1-18-26 “What Are You Looking For?”

January 13, 2026

“What Are You Looking For?”

I want to start with something funny that I found on an internet site. Jesus and Moses were hanging out in heaven one day when they began talking about how bored they were. Moses said, “Hey Jesus, you know what we haven’t done in a while? We should go down to earth and perform some miracles.” Jesus thought that was a great idea, so they hopped onto a cloud and floated down to a city.

“What miracle would you like to perform first?” Moses asked. “I think I’ll walk on water,” replied Jesus. “Last time I did it, the people really went wild.” So, Jesus walked to the edge of a lake surrounded by hundreds of people, stepped onto the water—and promptly sank. Confused, He stepped out of the water and tried again, but once more He sank.

Turning to Moses, Jesus said, “I don’t know what’s wrong. Last time I did this, it worked like a charm.” Moses replied, “Well, Jesus, you have to remember—last time you did this, you didn’t have holes in your feet.”

Did you catch what Jesus said to His first disciples in today’s Scripture? The first words Jesus speaks in the Gospel of John are not a sermon, not a command, and not a doctrine. They are a question: “What are you looking for?” In the Living Bible (our Atlas pew Bible), it says, “What do you want?”

Jesus is the One who answers our prayers. In Matthew 7:7–8, the Gospel tells us:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

After Jesus’ baptism, John the Baptist introduces Jesus to his disciples, declaring, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Two of John’s disciples begin following Jesus. They are curious, hopeful—maybe unsure. And Jesus turns and asks them not who they are, not what they believe, but what they are seeking.

This question still echoes today. What are we looking for as individuals? What are we looking for as a church, standing at the beginning of a new ministry year? Notice that Jesus does not correct the disciples. He does not test their theology or faith. He does not assign them a task.

He starts with their desire. Because faith does not begin with duty—it begins with longing or curiosity. We come to Jesus searching for many things: meaning, healing, belonging, direction, hope, friendship, fellowship, or simply rest.

Jesus knows that before we can be sent, we must first be seen. Before we can serve, we must know why we are seeking Him at all. When the disciples answer, “Rabbi, where are you staying?”—were they really just curious about Jesus’ address? Probably not. They were asking for time, for relationship, for presence. They might want to stay with him.

And Jesus responds simply: “Come and see.” Not “Come and understand everything.”
Not “Come and prove yourself.” Just—come and see. Yes, when you invite your loved ones to church, you can simply say to them. “Come and see how God works for you.”

Do you remember what you were looking for from Jesus when you first came to Him?
Did you find what you were looking for—or are you still searching?

When I met Jesus in a hospital in 1990, I wanted my body healed—my broken spine. I promised Him, “If You heal me, I will do whatever You ask, and wherever You send me, I will go.” He healed me and enabled me to walk again. And as I promised, I was sent in His love—to seminary, to church planting, to the United States, and finally to the Upper St. Croix Parish here in Wisconsin.

My point is this: I didn’t know much about Jesus at first. But once I met Him, I came to know Him as my Savior and my Healer through my experience—and that is why I follow Him. So whether you feel you know Jesus well—or barely at all—just come as you are. Ask Him honestly for what you seek.

John tells us that the disciples went and stayed with Jesus that day, even though they did not yet fully know Him. Discipleship begins not with action, but with presence. Before we are sent out, we are invited to stay in—to remain with Christ. This matters deeply for our ministry theme this year: “Sent to Serve, Sent in Love.” Serving without staying leads to burnout. Love without rooting in Jesus leads to exhaustion.

Micah 6:8 reminds us: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Notice the order. We walk with God, and from that relationship flows justice, kindness, and humble service.

After Andrew spends time with Jesus, something changes. He does not keep the experience to himself. He goes to his brother Simon and says, “We have found the Messiah.” Andrew doesn’t have all the answers. He doesn’t preach a sermon. He simply shares what he has encountered. This is how the church is sent—not as experts, but as witnesses.

When we truly stay with Jesus, we are naturally sent:

Sent to serve, not to be seen
Sent in love, not in judgment
Sent humbly, not forcefully

So here is the question for us this year: What are we looking for?

Are we looking for pews filled with people?
Are we looking for growth—or faithfulness?
Are we looking for healing—or reconciliation?
Are we looking for success—or service shaped by love?

Jesus asks this question because what we seek shapes how we serve. If we seek status, our service becomes heavy. If we seek Christ, our service becomes love in motion. Church, as we step into this new year, Jesus stands among us and asks again: “What are you looking for?”

And if we are honest, we may not yet have a perfect answer. But Jesus still says, “Come and see.”

Stay with Him. Walk humbly with Him—through prayer, Scripture, worship, and fellowship. Then justice and kindness will flow through us and through this church—joining mission projects, reaching out to others, and welcoming all with hospitality, so that they may know we are Christians by our love.

And then—go where He sends you: into your communities, your workplaces, your schools, and your homes. But first, God has sent you here, to this very church, to stay with Him through worship, Scripture, prayer, and fellowship.

Then—sent to serve. Sent in love. Rooted in the love of Christ.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Posted in 2026 Sermons