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What is a Presbyterian? Church Governance Committees Missions  Presbyterian Women History of the Church Become a member of New Concord The Owen R. Cheatham Garden Pictures of New Concord         Newsletter Article January 2012 What are you looking for?     The beginning of the year is an opportune time to make changes in our lives.  New Year’s resolutions have been popular over the years, even if they are not always kept throughout the entire twelve months.  There’s something about the New Year’s beginning that opens us up to the opportunity for change.  In the gospel according to John, the first words Jesus speaks are, “What are you looking for?”  The disciples, who had previously been following John the Baptizer, are searching for the Lamb of God about whom John had preached.  This first question to the disciples launches them on a journey as they follow Christ over the next few years.  “What are you looking for?” is an appropriate question for us to ask ourselves at the beginning of a new year.  It’s not merely a question of what you want for yourself or the goals you hope to accomplish over the next twelve months.  Asking this question isn’t merely to ask what are you looking forward to in the next year.  This question asks us what we long to find. The question of “What are you looking for?” insinuates that we are looking for something.  If we aren’t searching then we will never find.  Jesus knew that these disciples who were coming to him were searching for something or someone.  They were on a journey.  We might even call it a quest.  They were searching to find the Lamb of God, the Savior.  These disciples were searching not because the thing they searched for was lost but because they were the ones who were lost without it.  It wasn’t a quest for an object they could possess like some holy grail.  The disciples’ quest was for the one who would lead them. I wonder if this new year, instead of making resolutions that we may not keep, if we could resolve to search for Christ.  The disciples went on an actual journey to seek out the Son of God.  Perhaps we need to journey as well.  Perhaps as we journey through another year we can begin to ask the question of ourselves, “What are we looking for?”  Sometimes the question might be better asked, “Are we looking at all?” It can be easy to get so swept up in all of our day-to-day tasks that we forget to look beyond ourselves.  And yet, salvation does not come from within our selves.  Salvation comes from Christ.  As we walk along our life’s journey, perhaps we will remember to look beyond our own feet on the path in order to search for Christ in our midst.  For Christ is here, among us.  Emmanuel, God-with-us, is the meaning of Christmas.  Because of Christ we have access to God with us, every day, every moment, everywhere.  Perhaps sometimes we just need to remind ourselves what we are looking for. In Christ, Emily Schlaman Larsen.