What Are You Looking For?

A Sermon for Epiphany 2

Watch this sermon live here.
Lectionary readings are here.

Olympic Judo champ Eve Aronoff Trivella is certainly not the most well-known Olympic athlete. A member of the historic first women’s Olympic Judo team in 1988, Trivella credits her success to her coach, Rusty Kanokogi, who spearheaded the effort to get women’s Judo into the Olympics. Trivella said her coach didn’t believe in excuses. Her motto? “Unless you’re dead, do another pushup!” Coach Kanokogi never got a shot at the Olympics, but her protégé, Eve, did.[1]

This Epiphany season, what if we took training for our life in Christ as seriously as an Olympic athlete? 

This week, our scriptures seem to be calling us to get in shape! For this, we could sure use a coach. This morning, we heard three unique voices shining a light on Christ, who came to wake us up to who we really are. What if these guys were our coaches? What are you looking for – in a coach, that is?

Imagine, if you will, the prophet Isaiah, the Apostle Paul, and John the Baptist not just as ancient, enigmatic biblical figures, but as three experienced and enthusiastic applicants, each with a distinct coaching style and program for getting us into the best spiritual shape of our lives. 

Take the prophet Isaiah, for example, whose vision and ministry to ancient Israelites in exile is legendary:

(Steve as Isaiah)

“From the womb I called you”—that’s how my pitch begins. My coaching is identity-based. I don’t start with a checklist; I start with who you are. You are spoken for. Even before you knew your gifts, God had named and formed you. My program helps you remember your origin story: called, shaped, and appointed to be a light to the nations. When you struggle to keep your promises—when your resolutions falter—you might need someone to remind you that your life is part of a larger story. That reminder re-orients your motivation from duty to vocation. Keep your baptismal vows because you are who God says you are.

(Connie)

Our second coaching candidate is the Apostle Paul, whose stunning encounter with the light of Christ on the road to Damascus rendered him temporarily blinded. In the intro to Paul’s letter to the community in Corinth, we heard words of encouragement. Let’s see what encouragement coach Paul has for us.

(Steve as Paul)

“Grace to you and peace… My style is that of a coach who gives you tools and a team. I (certainly) don’t rely on willpower alone. I point to the gifts you have been given and to the community that surrounds you. Your baptism was not a private resolution; rather, a communal covenant. We will remind one another of the promises, pray for one another, and practice the disciplines that form us. I promise you this: God is faithful. You are not alone. I will give you practical rhythms—prayer, scripture reading, confession, service, small groups—so that your baptismal resolutions are sustained not by grit but by grace working through people and practices.

Thank you.

(Connie)

In today’s Gospel, John the Baptizer makes it clear that his job is to shine a light on Jesus. I present the one and only, wilderness-dwelling, locust-eating prophet himself, John the Baptist.

(Steve as John) 

My coaching is urgent and incarnational. I point you to Jesus and say, "Repent, turn, and follow.” I don’t waste time on clever programs when the matter is this: are you willing to change now? I’m the “come-and-see” coach—follow the Messiah, follow where he leads, and your life will be re-ordered. I will push you out of complacency. If your spiritual life is stuck in a rut, I will demand a fresh turning toward the Son of God.

That’s all. Ciao.

(Connie)

Three coaches. Three different approaches. “What kind of coach are you looking for?” The Greek word for looking, zeteo, also means seeking, searching, striving, or desiring… what is it you seek? Jesus wants to know.

• Identity? —do you need to be reminded that you are called, that you belong? Isaiah may be the coach for you.
• Are you looking for tools, a team, some steady rhythms to sustain you? Paul’s got your back!
• Want more immediate change—repentance, a radical reorientation? Sounds a lot like John the Baptist to me.

 

Any good coach will tell us that training demands regular practice. We might start with our baptismal promises:

 “Will we continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?” 

• Isaiah reminds us: we are called out of our exile and into community.
• Paul gives our community a practical structure: gather, pray, break bread; share equitably. Hold one another accountable.
• John insists: Come NOW! The light of the world is here with us!

