the Seeker

...seek, and you will find...
- Jesus, Matthew 7:7
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What is The Seeker?
1970s: Hit song by The Who
1990s: Target audience for the Church Growth Movement
2000s: The Quidditch member who tries to catch the Golden Snitch
Always: Someone looking for something.

Let's think about seeking for a minute. 

I remember getting started in ministry around 20 years ago on the tails of the "seeker sensitive" church movement. Churches like Willow Creek and Saddleback realized that if they focused their energy on making a really fun and compelling church service every Sunday, then they would attract "seekers." A seeker was someone outside of the church but who was looking for God in some way. The seeker sensitive movement really grew. Churches put massive amounts of money into rock band worship teams and drama ministries. The lights got turned down low, and people showed up by the thousands for the Sunday morning experience. There was a boom in church attendance. 

A few years later, there was a dark side that was discovered. While many people loved showing up to church (and even made a commitment to Jesus), few had become changed in any real way as the years passed. Discipleship was not the focus, so people had a great time but didn't look much more like Jesus than when they started. 

Another thing happened with the whole "seeker" movement. When Christians decided that they wanted to attract "seekers," their choice of wording created a philosophical line of separation. Those folks out there are seekers. But not us. We've found it, and we're set. 

If we want to become more like Jesus, we're going to have to embrace a different mentality about seeking. Perhaps we need to revisit the basics of discipleship in the Bible. It appears that those who met Jesus learned that seeking is a way of life, not a one time journey. 

Jesus says to disciples in the book of Matthew, 
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Seeking is a way of life. 

Jesus says of himself in the book of Luke, 
For the son of God came to seek and save the lost. 

Seeking is a way of life. 

Peter writes to the early church in one of his letters, 
For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.

Seeking is a way of life. 

A helpful question for every disciple, then, is this: 
Do I see myself as a seeker every day? What exactly am I seeking? 

I'm trying to learn to be a disciple. I've been working at it for a few decades. And each day, I want to wake up seeking God's heart in all my interactions. Each day, I want to seek out the presence of Jesus so that I don't lose track of what matters. Each day, I want to seek the kingdom of God so that I can participate in real actions of compassion and mercy.

We can't sit on our arrival, because Jesus is still moving. And he has a habit of showing up at unlikely places and among unlikely people. 
There is finding along the way, certainly. But there's more to discover of God's kingdom. There is more joy to be had. There is more to learn about how to love our neighbors. There is more healing to receive and offer. 

So each day, I want to be a seeker. 
Until I die, the seeking will never end. 
And each day, I am assured that Jesus is seeking after me too, like a mother whose kid gets distracted and runs all over the place at a carnival. And I know that if God is seeking after me and I am seeking after God, we will find each other frequently, and I will be able to live in grace and with purpose.

This week, let's be a Church of seekers. Let's pursue what is good and true and never think we are done with the pursuit. Let us be known as people who seek what is most beautiful, pure, merciful, and true... every day. And let us do our seeking in grace and freedom, for what we've already found in Jesus changes everything.

Jesus, help me embrace the identity of a seeker today, listening for your spirit and looking for your movement. 
Peace,
Keith

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