Reflections...

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on First Sunday after Christmas 26 December 2021, by Rev Judy Chan. The scripture readings that day were 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 and Luke 2:41-52. 

Merry Christmas!

Stories about missing children usually grab our attention.  So, let me begin with a missing child story that happened to the Chan family. It has a happy ending so don’t worry.

When my girls were small, we took them shopping at Christmas. We were at the mall in suburban Maryland in the US looking at toys. My daughter Grace wanted a teddy bear from the display rack. We said, sorry honey, it’s expensive and you really don’t need any more toys. Then my husband Joe wanted to look at another section, so we divided up, he took two girls, I took one. We met up a few minutes later. Panic: we each had only one child! Where’s Grace??? I thought you had her! I thought YOU had her! We ran around the store looking for her but she was nowhere to be seen.

The toy section of the store was on the 2^nd floor near the exit into rest of the mall, so we ran to the exit. No trace of Grace. A man was casually leaning on the rail. “Have you seen a little girl out here?”  “Oh, yeah, I think I saw a kid with a bear go that way.” We ran until we were at the middle of the mall and there she was, standing and clutching that teddy bear. “Grace, why didn’t you stay with Mom and Dad?” “I wanted the bear bear,” she cried. Of course, we were just relieved to find her safe and sound. “Can I keep the bear?” No, honey you have to give it back before the police come and arrest you for stealing.”

Every parent can understand the panic of losing track of their child. Our worst fears go through our heads and we don’t give up until we find them. On the other hand, every child can understand the longing to do things the way they want or need, even if it goes against the parents’ wishes.

When we look at today’s Gospel reading, we have to ask, “Is this what’s going on in the story of the boy Jesus in the Temple?” A family drama between parents and child, a battle of wills to see who prevails? It might look like it, but there’s so much more to this story as we will find out.

It may seem a bit strange to be reading this in church on December 26th. After all, we just finished the infancy narratives of Jesus. Now a day later, he’s almost a teenager. But the Missing Child story comes up every three years in the lectionary for the first Sunday after Christmas. So, let’s go with the Spirit of the season – the Spirit of God – and see what we can learn.

Jesus’ family have just finished their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover. They probably would have been at the festival for a week. Now they’re heading back home. It would take another 3 to 4 days. They were travelling in a big group with family and friends. It wasn’t until the end of the first day’s journey home that they realized Jesus was missing. Panic. We thought he was with you! We thought he was with YOU! The next morning his parents turn right around and head back to Jerusalem.

They search frantically all over the place. Finally, they find him – in the Temple of all places. And what exactly was he doing? Sitting among the Jewish teachers, listening, asking questions, impressing his elders with his understanding and answers.

But Jesus’ parents were not so impressed. “Child!” says his mother. “How could you do this to us? We’ve been worried sick looking for you.” But Jesus doesn’t bat an eye.

After all he’s 12 years old, just a year shy of being considered a man in Jewish culture. “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know I need to be here, in my Father’s house, going about my Father’s business?”

Wow. That might have brought a sharp rebuke from most parents under any circumstance. But, in reality, Jesus wasn’t talking back to his parents. He was actually trying to communicate something very important. But neither Mary nor Joseph could grasp it at the moment.

So, what’s Jesus saying? In short, he’s telling them he accepts God’s call on his life. He accepts God’s call on his life.

Remember up to this point, all the announcements about Jesus had been made by others – angels at his birth; Simeon at his Presentation. Now, for the first time, Jesus himself is claiming his identity as the Son of God. And how? By declaring whose authority he’s under – his Heavenly Father’s. How again? By declaring whose family business he has to join – his Heavenly Father’s.

This must have all come as a shock to his earthly parents.

But Jesus recognized his divine calling early on just like the boy Samuel. He may have not known everything that was ahead, but he was already determined to do God’s will. In this only picture we have of Jesus’ childhood, he already shows amazing spiritual maturity. That was no coincidence, you know.

Remember Luke was a historian. He doesn’t just narrate events as they happen. He puts them in context of the bigger picture. That’s why he includes this story in his Gospel. Not just to fill in the gap between Jesus’ infancy and adulthood. But to show us how God was there at every stage of Jesus’ life. From the very beginning to the end.

In fact, one of the most fascinating things scholars have noted about this story is how it foreshadows later events in the ministry of Jesus. That means things that happen now will happen again down the road but with even greater consequences. It’s like God is setting the scene to prepare us for what lies ahead.

If we look at the big picture of the Gospels, we find a couple of important events foreshadowed here. The first is the Passover journey itself. Luke gives us details of two occasions when Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem for Passover. This visit when he’s 12 and again when he’s a grown man.

In the first pilgrimage he sat at the feet of his teachers in the Temple to learn from them. It was a round trip affair and eventually he made it home. At his last pilgrimage, he went to confront his opponents in the Temple so they could learn from him. It was a one-way trip ending in death on the Cross. Two Passover journeys to Jerusalem, two totally different outcomes.

