What are you looking for?

Jesus asks two of John the Baptist’s disciples, “What are you looking for?…They said to him,’Rabbi, …where are you staying?'” (John1:38) 

 What are you looking for?

We started something new at Christ Church in the fall.  On the First Friday of the month we’d gather at some local watering hole from 6-8 pm.  The point is to gather, talk, share our day and our week, connect and re-connect, hopefully in a venue and format that would make it easy to include our friends and acquaintances.  We also said that we would commit to 3 or 4 months and then re-evaluate.  It’s been four months.  There’s a photo of our last gathering on our FB page.  Ten or more folks have gathered each month.  Different folks have come each month.  We’ve tried three different venues (Marion’s Piazza, Brixx Ice Co, and Blind Bob’s Tavern.) 

There’s a real tension in the venue and time decision.  Central Miami Valley…or out in the suburban sprawl?  Quiet…or not so quiet?  Alcohol available…or not?  Child friendly…or adults only?  Cash only…or plastic money.   Anyway we choose, somebody will feel that it’s not for them.  There’s no good way to resolve the tension.   Rather than give up, I say let’s stay in it, fully conscious that’s it’s imperfect but at the same time extends our reach of hospitality into the community.  After all, gathering in the first step in our worship as the people of God.  As people called to bear Christ to the world, let’s ask “What are you looking for?” 

Jesus then said to those two disciples, “Come and see.”

–Rev. Mary Slenski