Let's turn together to the gospel according to Luke chapter 2 and we can read at verse 49.
! Luke chapter 2 at verse 49.
And he, that is Jesus, he said to them,
Why were you looking for me?
Do you not know that I must be in my father's house?
And so on.
Of course it's interesting to read the beginning of this gospel,
especially because of the particular way in which Luke draws together to us the story of the coming of Jesus into the world.
And when we connect that with all that God has said in the Old Testament,
we see the way in which there are great promises spoken by God right down from the book of Genesis
right into the book of Malachi in the Old Testament.
Promises that are waiting to be fulfilled.
And we consider also that from the days of Malachi,
who wrote 430 years before Jesus was born,
it was a long time of waiting for God to fulfill his promises.
And just as God had promised he would do,
God came suddenly to the world and to the temple to announce the coming of John the Baptist
and then to announce the birth of the Lord Jesus.
And we read through these stories and we see the connection between the two of them
and the way in which they, particularly in themselves,
were the fulfillment of God's promise,
with John the Baptist being the one who came to prepare the way
and Jesus was the one who came to be our saviour.
And through the story up until now,
we are developing a portrait of who Jesus was
and how he grew up and the things that his parents did with him.
And one of these portraits is this last section that we have in this chapter
that speaks to us of another part of the story.
And as we reflect upon life and reflect upon the story,
we know that life is a journey.
They were joining up to Jerusalem because of the time of year,
but we are ourselves on a journey.
William Hague, the former leader of the Tory party,
wrote in the Times this week and he spoke about the way in which
we must prepare for the next calendar year.
And we must prepare for a world that is dramatically better
or catastrophically worse.
In other words, we don't know what's going to happen,
but we need to be prepared.
And in the midst of all the changes that we see in our world,
we need to seek to have the journey through the coming year
that will bring us to where God wants us to be
and perhaps will reverse us in our thinking
and in the journey that we are on,
a change of direction to bring us where we must be.
We're on a journey,
and where will that journey take us?
And today I want us to consider
the journey of faith
and the first words of Jesus.
First of all,
I want us to think of the mistake
that is to be avoided.
And the mistake that is to be avoided
took place in the life of the community of faith
in the close family religion of Mary and Joseph.
And that's where we have the story here.
In verse 41,
His parents went up to Jerusalem every year
at the feast of the Passover.
They were godly people.
They were religious people.
They followed the Bible.
And they understood the significance of the Passover.
It is the Passover and the Exodus from Egypt
that made up their origin as the people of God.
They have come from there.
And down through the journey of the Old Testament,
the people of God,
time after time,
remembered the Passover,
celebrated the Passover
to remind them that God had redeemed them
and taken them out of Egypt.
And we read the directions given for that
in the book of Leviticus
and the book of Exodus
on the first month,
on the 40th day of the month,
they were to celebrate the Passover.
And then from the 15th of the month,
for seven days,
the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
It was a case of,
let's remember what God has done for us
to make us who we are.
And for the next seven days,
let's remember what God wants us to be like.
That is a life without sin.
So for that whole eight days of gathering,
it was a celebration of what God had done.
And it was, in a sense,
a commitment
to what God wanted them to be
and what they should be
in the light of God's word.
And we read multiple times
in the book of Psalms,
the way in which the people of God
joyed going up to the house of God.
They celebrated,
they sang their psalms,
they rejoiced because of where they were going.
And they had done their own thing
throughout the past year
and now it's time
to gather together
and to once more
make their journey up to Jerusalem
to celebrate this event
that established them
as the people of God.
And here on this occasion,
the devoted parents
took Jesus up with them
when he was 12 years of age.
And in the Jewish household of the day,
the son of the family
would become the son of the covenant,
the bar mitzvah,
become the son of the covenant
at 13 years of age.
And so just like we take our children
to the church
to learn about the story of the Bible,
so parents will take their sons
up to Jerusalem
at least two years
before they reach the age of bar mitzvah
or the son of the covenant
to learn what the things
that happened at the Passover,
to learn about the faith,
to come to understand
why the family lived the way that they do.
And so when they come to
the age of being sons of the covenant,
when they take pressure
and responsibility
for keeping the covenant
and for the word of God,
they will understand
what they are doing.
They are doing the right thing.
They are doing the godly family thing.
They are following the pattern
that we see down
through the Old Testament.
This is what the people of God do.
And we read in Exodus
and in Leviticus
the ways in which
the fathers would sit with their children
teaching them what the Passover means.
It was a Q&A session,
a question and answer session,
where the children would ask,
what does this mean?
