Today’s Reading: Mark 1:16-18

A few years ago, I was inspired to create a “bucket list,” or a list of things I want to experience, or places I want to visit. in my lifetime. At the top of my bucket list is visiting the pyramids of Egypt. Ever since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by Egypt. Actually going there and seeing the pyramids with my own eyes, walking among them, would be the adventure of a lifetime. What would be at the top of your bucket list?

Chances are, the adventure at the top of your bucket list is something new, something you’ve never experienced before. According to psychologist Dr. Bianca Wittmann, seeking new and unfamiliar experiences is a fundamental behavioral tendency in human beings (and animals!). In fact, studies show that there’s a strong biological and genetic basis for seeking adventure, as it helped to promote survival in our ancestors.

The idea that we are seekers, searching for adventure and newness and meaning, is affirmed in the stories of our faith. Throughout scripture, we meet people who leave everything they know to seek something more: justice, peace, relationship with God, relationship with others, renewal, or something else. The word we use for this is “calling.”

In our tradition, we believe that God, who stirred up restlessness in Simon and Andrew and gave them the courage to leave their nets and follow Jesus, continues to call us to adventure today. This week, we will explore what it means for us to be adventurous, both as individuals and as a community of faith. Where is God calling you to adventure?

“Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”
— Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince