Transcription downloaded from https://yetanothersermon.host/_/sjv/sermons/47358/an-important-fact/. Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions. Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt. [0:00] Can we just bow our heads? Lord Jesus, thank you for your word, and thank you for this story of your life when you were a child of 12 years old. [0:12] Thank you now that as we look at this story, we have the promise of your presence among us, and we ask that you will teach us by your word to be like you. [0:24] We ask this in your holy name. Amen. Now please be seated. There is a toddler's class over in the hall, and there's an infant's nursery operating, if any of you want to use those facilities. [0:49] But everybody else among the children, will you come up and take a seat up at the front with me, because I'll need quite a lot of help. We have three rows of seats here, and then we have one more row of seats back here. [1:04] So you can sit wherever you like. These are especially cushioned seats back here that you might quite like to be involved with. [1:15] Goodness gracious, you all look like starlings on a... [1:44] an electric line, you see. However, I need some help, and one of the first things I need is to find out if there is anybody here who is possibly 12 years old. [2:03] Is there anybody out there that's 12 years old? We just need somebody who's 12 years old. Now we have a profound problem. [2:19] Why don't 12-year-olds come to church? I, uh... Is there anybody who's 11 years old? Oh, good. Are you 11 years old, madam? [2:31] Nora, are you? And are you 11 years old? And who else is 11? Yeah, okay, I know you two. Come on up here so everybody can have a look at what it looks like to be 11 years old. [2:44] Here you are. Stand way out in the front so everybody can see you. You three. Good for you. So that's what it looks like to be 11 years old. And when you're a year older than that, how old are you? [2:57] Very good. And what we're going to talk about today is Jesus when he was 12 years old. Now will you sit down, you three? Thank you, Nora. [3:09] Now I want to find out if any of you have ever been lost. Has anyone here ever been lost? Could anybody come and tell us what it's like to be lost? [3:22] Jonathan, could you come and tell us what it's like to be lost? You couldn't. How unlike. Would you come and tell us what it's like to be lost? [3:36] Could you come and tell us what it's like to be lost? Anybody out there come and tell us what it's like to be lost? I will. Well, will you think hard what it would be like to be lost? [3:52] Think about it, because that's what the story is about. Then there are three things I want to tell you about. One is a fair city, and one is a fine festival, and another is a famous family. [4:18] And then I want to bring to your attention some final facts. So what's the first thing I want to tell you about? Can anybody give me the answer? Like I just told you a minute ago. [4:31] What was the first thing? A fair city. Very good. And did somebody know what the second thing is? Yes. A fine festival. [4:44] And then the third thing is? Yes. A famous family. And then the conclusion will be? Yeah. [4:57] I forgot what it was myself. What was it again? A famous family. Yeah. Yeah. Some final facts. Okay. Now, first let me tell you about the fair city. [5:08] It was a city that was built on the top of a mountain. Except that it wasn't. If you think of a mountain, what mountain do you think of? Whistler. [5:22] Well, that seems reasonable. Can you imagine building a city up at the top of Mount Whistler? Yes. You want Mount Sinai. Yeah. Well, you're very biblical. [5:34] Considering you live in Vancouver. What? Anything else? There is a very famous mountain in Vancouver called the Rocky Mountains. [5:52] Well, I don't think they're in Vancouver. Grouse Mountain. But there's one even more famous and much closer than Grouse. Can you think what it is? What? [6:05] Mount Halpern. Mount Sinai. That's good, but we're not there yet. There's a more famous mountain that's a lot closer than either of those. Can you think of it? Yes. [6:19] Sorry. Mount Everest. Well, now, that's a bit of a wave from Vancouver. There's a mountain that you all know perfectly well. [6:31] That nobody has mentioned. Because it is called. Do you know what it's called? It's. Yes. [6:45] The Mount of God. You're a very spiritual bunch. I was thinking of something even more than that. I don't know if anybody out there has got the answer here. It's called Little Mountain. [6:56] Have you ever heard of Little Mountain? Nobody's ever heard of Little Mountain. I guess. Well, it's just over there. And one of the things you can do if you stand on top of Little Mountain is you can see the top of St. John's Church. [7:12] So, you can go to Little Mountain. And when I say that this city was built on a mountain, it was more like Little Mountain. And it was a city that was gathered around one great central building because it was a very ancient city that went back thousands of years. [7:30] And the ancient city had at the top of it a temple. And the temple was still being built because it was just begun before Jesus was born. [7:42] And it was still being built at the time that Jesus visited it. And this famous temple was a place that was as it had a temple court around it that was as big as a football field and a half down there. [7:58] Almost 200 yards long. And it was about 100 yards wide. And in it there was the court for the women and there was the court for the Gentiles and there was the court for the people, the priests. [8:17] And there was a place where they slaughtered animals and a place where they sacrificed animals and a place where they burnt incense and a place where they baked bread and a place where the Sanhedrin met. [8:28] And all this was within a fence. And the fence stood about that high and it went all the way around it. And the fence had little notices wherever there was a gate. And there was many gates around there. [8:40] And you know what it said to people who were Gentiles? It said, If you enter in here, we will not be responsible for the death that will occur. [8:54] So anybody who went inside that gate who wasn't a Jew could be put to death. So that was the famous city and the city was famous because of the temple. [9:07] And then the second thing was what? Do you remember what the second was? A fine festival. Very good. [9:18] Now the festival was called the Festival of Unleavened Bread or the Passover. And this was a festival that the people had celebrated for centuries and centuries and centuries. [9:32] And what it was was one of three festivals in the year. And everybody had to come up. And Steve, would you look up Acts chapter 2 verse 9 for us just to help us with this? [9:44] Everybody had to come up to Jerusalem. Everybody. And present themselves before the Lord three times a year at three festivals. [9:57] And the three festivals were, would you say them after me? There was the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The Festival, could you say that? Unleavened Bread. [10:09] The Festival of Tabernacles. And the Festival of Pentecost. Now, Steve, does that tell us how many different kinds of people used to come up to Jerusalem for the festivals? [10:26] Yeah, it does. Now you listen and see if Steve can pronounce the names of all of them. These are all the people that came up to Jerusalem for the festivals. Okay, I've got to get my teeth in. [10:37] Ready? This is how it goes. All these people came up to Jerusalem. The Parthians, the Medes, the Elamites, the residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene. [10:57] Visitors from Rome, both Jews and Prosthitites, Cretans and Arabians. That's pretty much everybody. So you can see that everybody came from all over the world. [11:08] It was as though they came from Bella Coola and they came from Yellowknife and they came from the Yukon and they came from Washington and Seattle and Portland and they came from Alberta, Edmonton and Calgary. [11:21] And they came from Moose Jaw and Medicine Hat. And it was as though they came from all over the world. So they came to the city of Jerusalem for the festival. And there they presented themselves before the Lord. [11:35] That was the famous festival. And when they came, they were there. Do you know how long the festival lasted? Can you guess how long it lasted? A hundred years. [11:46] A hundred years? That's long, yeah. One year. If they had to do it three times a year, it must have been shorter than one year. It lasted for eight days. [11:58] They were there for eight days celebrating and offering sacrifices and hearing the scriptures read and listening to the teachers. [12:09] Do you know what they used to do? They used to gather just as we are here. And the teachers would sit there and teach them and ask them questions the way I'm asking you questions. [12:23] And then you would hear the answers that I would give. And then sometimes you would ask questions. Do you have any questions you'd like to ask? So if you have a really hard question, I could get somebody to answer it for you. [12:39] Have you got one? You're supposed to ask questions in this little game we're playing because that's what they used to do at the festival. They used to ask questions. When you have questions, who do you ask? [12:51] Your mom and your dad? Or your brother and your sister? You're to ask questions and that's one of the ways you learn. And that was one of the parts of the festival. [13:02] And this went on for eight days. Now I want to tell you the third thing. And the third thing is about a famous family. [13:14] The family lived in a village way up in the north of the country called Nazareth. And we know of three people who went to this festival from Nazareth. [13:26] And who do you think they were? They were the famous family. Three people went from the famous family. Mary and Joseph. [13:41] But it wasn't the baby Jesus this time. He was... He was... Yeah. They may have had a donkey with them. Doesn't tell us about the donkey. He was 12 years old. [13:53] So he wasn't a baby anymore. And they went from Nazareth, which was 80 miles away. Or 130 kilometers. And how do you think they got from Nazareth to Jerusalem? [14:08] They walked. And how long would it take to walk that far? Three or four or five days, maybe. And there were highway robbers along the way. [14:18] So do you know how they went? No, no. Only three or four days. A hundred years doesn't come into the story anywhere. However, they would travel all that distance by walking for three or four or five days. [14:36] And they would go with one another. So as they walked, they could talk. And as they got nearer the city, then people from other parts of the country would gather with them. [14:48] So that there would be friends from this part of the country would join the caravan. And friends from this part of the country. And they didn't have any television. And they didn't have any radio. And they didn't have any newspapers. [14:59] So do you know how they found out what was going on in the world? By going up to the festivals in Jerusalem. And hearing from people who came from all over the world. And told wonderful stories of kings and pirates and robbers and governors and Roman soldiers. [15:15] And captains and emperors. And all sorts of things. And all this news went from one person to another when they went up to the festivals. [15:26] And they went in these huge caravans so that highway robbers couldn't come near them because there was too many of them. And when they got closer and closer to Jerusalem, there was more and more of them. [15:37] And they got there on time for the Passover, which was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Do you want to come up and have a seat? Well, they got there and they started to talk among each other. [15:52] And they bought and sold things. And they ate together. And they had a wonderful time exchanging all the news of all the world because simply everybody was there. So that was the famous family. [16:04] And so when they were going back again, the same crowd got together just at the gates of Jerusalem. And there was this family and another family and their cousins and their uncles and their aunts and their friends. [16:16] You know, like you get together at Christmas. Did you have any aunts and uncles and people like that come to visit you for Christmas? Did you? And grandfathers and grand... Well, all these kinds of people were gathered together at Jerusalem. [16:29] And if you're a 12-year-old boy, do you think your mother knows where you are all the time? No. If you're six years old, do you think your mother knows where you are all the time? [16:43] No. Is there anybody who's three years old whose mother doesn't know where you are all the time? Where's the parents? We won't ask for volunteers, but you could consider that. [16:56] And so that these whole caravans started out and they traveled and they traveled and they probably got 10 or 15 miles north of Jerusalem. And Mary said to Joseph, where's Jesus? [17:07] And Joseph said to Mary, well, I thought you knew where he was. And Mary said, well, I haven't seen him all day. And so they went to their cousins and their relatives and their friends and their uncles and their aunts and all the people that came from Nazareth and said, have you seen Jesus anywhere? [17:24] And they couldn't find him anywhere in the caravan that was now moving back to Nazareth up in the north. And so Joseph and Mary became very anxious indeed. [17:34] And they had to leave the caravan and turn and go back to Jerusalem to look for him. Now, it took them one day to get where they were. How long did it take them to get back? [17:46] One day. And then it took a third day to find Jesus. And Jesus was sitting as you were, only he was in the temple and he was listening to the teachers teach. [17:57] And he was asking them questions and they were amazed at his understanding. And his mother and father came and finally found him. And they were so greatly relieved. [18:09] But even when they're relieved, mothers still sometimes scold you, don't they? They're happy to see you, but sometimes they're a little upset that you've caused them so much trouble. So Mary said to Jesus, did you know that we've been looking for you and looking for you everywhere and we couldn't find you? [18:27] And do you know what Jesus said to Mary? Can I give the answer? No. What? [18:38] Jesus said to Mary, where would you think I'd be? I would be in my father's house. Well, that was exactly where he was. [18:52] And so, though they thought he was lost, Jesus knew that he wasn't lost. He knew exactly where he was and he knew exactly why he was there. So Jesus wasn't lost. [19:03] That's