And an opportunity was given
to explain
what the Passover was about.
the Passover lamb,
the blood that was shed,
the angel of death,
the safety under the blood.
It was an opportunity
to tell the story.
And here was a family
to be admired
because they did the things of God.
They did them faithfully.
They did them joyfully.
And they did them repeatedly.
And for ourselves
as a covenant community
and as Christian families
belonging to the church of Christ,
we are doing the godly thing
that the Bible requires of us.
We are doing a thing
that God is pleased with.
Coming to do it
for the right reasons.
Remembering that we're here
to reflect upon,
to celebrate
what God has done for us.
The family
doing the right thing.
A godly family.
A religious family.
But we see that
the mistake to be avoided
takes place
right in the midst
of the admirable way
in which they are living
their lives.
They have celebrated
the Passover
and then we read
in verse number 43.
When the feast was ended,
they had kept the Passover.
They had kept the feast
of unleavened bread.
When the feast was ended,
as they were returning,
the boy Jesus
stayed behind
in Jerusalem.
The feast is over.
It is time
to return home.
And it's when
that time came
that Mary and Joseph
went separate ways
to Jesus.
They retraced their steps
back to Nazareth
while he stayed
in the house of God.
And as we,
as we read on,
his parents did not know it.
It's a knowledge
that speaks of experience.
Of learning from the things
that are happening around us.
that the parents
did not feel
in any way
that Jesus
was not with them.
They were with the crowd
coming up to Jerusalem
and now they're with the crowd
going back home
to Nazareth.
And they had no thought
that Jesus
was not with them.
Not only did they have
no thought
that he wasn't there,
but we also read
that they supposed
him to be
in the group.
They took it
for granted.
They took it
for granted
without any knowledge,
without any experience,
without any facts
to back up
their supposition.
They supposed,
they took it
for granted
that he was
in the group.
Jesus
was absent.
They had travelled
these days' journey
as a community
going back
to Nazareth
with young people
walking together
and older people
walking together
and people walking
together with their friends,
a large group
travelling back
to Nazareth
and then
at the end
of
the first day,
as will be the case
at the end
of every day,
it was time
to check in
for the evening.
It was time
to ensure
that everyone
was there
that should be there.
And when Mary
and Joseph
came to
do their check-in
for their family,
they discovered
that Jesus
was not
with them.
and today,
that's
the mistake
that you and I
want to avoid.
It's to be
busy
in the things
of God,
to be busy
in the life
of the church
of Jesus Christ,
to be busy
even in the worship
of God
and to take it
for granted
that Jesus
is with us
and to
suppose
that he's there
without any
facts,
to confirm
that without
anything in
their hearts
that would
tell us
that,
to take it
for granted
that he is
there and
to carry on
with our
journey
without him.
And God
wants you
and I
today to
ask ourselves
is Jesus
with us
or not?
Could it be
the case
that we are
mistaken in
thinking that
he is?
Could we
have left
him behind
whether it's
at Christmas
Day or
Easter Sunday
or any
other time
of the year?
Is it
the case
that we
came,
we read,
we heard,
we saw
and we
left him
behind?
God
today wants
you and
I
to check
in
and to
ask that
simple
question.
Is the
Lord Jesus
our Savior,
our Friend,
our Shepherd,
our Companion?
Is he
with us
on this
last Lord's
Day of
this year?
Check in
and see
if Jesus
is there
or if
Jesus
perhaps
is not
there.
There's a
mistake
that's to
be
avoided.
Secondly,
there is
a
ministry
that's
to be
appreciated.
And we
see the
family
searching
urgently
for
Jesus.
How did
they respond
to
discovering
that he's
not there?
There is
distress,
there is
perhaps an
element of
panic,
what they
took for
granted
simply
wasn't
true.
And so
in verse
44,
suddenly
the
absence
of
Jesus
overrode
everything
else in
their lives.
They had
gone the
whole of
that day's
journey
with their
friends,
with their
families,
talking about
everything that
happened in
Jerusalem,
and they
had thought
Jesus was
there.
perhaps never
crossed their
minds that
Jesus was
not there.
They took
it for
granted that
he was,
but now
they discover
he is
not,
and finding
him becomes
the most
important
thing in
life.
And so
it is for
you and
for me
today.
If you
have checked
in to see
if Jesus
is there
and he's
not there,
then you
response to
that should
be exactly
what Mary
and Joseph
did.
