Second Sunday After Christmas
Sermon starts at 22:40 in the recording
Gospel: Luke 2:41-52
41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. 42And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44Assuming that he was in the group of travellers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. 45When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.48When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.’ 49He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ 50But they did not understand what he said to them.51Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favour.
Afterthoughts from January eNews: A New Year
Last Sunday I shared about my aversion to making resolutions on New Years. As I mentioned, this comes from a belief that setting them can impede the need to be present during my journey of faith. I do realize that goals are something that many use to keep on track, I am just not a fan.
As followers of Jesus, instead of setting goals yearly, it might be better to look to the words in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians from last Sunday’s readings to see the life goals set for us by God:
“I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe.”
Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians (and my prayer for us) is that we might live through God’s wisdom revealed to us. As I mentioned Sunday, the Greek word has the idea of a knowledge that moves from head to heart; a “through mind” perspective that allows us to live with a hope that is unshakable.
- It is a hope that is rooted in the belief that God is aware of our circumstances and cares for us.
- It is a hope that opens our eyes to the reality of God’s many blessings in this life in spite of what is going on around us.
- It is a hope that compels us to love “the others” around us (who, by the way, may be people we disagree with).
As we look to this next year together,I pray that we may seek to have a “through mind” perspective.I pray that we might be the peacemakers in a world that so desperately needs us to be.I pray for a desire to seek out the best for those around us even if it requires a risk on our part.
May we be the hands and feet of Jesus to those that God loves and wishes to redeem.
Blessings,
brad+