one of the final facts because he was in his father's house. He was now an adult. Do you know when you become an adult? No. [19:15] It's when you stop doing what your parents say and start doing what God says. Have you got there yet? I would advise you to do what your parents say. [19:27] I'm not, but this time, you see, was a very important time for them because at 13 years of age, you then learned the law for yourself. You learned how you were to behave. [19:39] And there's a great difference between living in a house and doing what your parents tell you to do because they tell you to do it. And sometimes they can make you do it. [19:50] Mark, you were going to say? But he was in his 13th year, wasn't he? And do you think perhaps he was as clever as some 13-year-olds? [20:04] That's a serious consideration. He wasn't 13 yet. He was only 12. But he was in his 13th year. He was at that time of life when you come to learn the law of God and start to be obedient to God. [20:17] And so he was in his father's house learning about his father's will so that he could do it. So the first thing you know by way of final facts is that he wasn't lost. [20:30] He was in his father's house. He was now an adult because he was learning to be obedient to God. And the third thing was this. Do you remember why they had festivals in Jerusalem? [20:43] So that people would come and appear before the Lord. And when you appear before the Lord, you see who the Lord is. And in seeing who he is, do you know what great discovery you make? [20:58] You make a wonderful discovery. You discover who you are. And so when Jesus knew who his father was, and can I talk to them for a minute just about this point? [21:10] See, lots of people ask lots of questions about the New Testament. Why isn't there any stories of Jesus between the time of his baptism and the time he began his ministry? And in the whole of the New Testament, this is the only story there is. [21:23] And it indicates, because the whole of Luke's gospel is meant to indicate this, that Jesus understood who he was. Do you know what it said at the time of his baptism? [21:35] A dove appeared, and there was a voice from heaven. And it said, this is my son. Now you have him at 12 years old. [21:48] And what is he saying? He's saying, this is my father. So he knew who he was. And this is to tell people who ask the question about what happened between his baptism and his ministry, to let them know that Jesus knew who he was as the son of God, and he knew he was the son of his father in heaven. [22:15] So he learned who he was when he learned who God was. And we learn who we are when we learn who God is. And that's how we need to come to know him. [22:28] And this morning, what we're going to have is a baptism. And in this baptism, a special baby is going to be brought up and to be baptized. [22:41] And what we're going to say to that baby, do you know what we're going to say? We're going to say to that baby, all of us together, God knows who you are. [22:54] And your parents and your godparents and your church and family are going to bring you up so you will know who he is. And that's the wonderful thing about baptism is that it tells us that God knows who we are. [23:09] And then we grow up to know who he is. Can you just close your eyes and bow your heads and let me say a short prayer? Father, we thank you for the famous city of Jerusalem. [23:24] We thank you for the festival that drew all the people there to be with you for a few days and with one another. Father, we thank you for the famous family into which the Lord Jesus was born and in which he grew up. [23:43] And we thank you for the fact that you know who we are and you want us to come to know who you are. We ask this in Jesus' name. [23:54] Amen. Now, boys and girls, will you take your places again? Is that right, Steve? Okay. Will Lecter. What we'd like to do is for you to turn up to number 232 in your Blue Hymn Book. [24:14] It's the Virgin Mary how to do the Lord. So teach us how to do the claps and the chorus. What we'd like you to do is the children are going to show you how to do the clapping in the chorus. [24:35] And they'll do it for you up here. And then once the song starts, you can all stand and sing with me and the children can go back to mum and dad. But we'll just teach them the chorus first. [24:46] The Virgin Mary had a baby boy. [24:56] And they say that his name was Jesus. He come from the glory. He come from the glorious kingdom. [25:08] He come from the glory. He come from the glorious kingdom. Oh, yes, believer. [25:20] Oh, yes, believer. He come from the glory. He come from the glorious kingdom. [25:32] Well, that's how it goes. Now, if you go back and do that with your mums and dads, make sure they do it. We can enjoy it. Let's stand. [25:42] Let's stand. The Virgin Mary had a baby boy. [25:53] The Virgin Mary had a baby boy. The Virgin Mary had a baby boy. And they say that his name was Jesus. [26:05] He come from the glory. He come from the glorious kingdom. He come from the glory. He come from the glorious kingdom. [26:20] Da-da-da-da-da. Oh, yes, believer. Oh, yes, believer. He come from the glory. [26:31] He come from the glorious kingdom. Da-da-da-da-da. The angel sang when the baby was born. [26:42] The angel sang when the baby was born. The angel sang when the baby was born. And proclaim him the baby Jesus. [26:53] He come from the glory. He come from the glorious kingdom. He come from the glory. [27:04] He come from the glorious kingdom. Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. Oh, yes, believer. Oh, yes, believer. Oh, yes, believer. [27:17] He come from the glory. He come from the glorious kingdom. He come from the glory. [27:45] He come from the glory. He come from the glory. He come from the glory. He come from the glory. He come from the glorious kingdom. [27:57] Da-da-da-da-da. Oh, yes, believer. Oh, yes, believer. He comes from the glory He comes from the glorious kingdom Really good. [28:18] Well, I'd like you all to sit, please. We're now going to come to the baptism part of the service. [28:32] We're going to have some prayers in a minute from the MacDonald family, but I'd like you to turn, all of you please, to page 153, especially the parents and the godparents. [28:45] Now, we're going to baptize a little baby called Ruth Helen Elizabeth Overton. You need to know that Ruth's mum is Jeff Archer's daughter. [29:00] And Ruth's mum is called Carolyn, and Ruth's dad is called John. And they're sitting just down here. We're very, very pleased to be able to do this. And I'm going to ask them one question, and I'm going to come down with a microphone. [29:18] It's the one about you name it, Charles. I present Ruth, Helen, Elizabeth to receive the sacrament of baptism. [29:38] I'd like the parents and the godparents to stand now, please. And I'm going to ask you the questions that are at the bottom of page 153 and over the page on 154. [29:49] And these are all the serious questions about how you will bring the child up or how you intend to bring the child up because it's pretty difficult bringing up little ones. [30:00] Little ones know that. You're pretty hard work. And then what you believe about the Christian faith over the page. So parents and godparent. [30:14] Here's the first question at the bottom of page 153. Will you be responsible for seeing that the child you present, that's Ruth, is nurtured in the faith and life of the Christian community? [30:29] And you say, I will with God's help. Will you, by your prayers and witness, help Ruth to grow into the full stature of Christ? [30:40] I will with God's help. Over the page now, questions about what it means to be a Christian. You turn away from three things and you turn to Jesus three times. [30:54] Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God? I renounce them. Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God? [31:09] I renounce them. Do you renounce all sinful desires that draw you from the love of God? I renounce them. Do you turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as your savior? [31:23] I do. Do you put your whole trust in his grace and love? I do. Do you promise to obey him as your Lord? [31:34] I do. Now, on page 155, right at the top, just before the MacDonald family lead us in prayers, there's a question to all of us and a good, loud answer. [31:47] The answer is, we will. So if you can't read, children, this is what you say. We will. Will you, who witness these vows, do all in your power to support these people, and particularly Ruth, in their life in Christ? [32:05] We will. I'm going to ask you all now to sit or kneel, and the MacDonald family are going to lead us in prayer. Let's pray together. [32:35] Let's pray together. [33:05] Let's pray together. [33:35] Let's pray together. [34:05] Let's pray together. In joy and humility, let us pray to the creator of the universe, saying, Lord, grant us peace. [34:17] Let's pray together. By the good news of our salvation brought to Mary by the angel, hear us, O Lord. Lord, grant us peace. [34:28] By the mystery of the word made flesh, hear us, O Lord. Lord, grant us peace. By the birth in time of the timeless Son of God, hear us, O Lord. [34:42] Lord, grant us peace. By the manifestation of the King of Glory to the shepherds and magi, hear us, O Lord. Lord, grant us peace. [34:54] By the submission of the maker of the world to Mary and Joseph of Nazareth, hear us, O Lord. Lord, grant us peace. By the baptism of the Son of God in the river Jordan, hear us, O Lord. [35:10] Lord, grant us peace. Grant that the kingdoms of this world may become the kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Hear us, O Lord. [35:21] Lord, grant us peace. Now I'm going to ask Jeff Archer to lead us on. [35:36] But perhaps it would be nice if the family and friends of little