 “Will we persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever we fall into sin, repent and return?” 

• Isaiah’s vision of God’s faithfulness gives us our WHY. God’s still in charge of history.
• Paul’s insistence on mutual support gives us the WHO. It’s a team effort!
• John’s blunt challenge offers us the WHEN: Which is NOW.

 “Will we seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves?” 

·      Isaiah teaches that our vocation is for the nations—that Christ’s love, our love, makes a difference.

·      Paul reminds us that the Spirit equips the community to serve—and that our gifts are also for one another.

·      John calls us to action: show up, change things for the better, serve. 

 

We’ve got some solid coaching candidates here. Thankfully, we don’t really have to choose. Coach Steve, can you make this actionable for us?

(Steve)

• Sure, I can do that. What’s one positive change we can make now? Start small. Create a concrete, focused practice. If your promise is to persevere in prayer, begin with five minutes each morning. If it’s to seek and serve others, commit to one small act of kindness each week.
• Find a team for accountability. Tell one person (or small group) what you’ve chosen. Ask them to pray for you and check in.
• We can ask Jesus’ question daily. What am I looking for?”—let that question reorient us. Are we looking for comfort, approval, control—or for Jesus? Practice answering the question with honesty and intentionality, then do the next right thing. We can also turn the question inward, asking What is God looking for in me?”

 

(Connie)

 

Olympian Eve Aronoff Trivella said when she entered the tunnel leading into the Olympic stadium, at first, everything was pitch dark, but as she walked on, likely feeling the support of her coach and her teammates, the light grew and grew until it was almost blinding.[2]

It can take a moment for our eyes to adjust to such a bright light. And while the source of the light may not be visible to human eyes, we see what the light lights up…You see?[3]

I imagine that as athletes from around the world gather for the opening ceremonies, the stadium lights reveal what is most thrilling about the Olympics. And it’s not the competition. 

We don’t have to try out to be on the “J Team.” And nobody here’s keeping score. Point is to create a level playing field, so everyone can shine just as we’re made, for the benefit of all, and the glory of God. Jesus, the Lamb of God who willingly offers himself to shine a light on our human predisposition to violence and scapegoating, came to show us how to play this worldly game from a much higher perspective. 

What are you looking for? It’s okay not to be sure. Jesus says so. Just keep showing up at the table. Come and see. Come and see. Come and see. Amen.💛

Divine Light,
Lover of the universe
Love incarnate
Love that is alive all over
our world today:
Warm our hearts and
melt our indifference.
Ignite love within us
that is big enough
to overcome our
smallness, and
big enough to extend
to all the earth
and all our
more-than-human
neighbours.
Luminous Love,
shine deep within,
with a light that
shares the darkness
with a graciousness that
does not overpower.
May we, too,
be bearers of the Light.
Amen.
- Wendy Janzen, Burning Bush Forest Church 

---

[1] “‘She’s Probably the Strongest Woman You’ll Ever Meet.’ Remembering the Mother of Women’s Judo,” StoryCorps, accessed January 14, 2026, https://storycorps.org/stories/shes-probably-the-strongest-woman-youll-ever-meet-remembering-the-mother-of-womens-judo/.

[2] Ibid

[3] Frederick Buechner and George Connor, Listening to Your Life: Daily Meditations with Frederick Buechner, 1st ed. ([San Francisco]: Harper, San Francisco, 1992), 225. 

 

 

A Good Disciple

One quiet afternoon, as I find myself staring in his direction, kind of mesmerized, (as always happens), Jesus asks me flat out, “What are you looking for?"           
Startled, out of my contemplative fervor, I reply, “Who me?”

“Yes, you, silly. Who else is here?” (He's such a tease.)

“Right! Of course,” I say, feeling a little awkward. (Mind you, Jesus tends to stare right through to one's soul – I’m pretty sure he sees last night’s dinner digesting in my belly.)

“What are you looking for?” he asks again, a little more forcibly this time.

(Wow - intense. What am I looking for? I was just looking at him.) 

Jesus can be relentless. “What are you looking for?”

