“How to Fill a Hole”

Rev. Nancy Dunn

January 16, 2011
John 1: 29-42

A few years ago, I took a group of high school youth to a weekend youth conference. During the opening worship service, the teenagers leading the conference performed a liturgical dance/skit that simply wowed all of us. The skit was set to the song “Everything” by Lifehouse, a contemporary Christian band. During the performance the youth sat mesmerized by what was happening on stage. I wish I could transport you back through time to show you what we saw that night. Through the power of the internet, I can share with you this morning a video of another group performing that same skit.

[Show video clip] [1]

When we went to our small group time after worship, the youth said very clearly that this skit spoke to them. More than the keynote speaker for the evening. More than any other part of worship. This skit reached them because they could see themselves in it. They could see themselves as the person created by God, yet constantly pulled away by distractions, by other things in their lives, like boyfriends, girlfriends, money, peer pressure, drugs, alcohol. They shared with the group their personal stories of the things that pulled them away from God and Jesus. Those youth knew that these things compete for their attention and try to keep them away from God. The comfort they received from this skit is the knowledge that God is there, always reaching out, always striving to be in relationship with us. God is there. Jesus is there. [PAUSE]

One of the things I like about John’s Gospel is we don’t have to guess about the identity of Jesus. And, neither do the disciples, if they are paying attention. Unlike the other three Gospels who hint about Jesus’ identity, John tells us pretty pointedly who Jesus is. In today’s text, John the Baptist proclaims, “Here is the Lamb of God.” You can’t get any more direct than that! He tells us about what happened when he baptized Jesus. We know that John saw the Spirit descending from heaven and remaining on Jesus. We know that John the Baptist considers this man, Jesus, to be greater than himself. And, he encourages his own disciples to leave him and to follow Jesus.

One of these disciples is Andrew. You know Andrew. . . .he’s the brother of Peter. We always hear more about Peter than we do Andrew. Peter’s the one who tried to walk on water, the one who always answered Jesus’ questions, the one who denied Jesus on the night of his crucifixion, and the one who raced off to the tomb on Easter morning when he heard the women’s news. Peter may have become the rock on which Jesus built the church, but according to the Gospel of John, without Andrew, Peter might not have ever met Jesus.

So, Andrew and another disciple leave John the Baptist and follow Jesus. When Jesus realizes he is being followed, he asks them, “What are you looking for?”

“What are you looking for?” That’s a good question. What are they looking for? A leader. A teacher. A friend. Their answer sounds a little peculiar, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” They answer his question with a question. What are you looking for? Where are you staying?  Do these questions make sense to you?

Basically, Andrew and his friend were telling Jesus they wanted to spend some time with him. They wanted to get to know him and to learn from him. Jesus responded by saying, “Come and see.” “Come and sit with me. Come and listen to my stories. Come and see who my friends are. Come and be a part of my circle.” Here, Jesus is extending his arms out to these strangers and inviting them in to his midst, to be with him, to join him. Jesus is extending them open hospitality.

We don’t have a record of their conversation. We can imagine that they sat together and shared a meal with one another. They probably talked about their families, their friends. Eventually, their conversation turns from the “get to know you” kind of information to the “deeper” questions about life, religion, and God.

Since Andrew and his friend were hanging out with John the Baptist, it’s safe to say they were already seeking answers to their questions about God. They were following John the Baptist. They wanted to know more about God. They were looking for something to fill a hole in their lives. And, by following John, they found Jesus.

There are so many people in today’s world who are looking for something to fill a hole in their lives. Back in the 18th century a French philosopher, Blaise Pascal, talked about that hole, that hole within ourselves. He wrote, “There is a God-shaped hole in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator.” We can spend our whole lives trying to fill that hole. Like the girl in the skit we saw earlier, we might turn to drugs, sex, money, popularity, or some other useless item to fill that hole. And, while it may seem to fill it for a little while, in the end, the hole is just as empty as it was in the beginning.

Josh Hamilton knows about having a God-sized hole in his heart. And, the 2010 Most Valuable Player of the American League won’t hesitate to tell you about it. Hamilton was the #1 draft pick in 1999, but then his world was turned upside down. In 2001, he and his parents were in a car accident. He suffered some injuries. He started drinking and using drugs. His game suffered. He failed drug tests and was suspended by Major League Baseball. Finally, he ended up at his grandmother’s house. She confronted him, as many others in his life had done before. But, this time, he was ready to hear it. He had reached rock bottom. And, through the love of a grandmother and her Bible, Josh Hamilton found the one item that fits in our God-sized hole. The love of God. After winning the MVP award, he was asked about his priorities in life. He said, “God first, humility second, family third, sobriety and then baseball.”[2]

There is only one item that will fit in and fill the hole that is in our hearts. That is God. We are all searching for a relationship with God. God is there reaching out to each of us wanting to embrace us. God is there ready to push away the demons that surround us, to protect us. But, we have to be ready to open our arms and our hearts to allow God into our lives.

Andrew was ready for this. He was so ready to follow Jesus that he could not help but exude that excitement from all of his pores. And, in the fashion of a good disciple, he immediately runs off to find his brother Peter. Andrew can feel the hole in his heart filling with the love of God and he wants to share it. He wants Peter to feel that love, too. So he runs to Peter and says, “We have found the Messiah!” He then brings his brother to Jesus. And, Jesus opens his arms and welcomes Peter as his disciple.

As Peter, Andrew, and the other disciples spend time with Jesus, they begin to discover who they are, who God has created them to be. They were fishermen, but now they are followers of Jesus. Now, they follow the One who is called Emmanuel, God with us. They witness this fully human, yet fully divine man preach, teach, and heal. And, it is in those acts that they are reminded that they, too, are created in the image of God. Peter and Andrew and all of us are created in the image of God. We are all children of God. Children of the One who constantly seeks to be in relationship with us. Children of the One who reaches out to us everyday. We are children of a God who loves us, who cares for us, and who wants to help us.

All we have to do is be willing to venture out like Andrew and follow Jesus. If we open our hearts and our minds to the one John calls “the Lamb of God,” then we too can enter into a relationship with him. And, it is because of our relationship with the Lamb of God that we know that God is with us, filling us with love, and calling us to be like Andrew – to go share this good news with others. Amen.

[1] A video by Powerhouse Youth Ministry of Everything by Lifehouse found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwsTUW4fsV4&NR=1

[2] Gil Lebreton, “Rangers’ Josh Hamilton wins AL MVP, but that’s not what defines him,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Nov 2010 (http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/11/23/2655185/rangers-josh-hamilton-wins-al.html#ixzz1B4wa31em).