Listen to Thought for the Day on BBC Sounds.
A few days ago there was a topical article in one of our regional newspapers in which a number of well known personalities shared their experience of starting out in third level education.
One of them wrote this. “One morning in late September 1976, I mounted my Yamaha motorcycle, exited the Liverpool docks and set off in search of Jesus.” (and by that he meant Jesus College Cambridge, his new academic home).
That article grabbed my attention because I too began university at exactly the same time, also went off to college across the water via the Liverpool boat and yes, I too rode a motor bike. (except mine was a Honda!)
The author of that well written article set off in search of Jesus.
Have you ever heard someone say “I went looking for God, but I didn’t find him?”
or “I went searching for the Almighty, but he didn’t show up”.
Interestingly enough, the Bible inverts that way of thinking and contends it’s not human kind that is looking for God. It’s God who is actually on a search for us!
Take the very first story in the book of Genesis. Adam and Eve have just done the one thing they were told not to do. Instead of being on a search for God they were shamefully hiding away from Him & God had to ask:- “Where are you?”
It wasn’t homo sapiens looking for God. It was God searching for guilty men and women.
Fast forward thousands of years and to the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Again, instead of human beings searching for God it was God who came looking for us.
In the words of Luke Chapter 19 ‘The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost”. To be found by God is both disconcerting and liberating. It’s disconcerting because in his presence we feel unclean, unworthy and in need of transformation. But it’s also liberating because He is the one who is able to forgive us, restore our dignity and enable us to discover who we were always meant to be.
Decades ago, the author of that humorous newspaper article set off in search of Jesus. Even better, Jesus has come searching for us.
Good morning.