Finding Jesus (Luke 2:41-62)

 Sermon for Milledgeville and Centenary UMC...

[Title Slide] Finding Jesus (Luke 2:41-62)

 

“Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”

[Slide] A preacher was interrupted during his sermon by two boys giggling in the back pews. He stopped, pointed right at them, and shouted, “Boys! Where is God?” They sat paralyzed and silent. The preacher asked again, “Answer me now! Where is God?!!” The boys jumped up and ran out of the church, not stopping until they got home. Their mother could see they were upset and asked what was wrong. One son said, “Oh Mom! We’re in so much trouble. They’ve lost God at the church, and they think we took Him!”

 

A parent’s nightmare scenario is to lose a child in a crowd. It happens. You’re browsing the store, checking out sales. [Slide] Your little one wanders off. Suddenly you realize they are not with you. You panic. You scan the crowd. You can’t find them. You call out their name, but they don’t answer. Now you’re frantic. You search the store. No sign of them. You search the hallways. Still you cannot locate your child. A sinking feeling settles in your gut. “My child is lost.”

 

[Slide] Joseph and Mary took their family to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. They likely traveled there on foot with other pilgrims. As they made their 5-7 day trek, they picked up more pilgrims along the way. They sang songs of faith. They chatted with family, neighbors, and made new friends. The pilgrimage was an essential part of the whole festival experience.

 

As for Jesus, the 12 year old was off playing with the other children in their caravan. He would join Mary and Joseph for meals, but sometimes he ate with neighboring families and relatives. Jesus was a people person after all. Joseph and Mary trusted Jesus was safe with this crowd. They would watch out for Him.

 

As they began their ascent to the holy city of Jerusalem, their hearts were filled with joy as they sang psalms.

 

I look up toward the hills.
From where does my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
the Creator of heaven and earth.
(Psalm 121:1-2)

 

I was glad because they said to me,
“Let us go to the Lord’s temple.”
² Our feet are standing
inside your gates, O Jerusalem.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
May those who love her prosper. (Psalm 122:1-2, 6)

 

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved and will endure forever.
² As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people,
now and forevermore. (Psalm 125:1-2)

 

It was a festive, faith filled, wonderful time.

 

[Slide] Jesus was 12 years old. Next year he’d be considered a man, accountable to the law of Moses. Of course, that would not be a problem. Jesus was always interested in their faith. He seemed to know more about the law and prophets than Joseph did.

 

[Slide] Once the Passover lamb was sacrificed, the family joined in the worship and festivities. Jesus was with his friends. For the whole week they camped outside Jerusalem and returned each day to the temple. When it was time to go, they packed up, and joined the other pilgrims on their journey back home. As they headed out, Mary asked Joseph, “Where’s Jesus?” Jospeh said, “He’s probably with his friends. Let the boy be. He’s not going to be this age ever again. Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s fine.”

 

[Slide] But after a day’s travel, Mary began to worry. Jesus had not come to eat any meal with them. It was not like him to be absent from them so long. So they began searching for Jesus.

 

They first looked for Jesus among their relatives and neighbors. Then they looked in the city, in the busy streets and markets. Finally, they searched the temple and found Jesus among the teachers of the law.

 

[Slide] Christmas is over. The New Year has begun. It’s Epiphany. Our liturgical color is green, implying growth and life. Winter is a time when I don’t want to do anything but hibernate. The gray and cold of winter makes me want to cover up in a blanket and watch TV.

 

In this time, when we make New Year resolutions and work on becoming a better version of ourselves, It’s worthwhile to reflect on the season. After all the Christmas decorations are stored away and the wrapping paper is tossed, [Slide] did you find Jesus? Did you find Jesus in the busyness of the holiday season?

 

I love the film How the Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey! [Slide] One scene that always gets me is when little Cindy Lou Who sings Where are You Christmas? Confused by all the mayhem around Christmas shopping, Cindy Lou wondered, “What does Christmas really mean?” In the quiet of her room, she sings,

 

Where are you Christmas?

Why can’t I find you?

Why have you gone away
You and I were so carefee

Now nothing’s easy.

Did Christmas change or just me?

