Loving God, sometimes we are able to see your salvation, and sometimes we are anxious and afraid.  Remind us this day of the presence of your Spirit, and fill us with peace, hope, and love, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            This year, as we focus on the gospel of Luke, we hear a gradual revelation of who Jesus is.  We heard from the angel Gabriel a couple of weeks ago that Jesus would be the Son of God and a king from David’s line.  Then we heard the angel’s message to the shepherds in the field about the birth of a child who would be a Saviour, the Messiah, and the Lord.

         In the verses that follow, both Simeon and Anna have more to say about the infant Jesus while he is at the Temple with his parents.  Simeon proclaims that this child embodies God’s salvation, which will be for both Jews and Gentiles.  He also foresees that some will oppose Jesus, even as Jesus will cause the inner thoughts of many to be revealed.  And then Anna points to Jesus as the Redeemer – the one who will set his people free.

         Throughout this narrative, we are presented with both the humanity and the divinity of Jesus.  Certainly, there are all of the lofty titles for him, including his identity as the Son of God.  However, at the same time, he is swaddled just like any other baby, circumcised and named on the eighth day, just like any other son of Israel, and consecrated just like any other first-born son.  And then, today, we get a glimpse of Jesus in his “tweenage” years.

         The only story that we hear about Jesus in between his infancy and his adulthood occurs when he is twelve years old.  He is getting a little bit too old to be considered a child, but has not yet had his bar mitzvah to become an adult member of the community.  In fact, it is likely because of this “in between” status that he gets left behind in Jerusalem.

         Joseph most likely assumed that he was with the women and children, while Mary likely assumed that Jesus was with the men.  However, as it turns out, he was not with either group.  Instead, he was in the Temple, listening to the teachers, asking questions, and amazing people with his understanding.

         Mary and Joseph, however, have traveled for a whole day before they realize that Jesus is not with them.  Hence, it takes them another whole day to get back to Jerusalem, and it is the third day before they can start looking for him.  In spite of all of the things that they have been told about Jesus, they respond just as most parents would who have lost their 12-year-old son far from home.  They are desperate to find him, and when they finally see him, Mary doesn’t know whether to strangle him or to hug him.  “How could you do this to us?”, says Mary.  “We’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

         “Did you not know,” says Jesus, “that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk. 2:49).  No… they didn’t know, and they have been understandably anxious as they have searched for him.  For a moment, Jesus sounds like any other “tweenager” whose parents just don’t understand.  However, then he goes with them to Nazareth and is obedient to them as he grows in wisdom and in years (Lk. 2:51-52).

         One of the things that comes to the forefront in this episode with the 12-year-old Jesus is the humanness of Mary and Joseph.  They have heard the angel messages.  They have heard what happened out in the fields.  They have heard both Simeon and Anna telling everybody who will listen about who their son is and what his life will mean.  Yet, in spite of all of these divine messengers, and the obvious activity of the Holy Spirit, they are just as anxious as any other parents would be.

         Jesus, it seems, is not the least bit perturbed about having been left on his own in Jerusalem.  It is kind of like later on when Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat while the disciples are scared to death and think they’re all going to die.  Jesus knows that it is all under control, but that doesn’t always get passed on to the people around him.

         For us, too, no matter how strong our faith might be, there are times when we are anxious or afraid.  Some are anxious about their own health or the health of a loved one. Some are anxious about the effects of lockdowns and overflowing Intensive Care Units and economic distress.  Some are anxious simply to get back to some sense of normal, and some are desperate to see their church family, or even their own family, once again.

         Just like Mary and Joseph, we don’t always know ahead of time that it’s all under control – even though we have been told that it is.  For, all things are in God’s hands – the past, the present, and the future – and God continues to be with us in and through Jesus Christ.  May we, like Simeon, be able to see God’s salvation and to be at peace, through our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Christmas 2 (NL 3)                          Luke 2:22-52

January 3, 2021

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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