Where is Jesus?

In 1987, British illustrator Martin Handford created a character that, much to my surprise, still has a large following. His famous character was simply drawn and the first book he published with his character became a hit. It was quickly followed by more books to fuel the appetite of his fans. Today, his character is the inspiration for movies and flash mobs and even video games. The character even has its own website. The character likes to be tracked but is not always easy to find. Any guess as to what I am referring to?
(Play: Where’s Waldo: The Fantastic Journey from You tube)
While I was stationed in Petawawa, I was part of a large team of chaplains. One of them was always difficult to find for some reason. He would call to report that he was on his way to somewhere but somehow, we could never find him at his destination. It was a rare week that one of us in the office did not get a call to ask us where this particular chaplain was. His name was “Wally.” Poor fellow, he became known as “where’s Wally?”
While in Somalia, I received one day a package from the chaplain’s office. In it, someone made an illustration a la “Where’s Waldo,” except that it was a “Where’s Wally.” It certainly perked up my spirits when I saw this. It still brings a smile to my face when I think of it.
But I don’t want to talk about Waldo or Wally today. I want to talk about Jesus. More precisely, I want us to explore together this question, “where is Jesus?” Easy to answer, you might say, for Jesus is found everywhere. Perhaps, but keep this question in your mind as we continue to read about Jesus in the gospel of Mark. This morning we will look at the first chapter, verses 29- 34. This takes place after Jesus has been teaching in the synagogue and exorcised an evil spirit from a man.
“As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in her with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. He came and took her by the hand, and she began to serve them.
“That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him (Mark 1: 29- 34).”
What a difference Jesus made in the life of Peter’s mother-in-law. One moment she was in bed with a fever and the next she was up, serving those who had gathered in her house. And what a difference He made to the many that came or were brought to Him because they were sick or had evil spirits troubling them.
But in our era of history and our part of the world, it seems that Jesus might be difficult to find. We have just as much sickness and evil around as there was in Jesus’ days, but we seem to see so little healing. Where could Jesus be?
This morning I am inviting two people to share their answer to this question: Where is Jesus?