What holds our attention? What captures our heart?
I am a fan of everything Sherlock Holmes.
The original stories, the spin off stories, the old movies and TV shows and the contemporary movies and TV series.
There does seem to be a Sherlock Holmes renaissance taking place over the past few years. The fascinating character and his associate Watson have outgrown their original stories and have become part of our cultural mythology and subconscious.
A persistent theme that shows up and that is given more and more emphasis with each retelling of the Sherlock legend is his desperate search for something worthy of his attention, that will hold his attention and fascination.
He has a such mind and capacity of attentiveness without enough to be mindful and attentive to.
He is restless.
But he is not in search of distraction from boredom; rather he is in search for a challenge that sparks his mind and captures his heart.
Perhaps our continued and renewed interest in Sherlock Holmes is that we identify with that desire and need not for distraction, we have more than enough for that, but for the challenge that sparks our minds and sets our hearts aflame.
Our society has become so good at distraction and entertainment that perhaps we have had our fill, and we are looking for that which moves us, that holds our attention, that captures our hearts. We are discovering an affinity with Sherlock Holmes
Someone caught the attention of the disciples.
The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.
The one who breaks the chains, who sets the captives free, who holds our attention in ever growing fascination and adoration.
The alluring presence. They were drawn out. Called without being spoken to. They were compelled. They started following Jesus, stalking him. Jesus then stops and confronts his pursuers, “What are you looking for?”
The first words that Jesus speaks in the Gospel according to John.
“What are you looking for?”
When Jesus speaks for the second time he says, “Come and see.”
What are you looking for?
Come and see.
And there it is…the Gospel, the Good News that the one who engages our minds and kindles our hearts is inviting us to come and see.
One of the popular Sherlock Holmes quotes is when Sherlock quotes Shakespeare, Henry V. He says to Watson, “The game is afoot.”
The game is afoot.
Our attention is being allured and held.
We are in hot pursuit, the one who takes away the sin of the world, who sets us free, is inviting us to discover the liberty of knowing the person of Jesus.
What are we looking for?
The game is afoot.
Come and see.
It’s elementary.