9-12-10 Listen Watch Video
Order of Worship

Dear Friends,

Over the years I have spoken with many people who, after years or even a lifetime of not attending church, make their way into the sanctuary on a Sunday morning.  “I am searching,” they will say.  “I’m seeking something that has been missing in my life.”  It is not at all uncommon to talk with people these days who describe themselves as “seekers,” exploring the territory of faith, searching for answers, direction, purpose, meaning.  

But there are others who describe themselves not as the seeker, but as the one who has been found.  “I was never much interested in church or God or matters of faith,” they will say, “until…”  Maybe it was when someone they knew had said to them, “You’re a mess and you need to come to church with me.”  Or maybe it was a moment of clarity when, of out nowhere, they heard God call their name for the first time.  Whatever it was, they were minding their own business when God tapped them on the shoulder and said, “I’ve finally found you.  Come with me.”

Jesus says that, for many people, it happens this way (Luke 15:1-10).  A lone sheep wanders off from the flock, and the shepherd searches all night to find her; a coin rolls off the coffee table and lands somewhere underneath the couch — amid the dust mice and lost socks – but the owner turns the house inside-out just to find it.  Were it not for someone who, with great love, sought these out, they’d likely never be found.

If, in this season of your life, you find yourself searching for God and seeking meaning and exploring your faith, I want to remind you that, in the end, it is God who finds us.  If, in all your searching, you still haven’t found what you’re looking for, you may be much closer than you think.  Jesus says that the One for whom we are searching is already searching for us, trailing us, on the prowl – and has been all along.  Sometimes the best advice is simply to stop and turn around. 

See you Sunday,

Rev. Mark