Between Parent and Child

Luke 2:39-3:14; 3:21-22

1 Timothy 4:6-16

It must have been a unique challenge, to put it mildly, to be the parents of Jesus, don’t you think?

During Advent, we have heard the stories of Joseph finding out not only THAT Mary would be pregnant, but HOW she would be pregnant, and WHOM she would be carrying and giving birth to. And we have heard the stories of Mary accepting God’s plan for her -
“here I am, a servant of the Lord”. And we have thought of this primarily in terms of the events of Jesus’ birth – no room in the inn, giving birth in a stable, the shepherds, the angels, the wise men. We are told how Mary kept these things, and treasured them in her heart. All these one-of-a-kind experiences, between parent and child, that began before Jesus’ birth.

But life goes on, and the church calendar propels us forward. In just a few weeks we will begin the season of Lent, remembering the last 40 days of Jesus’ ministry on earth. And so as we hear today the story of the 12 year old boy Jesus, going with his parents to the temple in Jerusalem, but not setting back out to go home with them, it’s a bit of a shock to be thinking about this pre-adolescent Jesus and the trouble he is causing his parents.

This is the only story in the Bible about Jesus between his birth and the start of his adult ministry. It’s one of those stories that a parent tends to look back on, once their child is grown and they are recalling a few key moments that gave them a glimpse of who this little person was becoming, of what their future life would be like.

And this story shows a glimpse of the confusing, confounding experience it must have been to be Jesus’ parents, especially at this point of his life, not yet an adult, but probably around the point of preparing for his Bar Mitzvah, the Jewish rite of passage where a boy is considered a man, at age 13.

No doubt Joseph has been teaching him the family trade of carpentry, and that he has been helping with not only the family chores, but also the work that provides their livelihood. And no doubt Jesus has also been receiving the traditional teaching that boys of that time would experience.

But here we see, not only the amazement of the teachers at the temple when they encounter such a precocious young man, filled with questions and answers beyond his years and knowledge, but we also see someone who knows who His Real Father is.

When Mary and Joseph find him, and express their fear and hurt at his actions, his response to them is, “where else would I be but in my Father’s house, doing my Father’s business?”

The Message translation puts into modern words how we probably expect that we would feel:

The next day they found him in the Temple seated among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions.

The teachers were all quite taken with him, impressed with the sharpness of his answers.

But his parents were not impressed; they were upset and hurt.

His mother said, “Young man, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been half out of our minds looking for you.”

He said, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father?”

And then Luke says this: “But they had no idea what he was talking about.”

“Dealing with the things of my Father.” Maybe they had never thought about God in that way relative to Jesus, as his Father, even though they both had been told how he had been conceived. Was this the first time they had thought of God as his True Father?

Well then.

We know, of course, that Jesus is the Son of God. And we know that Mary and Joseph had been told this as well. But when you are raising a child, the every-day aspects of that will tend to be your focus, won’t they, until you experience those glimpses of the future, those prophecies, almost, those foreshadowings of what will come? Mary and Joseph are recognizing the divine in this human child of theirs.

Our reading today ends with a mention of Jesus’ baptism. As he comes out of the water, a voice comes from heaven. We hear Jesus’ Father God express pleasure at this, the beloved Son. “In you I am well pleased.” God says this as Jesus emerges from taking part in a baptism that John, his cousin, has appropriately said that Jesus, of all people, does not need. Wash away Jesus’ sins? What is the point of that? But Jesus does what all humans who believe would do – he is baptized along with all the rest of us. And for this action, for this divine being who claims his humanity, his vulnerability, God is pleased. This is a moment that is treasured in God’s heart about this beloved Son, much like the moments that Mary treasured along the way.

In Paul’s letter to Timothy, we are reminded that the living God is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. God is treasuring the moments in each of our lives that reflect our intentions to be good servants of Christ. Those moments are described by Paul as having nothing to do with foolish and irreverent myths, but have everything to do with godliness. Because godliness has promise for both our lives right now and our lives to come.

God loves us just as we are, and God treasures those moments that show glimpses of who we are becoming. Godliness, a life of faith, according to Paul, includes nurturing the gifts that are in us, to the glory of God. For Timothy this was teaching others in scripture, even though he was being perceived as too young to be respected.

What about us? What does all this say to us about how we live our lives as believers? What are the things that God treasures about us?

Like Jesus, when we focus our lives on God’s business, joining in community with God’s people, God is well pleased.

Like Timothy, when we set an example in speech and conduct, in love, faith, and integrity, God is well pleased.

Like Paul says, when we turn from irreverent myths and train ourselves in the things of God, God is well pleased.

When we love our enemies, when we do justice, love mercy, walk humbly, when we feed, clothe, visit, care for others in need, when we step away from judgment and toward communion with all God's people, with all people, God is well pleased.

Jesus’ baptism was his first public act of communion with God’s people. From then on, as he teached, and healed, and loved, he was in communion with God’s people.

When he spoke the Beatitudes on the mountainside,

         and then fed thousands with five loaves and two fishes,

                  he was in communion with God’s people.

When he sat at table with his disciples

         and broke open a loaf of bread,

         and poured out a pitcher of wine,

                  he was in communion with God’s people.

When he allowed himself to be arrested,

         and gave himself up to be crucified,

         the ultimate act of humility,

                  Jesus was in communion with God’s people. 

When he interpreted the scripture

         to those he met on the Emmaus trail,

         and they recognized him in the breaking of the bread,

                  Jesus was in communion with God’s people.

When the resurrected Christ met the disciples on the beach,

         having prepared a meal of grilled fish for their breakfast,

                  he was in communion with God’s people.

In all these things, God was well pleased.

Jesus is in communion with us today and always,

         calling us to live our lives in communion with Him, by living our lives in communion with one another.

By His grace we are saved,

         by His mercy we are forgiven,

         even and especially when we fall short

                  of God’s intentions for us,

         even and especially when we repent and turn back to God,

                  over and over and over again.

And so, every time we go forth from this place,

         equipped and energized and fed and encouraged

         through worship and sacraments,

desiring to do God’s will in all parts of our lives, with everything we have, sharing God's steadfast love, Christ's amazing grace, the Holy Spirit's sweet communion with all people –

         God The True Father,

          God our everlasting parent,

         the living God, who is the Savior of all people,

                  is well pleased.