The other scene we see repeated later is the missing persons’ report. By the time Jesus’ parents found him in the Temple, it was three days since he was last seen by family and friends. Can you think of another time when Jesus went missing for three days? Yes, after his crucifixion and burial until he was raised on the 3^rd day. So twice Jesus would cause untold anxiety when he wasn’t where he was expected to be. But both times, he assured those who loved him, he was exactly where he was supposed to be.

So, you see, nothing happened to Jesus by chance. Every moment had meaning. Everything was part of God’s master plan.

What about us then? Does anything happen to us by chance or luck or is everything part of God’s plan for our lives? That’s a huge question. Especially for people who have gone through great suffering. In many situations, I would never say this was God’s will for their lives. Some well-meaning folks have said that to me before, and I could never believe it. What I do believe though is there is meaning in our every moment through Jesus Christ. And the more we spend time with him, the more we see God’s faithfulness at every stage of our life too.

That was Mary’s experience, you know. I mean who spent more time personally with Jesus than anyone else in the Gospels? Peter, James, John? No, Mary. She was the one and only adult who was present from his birth to his death and beyond. No one else experienced what she did. Her response to Jesus then is worth our special attention.

So, what happens in the rest of the story today? Luke says Jesus returned with his parents to Nazareth and was obedient to them. And Mary treasured all these things in her heart.

Wow. She treasured all these things in her heart. Even if she didn’t understand everything. She listened and remembered. She pondered and prayed over it. She regarded every moment as precious. And in the fullness of time, when all was revealed, Mary was ready. Ready to follow God’s Son – body and soul.

On this first Sunday after Christmas, will you treasure what you’ve seen and heard this season? Because, if truth be known, we don’t always understand what’s said about Jesus either, even if we think we do. We don’t always comprehend what Jesus is saying to us, even if we’re already a Christian. That’s why we need to ponder and pray over these stories of Jesus again and again.

Because they are our precious moments. Precious moments so that we, like Mary, are present with Jesus from his birth to his death and beyond. Precious moments so that we, like Mary, can grasp anew how his life brings our life into God’s master plan. And in the fullness of time, when all is revealed, we will be ready. Ready to follow God’s Son – body and soul. That’s a great privilege, you know. A privilege Mary never took for granted. Neither should we. 

I’d like to close with one more story.  It comes from my own life. I wasn’t sure whether to share it or not. But I decided to go ahead. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I started going back to church in Mississippi as a teenager, around age 16. The Baptist church I had attended as a child was within walking distance of our house. However, by the time I went back as a teenager, there weren’t any other young people in that little church. I really wanted to be with some people my own age. I think for social reasons as much as religious. I was a lonely kid.

A friend invited me to her bigger church in the next town about 20 minutes away by car. We only had one car in our family so I couldn’t take that.

One Sunday the friend agreed to drive all the way to my house to get me and drive me all the way back when church was over. For some reason, I don’t know why, I didn’t tell my parents what I was doing. My friend drove up our driveway, I hopped in the car and off we went. My parents had no idea where I was. They asked my sisters who said, “I think Judy said something about going to another church and her friend would come get her.”

When I got home, you can imagine the reaction. My mom yelled at me in Chinese, “Where were you? Why didn’t you tell us you were going off to church way over in the next town? Don’t ever do that again!” As far as I can remember, my dad didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. I already got the message loud and clear.

As I reflect on that incident, which frankly I hadn’t thought about in 50 years, I see how God was faithful in my life too at every stage. I didn’t know at that point I would become a minister, and anyone who knew me, would have thought it highly unlikely. I was no Jesus! But I did know that being in my Heavenly Father’s house was key to my identity even then and there. I did know that being involved in my Heavenly Father’s business was crucial to my future somehow even then and there.

Now, as it turned out, my friend couldn’t provide transportation every week. So afterwards, I guess you could say, I returned home and was obedient to my parents. Because I didn’t have a choice.

Yet somehow God worked it out for my calling to be fulfilled. That one day, I would become a minister. One day, I would leave that little Baptist church in my hometown of 600 people. And one day, I would be here among you in a city of 7 million going about God’s business. What a privilege. May I never take it for granted! 

Let’s pray. O God, thank you for the lessons of the Christmas season.  May they help us see ultimately whose authority we are under – Yours – and whose family business we have inherited – Yours. In this new church year, as we follow the life of your Son from birth to death and beyond, may these precious moments guide us in Your call on our lives both now and for eternity. In Christ’s name. Amen.

“Our (Advent) preparations are often informed by pastoral images of sweet baby Jesus surrounded by choirs of angels and placid sheep around the manger. Jesus brings serenity, peace on earth goodwill to all. And while we can affirm that the coming of Jesus Christ, the prince of peace, is good news of great joy for all people, this does not mean that Christ’s presence demands nothing of us or leaves us unchanged. Like a refiner’s fire and cleansing soap, the arrival of Christ in our midst calls us to reverent obedience and faithful praise The good news is indeed that we will not be left unchanged but will be reformed and refined to become like Christ.”