“I don’t know,” I confess. “I want to know, but I don’t know. You know? Can you help?”

“I can do that. Now that you ask.” He laughs. (I love his laugh.)

(I look back at him – looking at me, waiting. He says nothing. Not a single flipping word! Entire centuries pass. Finally, I cannot stand it.)

I say, “I see what you’re doing,” 

“Good,” he replies. "That’s the point.”

“What’s the point?” I ask, in all sincerity. 

“Exactly,” Jesus says with a grin.

(I make a very good disciple.)

Spiritual Practice: Read John 1:29–42. Take a few deep, slow breaths and ask, "What am I currently looking for?" Enter into an honest conversation with Jesus. Be open to whatever arises. Perhaps write about it in your journal.

Geese appear high over us, 
pass, and the sky closes. Abandon, 
as in love or sleep, holds 
them to their way, clear 
in the ancient faith: what we need 
is here. And we pray, not 
for new earth or heaven, but to be 
quiet in heart, and in eye, 
clear. What we need is here.

 ~~Wendell Barry

                        💛

Breaking the Grip of the Rip

Kids, please check out this short video about rip current safety!

Have you ever encountered a rip current? According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA:

"Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that are prevalent along the East, Gulf, and West coasts of the U.S., as well as along the shores of the Great Lakes. Moving at speeds of up to eight feet per second, rip currents can move faster than an Olympic swimmer. Panicked swimmers often try to counter a rip current by swimming straight back to shore—putting themselves at risk of drowning because of fatigue. Lifeguards rescue tens of thousands of people from rip currents in the U.S. every year, but it is estimated that 100 people are killed by rip currents annually."

Here’s what to do if you encounter a rip current:  

1. Stay calm 
2. Float 
3. Call for help
3. Swim if you can in a different direction than the rip current (parallel to shore). 

Jesus was a master at navigating rip currents. 

Jesus Stayed Calm

After his baptism in the Jordan, Jesus dove into the middle of some turbulent waters in Roman-occupied Judea. He stayed calm and undaunted by stormy seas. 

Jesus Could Float

Christ came as one of us to be immersed in life with us, to swim in the dangerous waters of life and show us how to float above life's swirling and whirling currents.

Jesus Called for Help

Jesus knew how to ask (his heavenly Father) for help when he needed it. He prayed often and taught his disciples to do likewise.

Jesus Chose to Swim in a Different Direction

Jesus was deeply immersed in the traditions of his Jewish culture, yet his call or mission seemed to be to challenge some of its practices. Jesus told his followers that he did not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but rather to fulfill them. He came to introduce a "new thing."

Baptism by John

In the ancient world, faithful Jews practiced ritual purification by wading in pools known as mikvehs. When John "the Baptizer" started preaching and teaching, he brought the same kind of baptism (in Greek, "immersion") to his students. The new thing here was that John was doing the dunking. John’s baptism was also a little different in that it emphasized repentance rather than purification. 

That Jesus insisted John baptize him despite his hesitation has puzzled the church. It’s curious, right? Why would God need to be baptized by a human? In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells us John’s baptism will “fulfill all righteousness.” (Mt 3:13-17)

 It seems Jesus is doing some heavy-duty fulfilling and revealing. Jesus' baptism by water and the Holy Spirit identifies him as the Christ, revealing the nature of the Messiah’s mission: that he would be crucified, buried, and resurrected. Jesus’ baptism also reveals the Trinity in the baptism of the Son, the voice of the Father, and the descent of the dove, the Holy Spirit.

My Two Cents

It seems to me as though Jesus shows respect for his cousin John by asking to participate in his ritual. (We might think about this when encountering different faith traditions.) In the waters of baptism, we affirm to ourselves, our community, and God that we want to live like Jesus, a life in which God comes first, and we do our best to love everyone, even our enemies. 

Baptism is counter-cultural, and following Jesus can sometimes feel like we're swimming against the current. We might even feel at times like we're being pulled out to sea, away from the love of God and neighbor. Thinking about our baptism can remind us of the dangers of sin, which, like a strong rip current, can pull us away from God’s love. But our baptism reminds us that God is always here for us, no matter what. Baptism with water, regardless of our age at baptism, is for a lifetime! For followers of Jesus, Baptism can be kind of like an emergency first-aid kit!

