Sermons for the Month
God's Favored One Is With Us!
DATE: December 28th, 2003
SERVICE: First Sunday After Christmas
TEXT: Luke 2:41-52“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
It's Day Four in the Christmas Season; after four weeks of preparation we are celebrating the birth of Jesus. The hymns remind us of shepherds and a baby in the manger and angels. Yet, in today's Gospel lesson Jesus is 12 years old.
That seems odd, doesn't it? And it's especially confusing because next Sunday we will be observing the Epiphany of our Lord and remembering how the Magi came to visit Jesus when he was about a year old.
So, the story we read today, which is assigned in the lectionary for this Sunday, seems very much out of order, out of place. Yet, there is a reason it was included by the Gospel writer. There is a reason those who developed the three-year cycle of scripture readings assigned it to the First Sunday after Christmas.
As is true of most scripture, there is a message here beyond what is readily apparent. The purpose is not to tell a story about a devoted, religious family, although it does offer some interesting information about their lives and relationships. The point is not that children should be obedient, although that's always a good thing. Instead, the message being conveyed is perfect for the Christmas season.
Stick with me for a moment and I'll explain why. The key to this "why-are-we-reading-this-today puzzle" is found in the verse that precedes today's text and in the one that ends it.
In the scripture that precedes today's Gospel we read how on the 8th day of his life Jesus was presented at the temple. There, aged Simeon, a devout man guided by the Spirit, recognized him as the long-awaited Messiah. He took the baby in his arms and praised God. There also was a prophet there named Anna, who spent her days and nights in the temple, and she too rejoiced at seeing the child who would be the redemption of Israel.
The description of these events ends with this phrase, "The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the FAVOR of the Lord was upon him."
The next thing we know Jesus is 12-years-old, he has made an unauthorized trip to the temple and the words that summarize the event are very similar to those that summed up his first trip there. "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine (and human) FAVOR."
Did you hear the Christmas message? This child - who was laid in a manger, who was honored in the temple as a new born, who was visited by Magi and who astonished people with his pre-teen wisdom - was God's FAVORED one. That's what Luke wants us to grasp and that's why we read this story today.
The details are intriguing and make for some good speculation about first century families. The account of the child Jesus' wisdom and sense of purpose are inspiring. But the thing that we are to "get", especially during the Christmas season, is that this is no ordinary infant or toddler or boy but the one on whom - AND IN WHOM - Divine love and power dwell. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord."
He is God's Son, the favored one, and he has come to us. Because of him we too have found favor with God and are God's children. When we take stock of our Christmas gifts, that one should be at the top of the list.
If we grasp that it can make a huge difference in how we view ourselves, and make how others view us matter less.
One of the commentators I was reading this week relayed a story about George Washington Carver, an African-American who was born into slavery toward the beginning of the Civil War. He was freed from slavery as a small child, but certainly was not free to make choices like those we take for granted. The amazing thing is that he managed to complete high school and, after fighting to be admitted to a college, later earned both a bachelor's degree and master's degree. He then researched the lowly peanut. His work established the peanut as a cash crop and saved many a farmer in the days when cotton was being ravished by the boll weevil.
That's all background for the story I really want to tell you. It seems that in 1921 Mr. Carver was invited to speak before the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. Congress. Because he was black, he was not allowed to speak until everyone else had given their testimony. When he finally was about to begin, he endured several stinging and hateful racist remarks, which I cannot bring myself to repeat.
Humiliated, Mr. Carver was about to turn around and walk away but then he thought to himself. "Whatever they say to me, I know I am a child of God." Then he prayed, "Almighty God, let me do your will." He then began to tell about his research. When his 20 minutes were finished he was granted another 20 minutes, and then another, until he had spoken for several hours. In the end he received a standing ovation.
"I know I'm a child of God," he said, and that gave him the strength to go on.
As we approach the beginning of another year, three important things that can happen are that: number one, we grasp who Jesus is; number two, that we grasp who he is for us and number three, that we grasp how that makes a difference in our lives.
Or, to quote Dick Donovan, "To discover our true vocation, we need to begin by discovering not who we are, but whose we are."
Jesus was clear about that. Every year he and his earthly parents made the 80 mile journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. It was a three to four day hike each way, a trip that was required of the men, but not of the women and children. And, for those who lived more than 20 miles away, it was required only once in their lifetime. But, they were observant Jews and went yearly.
That alone would have explained an ordinary boy's devotion. But there is more to it for Jesus. That's why he's surprised at his parents' frustration when they find him in the temple after days of frantic searching. "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" he asks. How could they not know? Jesus is clear about whose he is, God's Son, the favored one. So, his mission is clear.
Is that true of us? We know who Jesus is, the Favored One. We know who Jesus is for us, our Savoir, the one who makes it possible for us to be God's beloved, forgiven children. But what difference does that make in our lives?
Would that fact empower us, as it did Washington Carver, to look challenge square in the face? Does knowing that we are children of God change our priorities and our values? What MUST we do because of whose we are?
That's the question I want us, the people of Faith Lutheran Church, to consider for the next three Sundays. What MUST we do because of whose we are? Jesus, the Favored One, was clear on that point and that's really what we celebrate on this First Sunday After Christmas. AMEN