the problem with always being in search of answers is that sometimes it makes us miss a really good question.  An easy answer stops the conversation, whereas a question keeps us in it longer.  A good question can keep us seeking—in a great way—for a long, long time. 

     Jesus was great at asking questions.  And when we let his questions find their way into us, without trying to rush too quickly to an answer, something beautiful happens.  Take the question he asks here in the first chapter of John for example, “What are you seeking?”  What a great question!  Especially given the context.  These men had been drawn out into the desert because of the ministry and message of John the Baptist.  What was it, exactly, that caused them to journey to such an obscure place, to listen to such a strange man?  Why had they ventured out to the desert?  What were they looking for?  What were they hoping for?  What, indeed, were they seeking? 

     And one of the most beautiful things about the questions Jesus asks is that they are timeless.  They are not only relevant to the people he originally asked them to, they are relevant to us as well—in our context.  So, as a result, allow yourself today to go out to the desert with Andrew and Simon Peter.  Allow yourself to see Jesus turn your direction and ask. “What are you seeking?”  What is your answer?

 

Prayers

 

Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, let us truly hear these questions you ask us, and let them touch us at our deepest core.  May they help us to discover what is really going on in the depths of our hearts.  Amen.