In Case of Emergency

Curiously, the bible is a little fuzzy about who can administer baptism and how it is to be done, but the Book of Common Prayer mentions something called “emergency baptism.”  The rubric (directions) toward the end of the service states that “In case of emergency, any baptized person may baptize.” The rite also makes clear the essential requirements: use of water and the Trinitarian form, ie, “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (BCP, 313-314)

Remember...

If we ever feel like we’re caught in life's rip currents, we can remember the safety rules: Stay calm, call for help, try to float or swim, not fighting against the current but choosing a different direction.

We can remember Jesus’s baptism and his deep understanding and love for us. Through Jesus' baptism, we glimpse God's amazing creative power. We can remember our own baptism. In baptism, we are remembered - literally put back together - in Christ, through Christ, to be the Body of Christ in the world! Jesus shows us all this (and more!) in his baptism. And in his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus teaches us how to navigate scary waters and, ultimately, to overcome the world (Jn 16:33). 

Love,

Curate Connie💛

On Wonder and Worry

Twentieth-century Jewish philosopher Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, “Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement.” Author Annie Lamott calls this “practicing random acts of wonder.”[1]Wonder, that numinous, breathtaking blend of magic, curiosity, and joy all rolled into one. An amaryllis that suddenly blossoms on Christmas Day, after weeks without water! The text from a friend at the very same moment I think of her. The way the Holy Spirit always comes through when it’s time to write a sermon. The Magi lived it. Star of wonder, star of light… Cultivating wonder is a spiritual practice—a counterbalance to despair and worry.
 

I got to thinking, maybe it’s not just the noun, but also the verb. To wonder, to ponder the truth of something…To wonder is to venture deeper.
There’s a mysterious, ancient Christmas Carol that can perhaps help us practice this.

Coventry Carol is not your typical Christmas carol. It’s dark. It’s the hauntingly beautiful lullaby created and first performed near Coventry Cathedral in England eight hundred or so years ago. We’re unsure about the composer's identity, but the song became popular during the Middle Ages after it was performed in mystery plays, religious dramas based on biblical stories. Somehow, it survived for centuries despite a fire that destroyed the only known copy of the score and changes in the church prohibiting public performances of the song.

Lully, lullay, thou little tiny child.
Bye bye, lully, lullay

Annie Lennox has a fierce emotional rendition of the Coventry Carol. There are numerous other, more traditional versions available on your favorite music app. The song is written primarily in a minor key, but with an unexpected major note at the end of the last stanza. Music theory geeks know about modal tonality, a specific arrangement of notes intended to elicit a certain emotion. One can just imagine mothers in Bethlehem, or anywhere else for that matter, holding their babies close; rocking and rocking, synchronizing breath and heartbeat, vocalizing lament to calm their anxiety.

O sisters too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day
This poor young ling for whom we do sing
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.

In case you were wondering, Coventry Carol was written about the so-called slaughter of the innocents from Matthew’s gospel. But apparently, there’s no credible historical proof of an actual massacre. However, the ancient historian Josephus affirmed that Herod’s temperament was such that an event like this was altogether possible. Herod was a piece of work, it seems. He was not born Jewish; he married into the faith. Herod was one of those frightening tyrants who would stop at nothing to hold onto power. To be a benevolent “King of the Jews,” ironically, the title given to Jesus by the Magi and later by Pontius Pilate, was far from Herod’s nature, and yet this was his station. Rather than ruling justly, Herod was known to frequently seek political revenge, often resorting to murder, including members of his own family.[2]

Herod, the king, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day
His men of might, in his own sight,
All young children to slay.

Amidst all the violence, somehow, the world keeps turning. And mothers everywhere, keep rocking and singing.

