“The Calls of Christ” Colchester Federated Church, January 18, 2026, Second Sunday after the Epiphany (John 1:29-42)

There’s a group of Buddhist monks with their rescue dog Aloka who are currently walking from Texas to Washington D.C. on a Walk for Peace.  The monks’ journey began on October 26th at a Vietnamese Buddhist Temple in Fort Worth, Texas and is scheduled to end in mid-February in Washington D.C. when they will ask Congress to recognize the day of Buddha’s birth and enlightenment as a federal holiday.  As the AP reported, “In their flowing saffron and ocher robes, the men are walking for peace.  It’s a meditative tradition more common in South Asian countries, and it’s resonating now in the U.S., seemingly as a welcome respite from the conflict, trauma and politics dividing the nation.”[1] 

The monks obviously must stop to rest along the way and prefer to sleep in tents outside.  Crowds have gathered along their route to hear the monks teach about peace and forgiveness.  There has been some interfaith understanding that has flourished because sometimes these Buddhist monks have stayed to rest for the night at churches.  In fact, the AP interviewed United Methodist pastor Rev. Patrick Hitchman-Craig whose church hosted the monks on Christmas night in Alabama.  The good reverend didn’t expect a huge crowd (it was Christmas night after all!) and was floored when 1,000 people showed up to greet the monks at his church.  Rev. Hitchman-Craig related, “Anyone who is working for peace in the world in a way that is public and sacrificial is standing close to the heart of Jesus, whether or not they share our tradition . . . I was blown away by the number of people and the diversity of who showed up.”[2]  The monks hope to help people achieve peace in their own lives.  I have been following Aloka the Peace Dog on Instagram (who is healing from surgery and will rejoin the monks on the walk soon).  Given the state of our society this story of these Buddhist monks walking for peace for months and so many miles across the South spreading compassion along the way is inspiring. 

Today we heard the Gospel story found in the Gospel according to John of Jesus’ encounter with John the Baptist.  From there Jesus begins calling his own disciples.  That’s the short version of events.  Though it’s another inspiring story about people coming and seeing and finding meaning and purpose in their lives.  Because in some ways this is the story of our call to discipleship, our call to walk in the way of Jesus our teacher and friend.

John the Baptist proclaims that Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”[3]  John tells his followers that he saw the Spirit of God come down from heaven and rest on Jesus in the form of a dove.  John shares his perspective of Jesus’ baptism that we talked about last Sunday.  In so doing, John remembers that God had said to him, “‘The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’  I have seen and testified that this one is God’s Son.”[4]  It’s a ringing endorsement for the identity of Jesus as God’s beloved Son.

On Baptism of Christ Sunday we pondered Jesus’ baptism as a personal religious experience for him.  We considered our own baptismal vows and how we put our faith into action.  Because thoughts and prayers are great, but we need to be the light for one another in those moments of doubt and despair.  Historian Diana Butler Bass emphasized that although Christians often consider the miraculous events of Jesus’ baptism to be a public experience, there is not an indication that others saw what occurred.  After all, the Gospel story reads in Matthew: “When Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up out of the water.  Heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on him.”[5]  It would seem that Jesus has this vision of the Spirit alighting on him.  As Butler Bass reflected, “At the baptism, Jesus awakened to his deepest identity as the beloved Child of God.  It is a revelation of Abba-God, the Spirit, and Jesus, a mystical retelling of divine relationship at the center of the cosmos.”[6] 

Yet when John recounts the story as we just heard today, it seems that John the Baptist does witness those same spectacular events.  Now perhaps John had unique insight as the voice crying out in the wilderness preparing the way for the Messiah.  Though the discrepancy between these Gospel accounts may also point to the inevitable different interpretations of holy moments, mystical and mysterious moments that are often hard to put into words.  What we can say for certain is that Jesus’ baptism was life-changing, and it was life-changing for more than just him.  That is part of what makes it such a remarkable moment as we continue to baptize people into the faith and family of Jesus Christ.

After John the Baptist’s initial testimony about Jesus’ baptism, we fast forward to a day later.  John the Baptist is once again standing with two of his disciples and proclaims, “Look!  The Lamb of God!”[7]  And the disciples begin to follow Jesus.  Obviously, there’s some curiosity on their part.  Jesus turns and asks, “What are you looking for?”[8] 

Now Jesus is known for many things as a teacher.  The parables he shared throughout the Gospels in particular continue to inspire and confound.  Jesus was no stranger to asking a lot of questions.  It was not uncommon for Jesus to answer someone’s question by launching into a story or by asking a question of his own.  “Where is your faith?”  “Who do you say that I am?”  “What is God’s kingdom like?”[9]  This particular question that Jesus poses could just as easily be asked of each one of us sitting here in this sanctuary or watching from home.  This is a powerful question: “What are you looking for?”  It’s an existential question.  This question echoes the calls of Christ in our own lives.

Truthfully in congregational life there are times when we ask ourselves what is our meaning and what is our purpose.  What are we looking for out of church not just as individuals, but as a congregation?  What are we supposed to be doing with the gifts that God has given us?  What is the point of all of this anyway when sometimes it may seem easier to just worship God on our own?  These are questions worth discerning, worth considering from multiple angles and perspectives.   

Years ago there were some marks of church vitality that were shared by the UCC’s Center for Analytics, Research and Development, and Data.[10]  What makes a church healthy and vibrant in the first place?  Some of the key findings were: there is excitement about the future here, this congregation is always ready to try something new, this place seeks out and uses the gifts of members of all ages, this congregation is a positive force in the community, and this place helps members live out their faith in daily life.  When we engage with these sentiments for what makes a church healthy and vibrant it can be helpful to consider them alongside this question from Jesus when he was calling some of his first disciples— “what are you looking for?”

In some ways we are all looking for meaning and purpose.  Sometimes we may find ourselves sinking into despair and cynicism.  It is not hard to do these days.  Yet deep down we want to be excited about what the future holds.  We want to try new things.  Well, not always if we’re honest—but it is good for us to try new things!  We want to use our gifts.  We want to be a positive force in our community.  We want to live out our faith (and not just on Sunday mornings either).  When Jesus asks “what are you looking for?” it remains one of those beautiful questions worth pondering.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

[1] Deepa Bharath, “Buddhist monks and their dog captivate Americans while walking for peace,” January 11, 2026, AP News, https://apnews.com/article/buddhist-monks-peace-walk-dog-american-south-26cadee973657ef026ab2370d04b39c5
[2] Ibid.
[3] John 1:29, CEB.
[4] John 1:33-34.
[5] Matthew 3:16.
[6] Diana Butler Bass, A Beautiful Year: 52 Meditations on Faith, Wisdom, and Perseverance, pg. 103.
[7] John 1:36.
[8] John 1:38.
[9] Luke 8:25, Luke 9:20, Luke 13:18.
[10] Research & Data, United Church of Christ, https://www.ucc.org/what-we-do/justice-local-church-ministries/cardd/

Photo by Rev. Lauren Ostrout.