Our theme for 2022 is simple but bold, obvious but too often overlooked. It’s “Jesus 365.” Last Sunday we revisited the story of Jesus’ parents leaving him behind in Jerusalem, losing him for 3 days! It really isn’t a story about safe parenting but a story about God’s calling and our unawareness of God’s absence. When have we journeyed a day away from “our Jerusalem” only to discover that Jesus was not with us, despite the best of intentions?

We invite you to join us on this journey of rediscovery and falling in love again with Jesus. Can we find the courage and invest the energy in asking honest questions, doing the reflective work, reading the biblical text, and listening… listening for God’s voice? What might happen on that kind of journey?

C.S. Lewis once wrote: “We may note in passing that He (Jesus) was never regarded as a mere moral teacher. He did not produce that effect on any of the people who actually met Him. He produced mainly three effects: hatred, terror, adoration. There was no trace of people expressing mild admiration.”

It wasn’t the “hatred, terror, adoration” part of the quote that captured my attention. It was the last sentence, Lewis’ assertion that “there was not trace of people expressing mild admiration.” I must confess, that caricature of “mild admiration” uncomfortably describes the North American church. Did we get too comfortable? What happened to boldness, innovation, zeal? When did personal preference become more important than mission? When did “Jesus for me” outweigh “Jesus for all?”

But Jesus has not given up on us. Jesus has not given up on you. And as Jesus asked his mother, we too must ask of ourselves, “Why are you looking for Jesus?”

This is getting exciting!