Catching wind of Herod’s evil plan in a dream, Joseph whisks Mary and Jesus off from Roman-occupied Bethlehem to find safety in Egypt. Crossing the border into Egypt is perhaps a provocative move. You might recall that the other Joseph, the earlier biblical dreamer, was famously enslaved there. Also, curiously, although outside of Herod’s jurisdiction, Egypt was also under Roman control. However, there is ample theological precedent for political asylum in Egypt (for fun, read about Hadad in 1 Kings 11:17). Also, around the time of Jesus’ birth, there was apparently a large Jewish population in Egypt. Perhaps the Holy Family stayed with friends. We might also wonder about the Jewish tradition that claims the boy Jesus may have learned magic during time spent in Egypt.[3]

We might wonder if the author of the Gospel according to Matthew is establishing Jesus as the prophesied Messiah by recapitulating events from the Hebrew scriptures, comparing Jesus to Moses in the Exodus story. Matthew’s Gospel also includes a hyperlink to Hosea: “Out of Egypt I have called my son,” the prophet writes. 

We might wonder how the birth narratives in Luke and Matthew could be so different. Was creative license taken by one or both evangelists? If we consider the violence during the time the gospels were being recorded, decades after Jesus' death and resurrection, it seems plausible that writers may have taken some liberties to reassure anxious followers of the risen Christ. With countless others, we might also wonder whether secret encoded messages may have been tucked into the gospels for those early followers.[4]

Andrea Gibson, the prolific poet and activist who died way too young in July of last year, wrote, “We have to create. It’s the only thing louder than destruction.” 
I wonder what they had in mind when they wrote that.

In the massive World War II bombing campaign known as the Blitz on November 14, 1940, German bombs devastated Coventry, England, including Coventry Cathedral. Several weeks later, on Christmas Day, the BBC broadcast a Christmas service from the rubble of the once-grand cathedral. 
 
According to one BBC article, “Despite the devastation, Provost Richard Howard addressed the Empire from the ruins, speaking of forgiveness and hope… 

The service concluded with the choir singing the Coventry Carol, music as old as the cathedral itself, and a song which now exists alongside it as a symbol of peace and reconciliation born from tragedy.”[5]

That woe is me 

Poor child for thee!

And ever morn and day…

 

I wonder how the Holy Family managed as refugees for those few years in exile before Joseph received the all-clear sign from his angel. 

I wonder if it’s possible that Herod’s slaughter of the innocents was fake news. God, I hope so. I wonder if we are doing absolutely everything we can to protect our babies from unnecessary violence today.

For thy parting

Neither say nor sing

Bye bye lully lullay

 

As we head into Epiphany season this week, I wonder about these kinds of things. Epiphany season is when the church shines a light on the one prophesied about and prayed for: God incarnate with us, one of us, the refugee with no place to lay down his sweet head, whose life would hereafter be in constant danger. There’s a tension here that’s worrisome. And yet, wonder of wonders, a song of love and lament arises out of the ashes of despair and destruction, inviting humanity to pay attention, to listen more closely for the not-so-subtle note of hope and redemption mysteriously encoded into the everyday music of our lives.

Spiritual Practice: Inhale: Keep, Exhale: Wondering

My amaryllis. Isn't she a beauty?

Some Episcopal immigration resources here.

For a terrific podcast about the Coventry Carol, listen here.

And if you cannot get enough of the Wise Men, here’s last year’s sermon.

---

[1] Mirabai Starr, Ordinary Mysticism: Your Life as Sacred Ground, First edition. (New York, NY: Harper One, 2024), 70.

[2] Andrew McGowan, “A Christmas Version 2025: The Flight into Egypt (and Luke’s Nativity, and John’s Prologue),” Substack newsletter, Andrew’s Version, December 23, 2025, https://abmcg.substack.com/p/a-christmas-version-2025-the-flight.

 

[3] Ben Witherington, III, Matthew (Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys, 2016), bks. 68–74.

 

[4] Elaine H. Pagels, Miracles and Wonder: The Historical Mystery of Jesus, First edition (New York: Doubleday, 2025), 72.

[5] “The Coventry Peace Carol Based on a Biblical Massacre,” December 25, 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyg2lgw14xo.