 

You can hear her yearning for the magic. Did you find the magic? Did you get in touch with the spirit of Christmas? Did you find Jesus?

 

[Slide] In every heart there lies a manger, a place within to be nurtured by the bread of life. I love the words of the carol O Little Town of Bethlehem

 

O holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to us, we pray;
cast out our sin and enter in;
be born in us today.

 

Was Jesus born anew in your heart this Christmas? Or, like Mary and Joseph, have you lost sight of Him? Like His parents, we tend to look in all the wrong places for fulfillment.

 

[Slide] We look for fulfillment in our family. That may work, in the short term. Families can be a wonderful blessing, when there’s love and charity in the home. But families, like everything else in this world, don’t last forever. Families sometimes break. Families certainly change over time.

 

Michele and I are empty nesters. We’ve had to adjust to our children living their own lives. I’ve felt unhappy with their choices, which has caused me pain. They never stop being our children. I find myself wishing for the old days when our children were young and we were everything. But, as it should, life moves on.

 

Our kids are adults. They need to be treated as such. I had to learn to let go, let them make their own choices. I used to find great joy in family. Not so much anymore. I can’t find Jesus easily in family.

 

Where I do find Jesus is in offering grace, mercy and forgiveness. Jesus calls me to love, when I’d much rather kick butts. Jesus urges me to keep the doors to my heart open, when it’s much easier to slam the door shut, rather than suffer more disappointment. Parents, you know this struggle.

 

Mary and Joseph didn’t find Jesus among their family members. They didn’t find Jesus among the neighbors either. [Slide] Some of us are socialites. We come alive when we’re having friends over for dinner or go to a party. But unless interactions move beyond the superficial, you’re not likely to find Jesus. You might experience joy and laughter, but it’s fleeting. Your deep need for Christ remains, gnawing at you.

 

Another mistake we make in trying to find Jesus is to look for Him in the marketplace. [Slide] Christmas is the biggest time of year for retail sales. Everybody’s buying gifts, decorations, and holiday-themed clothing. We buy extra groceries for holiday gatherings. We buy, buy, buy… which makes the merchants happy. Like Cindy Lou figured out, “There’s got to be something more to Christmas than presents.” She was searching to reclaim the magic of Christmas. As people of faith, we know the true magic is finding Jesus.

 

When I was a kid, I loved getting gifts. Now, not so much. I’ve got more than enough at home. I need to be getting rid of stuff, not adding more. The love and kindness associated with a gift still brings me joy, but I don’t find Jesus in the wrapped gifts. [Slide] I love Christmas lights in our shops and city streets. They bring a remembrance of the magic I once felt as a child, but still I’m searching for a truer light.

 

The thrill of Christmas gifts quickly fades, and soon we start pining for some other acquisition. You won’t likely find Jesus in materialism. 

 

[Slide] Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the temple. He was listening to the teachers of the law. He was asking intelligent questions. Jesus’ grasp of scripture surprised these learned men. Knocked them out, so to speak.

 

Mary scolded Jesus. “Why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” (Luke 2:48) If you read the Greek, they were tormented seeking after Jesus. They were in pain, craving to find Jesus.

 

Jesus said, Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” The King James says, “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?”

 

The Greek could be read literally as “Did you not see that it is necessary for me to be in Father’s things? Or simply, “Father this.” Most translations assume Jesus is referring to the temple as God’s house, but think about what Jesus was doing. He was meditating upon the word of God. [Slide] He was learning. He was rehearsing what He himself would one day do, teach hope in the kingdom of God.

 

Did you not know? Can you not see? Jesus must be found in God’s things, God’s business.

 

As you start the new year, make it a priority to find Jesus. Look not to family, not to the mall, not to the sports arena, or television. Look in your heart and fill it with the things of God. Be about God’s business. [Slide] Worship, Study, Pray, participate in Christian Fellowship, Serve, Forgive. Stand with the poor and marginalized. Ease the burdens of others. As the prophet Micah said,

 

[Slide] “You know what the Lord requires of you.

Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

 

As you make your New Year’s resolutions, resolve to grow in the things of God. [Slide] May your New Year lead you into God’s business, and may you find Jesus every day.