Sunday 12/26/21 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Imagine If Your Kid Did That!”
Old Testament Scripture: 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26
New Testament Scripture: Colossians 3:12-17
Gospel Lesson: Luke 2:41-52
Merry Christmas once again, as we are still
in this season of Christmas, through January 5th. In fact, this is
the second day of Christmas.
So, there I was, I was about 5-6 years
old, and I went to large grocery store in Southern Wisconsin with my mother. I
loved this grocery store, even though we did not go to this grocery store as
often as I would have liked. It was one of those grocery stores with the loose
candy that you could put into plastic bags. They had all kinds of candy. My mom
would always allow me to get some of this candy whenever we went to this
grocery store. As a result, I loved going to this grocery store!
Well
during one of the few times I remember going to this grocery store with my mom,
we were shopping, and I just walked away from my mother unannounced. I was not
trying to be rude, but I just thought, “I want to go and see the loose candy
and put some in bag.” The problem with my little candy acquisition plot, was
that within no time my mother was worried that I was lost in the grocery store.
As you can imagine she was upset, meanwhile I was joyfully thinking, “Do I want
root beer barrels or do I want something else.” Clearly mom and I were not
feeling the same way around my little grocery store excursion.
After about five-minutes, all of the
sudden a worker at the grocery store got on the grocery store loudspeaker. I remember
hearing, “Attention customers if Paul Winkelman is in the store, your mother
Susan is looking for you up front at the service counter.” Well needless to say,
I did not get any candy that day. Although, I did try to negotiate, unsuccessfully.
Mom was not too happy with little Paul after that little incident.
Maybe you have a story like this?
Maybe you could not find a child, or maybe you had a lost pet. It must be a
terrible and a terrifying feeling to lose someone, a pet, or something. I have
talked to people for example, that have told me that they have torn apart their
house and their car, and they still could not find, fill in the blank.
Some of us might have seen the famous movie
“Home Alone” with little Macaulay Culkin. The whole family goes on vacation,
but they were missing something. Did they forget a bag? Did they forget a
camera? No, they forgot their son, named “Kevin!” In the movie the mother of
this character realizes this on the airplane and shrieks “Kevin,” as she
realizes that they had left their son “Home Alone.” A scary reality, but
exactly what we have in our gospel of Luke lesson for this morning.
In our gospel of Luke lesson for this
morning, Jesus wandered off, and his parents left without him. There were panicked
and afraid of course, as they did not know where their son was. As it turned out
Jesus was in the great temple in Jerusalem. Jesus was listening to the teachers
and asking questions. Everyone who heard this were amazed at young Jesus’
answers and understanding (Lk. 2:41-52, NRSV).
Samuel in our reading from 1 Samuel
for this morning, had a similar experience in his life. In fact, as our reading
from 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26, says for this morning once again:
18 Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 His mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year, when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord repay you with children by this woman for the gift that she made to the Lord”; and then they would return to their home (1 Sam. 2:18-20, 26, NRSV).
This morning, a lost 12-year-old Jesus is in the great
temple in Jerusalem, wowing everyone with his knowledge and wisdom. Samuel did this
as well, as young boy, as we see in our scripture from 1 Samuel.
We hear in our reading from the Book of Colossians for this
morning once again that we are to be compassionate, kind, humble, meek, and patient.
Overall, we are to seek love, peace, forgive, and to serve in the name of the Lord
Jesus (Col. 3:12-17, NRSV). Sometimes when a child is missing it can be hard to
do all of these things that we read in Colossians 3:12-17.
So, in looking at our gospel of Luke lesson for this
morning, it says once again of Jesus and his family traveling to Jerusalem for
the festival of the Passover:
41 Now every year his
parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. 42 And
when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43 When
the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind
in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it (Lk. 2:41-43, NRSV).
So, this is not young Pastor Paul lost in the grocery store
for 5-10 minutes, this Jesus lost for a few days. Losing a child for a few days
must be a terrifying experience. Jesus’ family traveled from Nazareth to Jerusalem
for the festival of the Passover, which was about 60-70 miles away. They were
headed home in a group of people and did not realize at first that Jesus was
not with them. Mary and Joseph figured incorrectly that Jesus was somewhere in
the large group of people they were traveling with. In fact, as the gospel of
Luke lesson for this morning continues saying once again of lost 12-year-old
Jesus:
44 Assuming that he was in
the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look
for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they
did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46 After
three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening
to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard
him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When
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” (Lk. 2:44-48, NRSV).
So, Mary and Joseph had
headed one full day’s journey home, and then finally realized that young Jesus
was not with them. I wonder if she shrieked “Jesus,” the way the mother in the
movie “Home Alone” shrieked “Kevin” when she knew her son was not with them? As
a result of Jesus being missing from the traveling group, Mary and Joseph went
back to Jerusalem. It took Mary and Joseph a day’s journey back to the Jerusalem,
and then it took them another three days to find young Jesus.
I have seen some funny depiction of Mary and Joseph finally
realizing that Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem, after looking for him for
the better part of a week. In one of these pictures Joseph was in the car in
from of the temple, and he said, “You go in and get him Mary, I am to mad to
get our of this car!” I mean the gospel of Luke does have Mary asking Jesus
directly, “why have you treated us like this?” Mary then says, “your father and
I have been searching for you in great anxiety” (Lk. 2:44-48, NRSV). Clearly
Mary and Joseph were not thrilled that Jesus was lost. Further, you cannot
really ground the savior of the world, even if he is your son!
What Mary did see and observe, as well as Joseph, as he was
in actuality next to Mary, and not really angry waiting in the car, was seeing their
12-year-old son, the savior of the world wow all of the religious teachers. The
people were “astonished” the scripture says by the wisdom, knowledge, and
teachings of Jesus.
After asking Jesus why he had left there traveling group
and did not tell them about, Jesus responded by saying:
49 He said to them, “Why
were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s
house?” 50 But they did
not understand what he said to them. 51 Then 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 favor (Lk. 2:49-52, NRSV).
Imagine, if I was lost in the grocery store, even if it was
only for 5-10 minutes. My mother finally and frantically finds me. She approaches
me and says, “Paul, why did you wander off, I was worried sick?” Imagine if I just
said to my mom, “Mom didn’t know that I was supposed to be looking at the loose
candy?” If that actually happened, I do not think I would be alive on earth right
now to tell you the story.
It is fun though to imagine ourselves in this story. The
joke about dad waiting in the car, might have actually happened many times in different
situations in our lives. Imagine if your child was lost, and you searched for
them for three days. You then find them at a friend’s house, and they just say,
“Didn’t you know that I was supposed to be at my friends house?” Well, I do not
know about you, but if I did that, I would not be alive on earth right now to talk
about it.
What is the big take away here then? Number one, God’s plan
is bigger than our plan. Anyone ever heard the statement, “We make plans and
God laughs?” In Jesus being the Messiah, the savior of the world, If he was
supposed to be in God’s house, then that is it. It is awful that Mary and
Joseph looked for him for so long, but if that was God’s will, then that was
God’s will. Number two, when you leave somewhere, make sure your kid is with
you!
Of all of the stories of Jesus in the gospels, this is one of the most unique and fun stories to play with. The reality though is that God can call us to do something at any moment. Mary and Joseph were so consumed with leaving the festival of the Passover festival in Jerusalem that they did not even notice that Jesus was not with them. It is not good that they had to look for him for so long, but never go anywhere my friends without first knowing where Jesus is. Amen.
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