Ruth would like to come forward and stand around here. And I think it would also be nice if the children, our young people, came and just gathered around the bottom here so they could see what was happening. [35:52] Thank you. [36:22] riftematos 1.56 of water you nourish and sustain all living things. We give you thanks that through the waters of the Red Sea you led your people out of slavery to freedom in the promised land. [37:02] We give you thanks for sending your son Jesus. For us he was baptized by John in the river Jordan. For us he was anointed as Christ by your Holy Spirit. For us he suffered baptism of his own death and resurrection, setting us free from the bondage of sin and death and opening to us the joy and freedom of everlasting life. We give you thanks for your Holy Spirit who teaches us and leads us into all truth, filling us with his gifts so that we might proclaim the gospel to all nations and serve you as a royal priesthood. [37:54] We give you thanks that you have called Ruth Helen Elizabeth to new life through the waters of baptism. Now sanctify this water that your servants who are washed in it may be made one with Christ in his death and resurrection, to be cleansed and delivered from all sin. Anoint them with your Holy Spirit and bring them to new birth in the family of your church, that they may become inheritors in the Holy Spirit. In the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. [38:40] Let us join with those who are committing themselves to Christ and renew our own baptismal covenant. [38:54] Do you believe in God the Father? I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. [39:05] Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God? I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. [39:20] And Son of God, the Son of God, the Holy Spirit, and the Son of God. He was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he arose again. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. [39:36] He will come again to judge the living and the dead. Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit? I believe in God the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life of the life. [39:54] Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? I will live in God's help. [40:06] Will you persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? I will live in God's help. [40:17] Will you proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ? I will live in God's help. Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? [40:31] I will live in God's help. Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? [40:42] I will live in God's help. I will live in God's help. [41:05] Will you pray for justice and peace among all persons, in the Holy Spirit? I will live in God's help. I will live in God's help. I will live in God's help. I will live in God's help. I will live in God's help. Ruth, Helen, Elizabeth. I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. [41:20] Amen. I sign you with the cross and mark you as Christ's own forever. [41:32] Heavenly Father, we thank you that by water and the Holy Spirit you have bestowed upon this, your servant, the forgiveness of sin, and you have raised them to new life of grace. [41:58] Sustain her, O Lord, in your Holy Spirit, and give her an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your words. [42:15] Amen. Amen. Amen. She's got that all right. You're doing all right, aren't you? Are you? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [42:26] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Receive the light of Christ to show that you have passed from darkness to light. Then will you all read together at the bottom of page 160. [42:37] Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Let us welcome the newly baptized. [42:49] We receive you into the household of God. Confess the faith of Christ crucified. Praise the faith, praise the faith, and share with us in your voice. [43:08] Just introducing Ruth to the children. We'll pass around Ruth now to all the mothers. [43:28] Have a cuddle and you will discover that she really has already got an inquiring mind. Children, we're going to go back now to sit with our mums and dads and we're going to sing our offertory hymn, which is number 225, Infant Holy, Infant Lowly, 225. [43:49] Let's stand to sing. We celebrate the уз' semen and rejoices in the household of Christ, Amen. [44:18] Our mothers are filled with water and our mehrs when it was for sons in the household. If they come back now to sing, this is number 225, Infant łat的, they may feel really bright and warm and clean. [44:31] The children who Думars are in their to callfully open welcome. They may feel filled with water and teaching that they may have established in Conclusion. In their drin' erstảng timeitms thevard at that church are übrigens in the Holy of Color by gabbula the flag. The Th roars are from God in Son. Amen. Amen. [45:38] Amen.