There is an old cartoon where the neophyte seeking wisdom approaches the old guru with a single word question, “Whither”, (or “Where should I go to be enlightened?”). To which the guru points in a direction and says “Thither.” The neophyte travels in that direction and encounters a terrible commotion. The cartoon depicts this graphically along with the word “splat!” He returns and repeats his question. The guru points in the same direction again saying “Thither.” The neophyte travels the same way and encounters another terrible commotion followed by“splat!” This process repeats several times. Finally the neophyte returns to the feet of the guru. He is beat up, worn out, and perplexed at the difficulties he has encountered trying to seek enlightenment. Gasping, he asks why when he tries to go where he is directed that he gets beat up every time. The guru responds saying “You must go through Splat to get where you want to go.”

What did you come out here to see? A reed swaying in the wind? People wearing luxurious purple robes? We heard these lines from Jesus a few weeks ago at another passage about John’s baptismal practice at the Jordan. These lines sound strange to us, but they are direct references to Herod, who had coins in circulation at that time with the image of a cluster of reeds on them. In addition, only kings and royalty wore soft purple robes. In effect, Jesus was saying, “Did you come all the way out here in the wilderness to see the power and luxury of the Roman Empire? Or did you come, perhaps strangely attracted, to see something you do not understand?”

The wilderness in those days had a reputation for being the place where political insurrections took root. Political firebrands would go out into the wilderness and whip up a peasant following. Sometimes they carried their uprisings into the cities against Rome. For five hundred years these wilderness uprisings were always crushed with overwhelming force. The 900 Essene Jews living on top of the natural mountain fortress of Masada watched the Romans build a land bridge for three years to reach them. Legend has it that this rebellious group of Jews waited until the Romans almost reached them when they all committed suicide. Some scholars today believe that Jesus might have been a member of this Essene sect.

Did you come out to the wilderness to see John? Did you risk being labeled a possible threat to the Empire? Are you willing to be followed and labeled a radical just because something attracted you here? When John baptized you did you feel the weight of all your bad decisions leave you when you came out of the water? Did this primitive dip in the Jordan do a lot more for you than the annual scapegoat ritual at the Temple? Maybe all that business about sacrificing animals, Temple priests wearing luxurious robes, rituals in a language you don’t understand, and grand buildings just doesn’t make you feel that God really cares for you. Maybe John’s baptism was just a preliminary thing to wash all that old religious stuff away so you could get to the real thing.

What did you come out to see? What do you seek? Jesus directs this question to John’s disciples who now are following Jesus because John sees Jesus in the crowd again and says “Look HERE is the Lamb of God.” Their question to Jesus, “Where are you staying”, is not about where he spends the night, but is addressing the Spirit of God that they see in Jesus. The question is more like “Where can we find God’s spirit dwelling in you? How can we get it?”

Religions of all kinds go through cycles. At some point the rituals and structure of a given religion become too trite, too rote, and lose substance. They fail to convey God’s spirit to the next generation. John and Jesus came on the scene in the first century to address that very situation. Judaism had become too focused on the Temple, too caught up in the work of the priests, too bound up with the politics of the Empire, and on top of that the common people did not understand the language of the Jewish rituals at the time. Hebrew at the time of Jesus was known only to the Temple priests. Hebrew at the time of Jesus was equivalent to Latin before Vatican II. The language Jesus and everyday people spoke in Palestine was Aramaic.

Some scholars say that Christianity today is in a similar position as Judaism was at the time of Jesus. Nearly all Christian denominations have undergone major upheavals in worship and theology since the 1960s. Roman Catholicism grows not so much because they are reaching those who do not believe but because birth rates are still high in countries that are primarily Roman Catholic. Mainline Protestant churches are mostly in decline. Some of the non-denominational churches are growing, but the dirty secret about many of the large new churches we see is that their average member remains active for about five years.

What are you seeking? Grace Church reflects the body of Christ as well or better than any church I have seen. In my response to your call I was like John’s disciples asking Jesus “Where is the Spirit of God so that I may take part in it?” I found it in you and I was attracted to it. I am here because of who you are and the face of Christ that I see in you.

What are you seeking? The people of a church are a big part, but not the only part, of the package we call “church.” There are the rituals, the music, the system of beliefs, and the good works in the community. God’s Spirit MUST be present in all of these things. If people don’t get the Spirit, they just don’t come.

What are THEY seeking? How about a place that accepts everyone without any conditions or reservations? Check. We do that well. How about a place where the ritual is more engaging and experiential? Hmmm. How about a place where the music is more like what they hear on the radio? Music they can sing along with easily. How about a place where they can come wearing blue jeans or pajamas; where they can laugh or cry or just sit and be quiet? How about a place where their desire to make a difference in the local community gets put to work right away? How about a place where their hearts are touched, where the Spirit moves and is clearly present?

These will be our goals for ALL of our worship and community life at Grace. Moving Grace Church to the place where people are attracted to the Spirit will mean that a lot of us will have to go through Splat to get there. Whatever inconvenience we may experience, whatever cherished beliefs we may have to give up, whatever challenges may come our way, just remember that Jesus did a lot more for us already.