Daily Scripture: Luke 2:40 The child grew and became strong and filled with wisdom — God’s favor was upon him.
41 Every year Yeshua’s parents went to Yerushalayim for the festival of Pesach. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up for the festival, as custom required. 43 But after the festival was over, when his parents returned, Yeshua remained in Yerushalayim. They didn’t realize this; 44 supposing that he was somewhere in the caravan, they spent a whole day on the road before they began searching for him among their relatives and friends. 45 Failing to find him, they returned to Yerushalayim to look for him. 46 On the third day they found him — he was sitting in the Temple court among the rabbis, not only listening to them but questioning what they said; 47 and everyone who heard him was astonished at his insight and his responses.
Reflection Questions:Only Luke gave us even a glimpse into Jesus' childhood years—but what a significant glimpse! How many 12-year-old boys, left on their own, would choose to join a discussion led by religious teachers? And how many of them would amaze everyone with their answers and understanding? That Joseph and Mary only looked in the Temple “after three days” (verse 46) suggests even they hadn’t grasped Jesus' fascination with the place.
- Try to imagine the thoughts and feelings his first Passover festival experience must have triggered in Jesus to draw him back to the Temple. The Temple and its teachers seem to have had an almost gravitational pull for him. What insights or questions does this raise for your understanding of the mystery that Jesus was both fully human and fully divine? How can you open your heart to the work God desires to do in you?
- Jesus' parents lost Jesus for a day—and it took them three days to find him. Think of a time when you lost contact with Jesus, and lived for days (or perhaps weeks or months) without that spiritual bond. What helps you maintain a continual contact with Jesus—and return to him with confidence if something does take your focus away from him?
Loving Jesus, I try to imagine your wide eyes and beating heart as you watched the Temple rituals with a dawning sense that they were about your mission and purpose. Open my eyes to see my own mission here on earth, I pray. Amen.
---------------------Insights from James Cochran
James Cochran helps connect the Resurrection family and community with counseling resources and group programming.This story forces me to consider a frequently recurring misconception I have about God’s presence in my life. As I walk through life, I stop from time to time and make an assessment of my closeness to God. Sometimes I feel especially close, but most of the time I feel some measure of separation. I can point to something in my life and say, “This thing is keeping me from being close to God.” It might be work, a challenging relationship, or some other way in which I’m lacking. “If I can only resolve this issue,” I assure myself, “God will draw close again.”
Part of what this story shows me, however, is God is not distant during those low times, I’m just not looking for Him in the right places. More often than not, I’m not looking for him at all. In tomorrow’s reading, Jesus says to his parents, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:48). I feel like God is saying to me, “You didn’t need to go looking for me. I was right here all along.” The weight of this notion is multiplied when I consider that the “Father’s house,” in light of Pentecost, isn’t some edifice in the Holy Land but my own heart.
Have you ever “lost” your keys only to find they were in your pocket the whole time? We might spend weeks, months or even years searching for something to give us a sense of peace that only comes from closeness to God. We won’t find it in our jobs, relationships, retirement accounts, just as Mary and Joseph didn’t find Jesus until they looked in the place He belonged. In the first century, that place was the Temple. Today, that place is your heart. And it is only when we stop looking everywhere else that we are free to look inside and find the God who’s been patiently waiting for us to fix our eyes on Him.
I asked my wife, my muse and most helpful editor, to examine this post and share her thoughts. I’ll paraphrase her response: “What does it mean to live in the awareness that God is always near?” Great question, dear, and one I have admittedly avoided. This is one of those “easier said than done” situations. Perhaps it means I can give myself permission to turn to God when I feel far away. My inclination may be to look for comfort elsewhere, the shame of my wrongdoing being so strong I don’t think God would want me, at least not until I’ve offered proper penance. We are all prone to engaging our world in ways that will cloud our vision and make us feel alone. What if instead of withdrawing or distracting ourselves we went to God in prayer? What if we humbled ourselves and asked Him to reveal Himself, to remove the veil from our eyes so we could seem him clearly? Something tells me (that is, Luke tells me) we, like Mary and Joseph, will be shocked to find Him right under our noses.
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Part of what this story shows me, however, is God is not distant during those low times, I’m just not looking for Him in the right places. More often than not, I’m not looking for him at all. In tomorrow’s reading, Jesus says to his parents, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:48). I feel like God is saying to me, “You didn’t need to go looking for me. I was right here all along.” The weight of this notion is multiplied when I consider that the “Father’s house,” in light of Pentecost, isn’t some edifice in the Holy Land but my own heart.
Have you ever “lost” your keys only to find they were in your pocket the whole time? We might spend weeks, months or even years searching for something to give us a sense of peace that only comes from closeness to God. We won’t find it in our jobs, relationships, retirement accounts, just as Mary and Joseph didn’t find Jesus until they looked in the place He belonged. In the first century, that place was the Temple. Today, that place is your heart. And it is only when we stop looking everywhere else that we are free to look inside and find the God who’s been patiently waiting for us to fix our eyes on Him.
I asked my wife, my muse and most helpful editor, to examine this post and share her thoughts. I’ll paraphrase her response: “What does it mean to live in the awareness that God is always near?” Great question, dear, and one I have admittedly avoided. This is one of those “easier said than done” situations. Perhaps it means I can give myself permission to turn to God when I feel far away. My inclination may be to look for comfort elsewhere, the shame of my wrongdoing being so strong I don’t think God would want me, at least not until I’ve offered proper penance. We are all prone to engaging our world in ways that will cloud our vision and make us feel alone. What if instead of withdrawing or distracting ourselves we went to God in prayer? What if we humbled ourselves and asked Him to reveal Himself, to remove the veil from our eyes so we could seem him clearly? Something tells me (that is, Luke tells me) we, like Mary and Joseph, will be shocked to find Him right under our noses.
---------------------
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kanas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
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