Three Stories for 2 Christmas

Three Stories for 2 Christmas

Sermon preached by the Rev. Lowell E. Grisham, Rector

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas

January 3, 2015; Second Sunday after Christmas, Year C

Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary

(Luke 2:41-52) The parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem every year for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 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. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 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." He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

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We don't always get to celebrate two Sundays after Christmas. We only have eleven days after Christmas to work in two Sundays. Whenever we do get to this second Sunday, we have a choice of three gospel lessons. We have this wonderful story we've just heard of Jesus in the Temple with the teachers, the only story in our Gospels about Jesus in the time between his infancy and his baptism.

Another choice for this Sunday is the story of Joseph's heeding a dream and fleeing by night to Egypt with Mary and the infant Jesus to escape King Herod's massacre of the children of Bethlehem. The family remained in a foreign land as refugees until the danger was over and they could return to Nazareth where Jesus was raised.

The third optional reading is the story of the visit of the Magi, which we will hear this Wednesday on Epiphany. Wise Men from the east, scientists of the stars, and probably priests of the ancient religion of Iran, Zoroastrianism, follow a rising star that they believe signals the birth of the new King of the Jews. They find their way to the manger, where they are welcomed in a beautiful scene of mutual regard across cultural, racial and religious boundaries. But their protocol visit to reigning King Herod produced the unintended consequences that led to the family's emigration to Egypt and the subsequent infanticide.

So let's go through these three stories in that same backward chronology, starting with the twelve year old Jesus. It is the Passover, and the family of Joseph and Mary have traveled from Nazareth in the northern province of Galilee to Jerusalem to observe the great Passover celebration. They probably traveled with a large contingent from their own village and neighboring villages to join the huge event.

Luke says that Jesus was twelve years old. That's an important detail. Jesus is at that point of life where he was expected to take responsibility for his own receiving and understanding of the law. Much of that formation takes place in a format of questions and answers with the teachers of the law. The young person would be questioned on his competency, and it was expected that the student would form questions for the teachers, both to demonstrate proficiency and to deepen understanding. In later years this process became formalized into today's bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah. It is a rite of full-fledged adult membership into the Jewish community.

In our story, it takes a day for the travelers to realize that Jesus is not with the crowd returning home. That's probably not too unusual. The adults visiting together while the young people free range among their relatives and friends. A group returns to Jerusalem to find him. Luke says it took them three days. My guess is that this is a bit of writer's license, connecting this disappearance in Jerusalem with Jesus' three days in the tomb.

And I hear Jesus' response as a respectful one. "Beloved parents, you know you have prepared and formed me for my responsibilities and role as an adult in the community. I must take my place in my Father's house." It was common for Jews to speak of the Temple as the house our Father. "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor."

His parents have done their job well. Jesus can fulfill his potential. The story reminds us of our responsibilities toward all of our children. It is our job as adults to make sure every child grows into their full potential. It is work not just for parents alone, but for the community. As a society, we have a responsibility to insure that every mother is healthy as she nurtures her child, that every child has nutritious food and nurturing shelter and access to health care. That every child has educational and spiritual opportunities to get off to a good start in order to live into their full potential. It takes a village and a society to raise a child. We work hard to be part of that here at St. Paul's. We love our children. Our corporate prayer and resolution should be that every one of God's children upon earth has the opportunity to increase "in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor."

But that is not easy to accomplish. It is a dangerous and risky world. Jesus nearly did not get to this day in the Temple. Jesus was one of those "at-risk" children. Like so many others, he was vulnerable to the whims of the powerful and the threat of violence. Listening to his deepest intuition, his father Joseph acted decisively to lead his family to safety. They became refugees. Thank God for Egypt. How many countries today would have turned them back at the border?

I'm struck by Joseph. It takes a lot to persuade any family to leave its home—to abandon the language, culture, history and sense of place that has been its grounding, maybe for generations. Joseph did so on the strength of a dream, following his intuition before he had any external, concrete evidence. It was a life-saving decision. But I wonder, are there many countries today that would honor such an immigrant's request for legal entry. Herod's violence against the children in Bethlehem was low-key enough that no evidence about it remains except this story from Luke. I think about the Holy Family whenever I hear about families fleeing their homes seeking welcome in a safer, more promising place.

And I'm also struck by the unintended consequences of the well-meaning actions of the wise men. Privileged and resourced, they follow their reasoning into a foreign place where they don't really know the lay of the land. They make use of their access to the seat of power to have their audience with Herod. They think they are helping; they think they are doing what is right and good. But they wreak a tragic violence upon the poor and vulnerable in Bethlehem.

It is a story of such ambiguity. The gentle scene at the manger, symbolizing the peace and respect that can exist across cultures and classes and races. The fascinating picture of obvious power and hidden power finding synergy in the humble place. The recognition that the truth of the sages and scientists from any realm or discipline will ultimately guide any truth-seeker toward the revelation of God, who is Truth itself. And, the good intentions which turn tragic.

We have rich fare on this Second Sunday of Christmas. The joyful wise men from the east offering their gifts to the child in the humble place. The threat to that child and the escape into Egypt, thanks to an intuitive, protective father. The child's nurture into adulthood, with all of his potential and possibility intact.

The story of Jesus is essentially the story of God's most intimate entry into our humanity. It makes us want to treasure each of our children, to honor them and to give them gifts. It makes us want to protect all of our children, to keep them safe and secure from all violence and threat. It makes us want to rejoice in their growth, and to give them opportunities to live into their fullest potential. It makes us glad for the young adults in our midst, increasing "in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor."

We are Mary and Joseph in our generation. It is our duty to see the Christ child in every child, and to do our part to love, protect, and form them to their fullest potential.

During communion (at 8:45 & 11:00) we'll sing a lovely Christmas carol. Its first and last verse seem a fitting ending:

Love came down at Christmas,

love all lovely, love divine;

love was born at Christmas:

star and angels gave the sign.

Love shall be our token;

love be yours and love be mine,

love to God and neighbor,

love for plea and gift and sign. [i]

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[i] Hymn 84, Hymnal 1940. Words by Christina Rossetti

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