Your
response must
be to
leave
everything,
to leave
everyone,
to stop
everything,
and to
return,
to retrace
your steps,
and to see
where you are,
to find the
Jesus that
you thought
was there.
and that
diligence
may take
you to
retrace
steps,
not to
yesterday
or the
day before,
maybe
retrace
your steps
to a
long time
in your
past
when Jesus
was there
and Jesus
was close
to you
and Jesus
was speaking
to you
and you
knew it
was Jesus
speaking to
you and
that's
now lost
to you
and today
you have
to return
and retrace
these steps.
Where did
you go
from there
to where
you are
today
without
Jesus?
And when
you ask
yourself
that question
God will
help you
to see
the different
points on
your journey
where you
diverged
and departed
from where
you should
be and
when you
and the
Lord Jesus
went to
your
separate
ways
because
you
did not
have him
as the
priority
in your
life.
The urgent
searching
for Jesus
the retracing
of steps
and
it is in
retracing
the steps
that 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
answer.
They found
him in
the temple
the place
where in
their world
heaven meets
the world
the place
where God
is to be
found.
They found
him in
the temple
courts.
they found
him there
as the
son of
the
covenant
as the
person
who is
preparing
to take
responsibility
for himself
in the
journey of
faith.
they found
him in
the temple.
And it
is there
that we
read the
way in
which he
was with
the teachers.
He was
answering
their
questions
as he
was
questioning
them.
And we
come to
find Jesus
in the
temple
with those
who are
the teachers
in the
temple.
And all
of a sudden
there is
our own
reversal
because
the
son of
the
covenant
this
child
Jesus
the
son of
Mary
and
Joseph
he
knows
more
than
they
do.
His
understanding
is greater
than their
understanding.
And instead
of him
sitting at
their feet
for him
to be
taught by
them
he
becomes
their
equal
in the
teaching
arena.
He is
sitting
with them
in their
midst.
They are
exchanging
their
questions.
they are
exchanging
answers.
And Jesus
astonishes
them
because of
the answers
which he
is giving
to them.
And when
his parents
saw him
they were
astonished
themselves.
His answers
blew them
out of the
water.
He was
there as
the pupil
becoming
the teacher.
and those
who were
with him
appreciated
the message
and the
answers that
he gave.
They are
here to
celebrate the
Passover
that speaks
of their
origin as
the people
of God.
Who
understands
the Passover
better than
the one
concerning whom
John said
behold the
Lamb of
God
takes away
the sin
of the
world.
who
understands
the Passover
better than
the person
that Paul
describes in
writing to
the Corinthians
that Christ
our Passover
Lamb
sacrificed
for us.
How much
his mind
was filled
with the
truths of
the Old
Testament
that overflowed
out to them
as he taught
them things
that they
hadn't heard
before.
astonished
at the
depths
into which
he entered
and explaining
to them
the things
of God.
They were
astonished.
There was
a process
taking place.
He was
teaching
the
teachers
and for
the rabbis
in that
teaching
environment
there were
three
particular
things
that were
really
important
for the
teaching
experience
to be
effective.
There was
of course
the subject
to be
taught.
There was
the knowledge
of the
teacher
and there
is
the
willingness
of the
pupil
to be
taught.
And once
these three
things are
in place
then the
teaching
becomes
transformational.
The
curriculum
bears its
fruit.
The
child is
instructed
and grows
in
intelligence
and
understanding.
And as
those who
were taught
by the
rabbis
would learn
from the
example of
the rabbis
also,
so those
who are
learning from
the teaching
of Jesus
will learn
from his
example
also.
It's the
appreciation
of the
ministry of
Jesus,
of his
teaching.
It's having
the openness
of mind
to grasp
and to
bring
together
and to
pull
together
the facts
of what
is being
taught to
them.
Jesus
was here
instructed
by them
and he
had the
ability
to take
all that
they taught
him
and to
fill that
out with
his own
understanding
of why
he was
here and
of what
the word
of God
said.
And for
you and
for me
today,
we must
be like
those who
are astonished
in the
temple
listening to
Jesus.
We must
be like
Mary and
Joseph
astonished
at what
Jesus has
to say
to us
and that
astonishment
is dependent
on your
willingness
to accept
and to
receive
and to
my
willingness
to accept
and receive
the very
things that
God has
to say
to us.
And as
we
journey on
through life
that
is key
to our
journey of
faith
being a
journey which
takes us
to the
place of
safety and
of security
and of
salvation.
There must
not be any
roadblocks
in our
listening to
what God
has to say
today.
We must
not be on
our narrow
streets with
the obstacles
of the high
buildings blocking
our reception
of what God
has to say.
we must
live our
lives in
the open
space
where the
obstacles are
removed and
where there is
a direct
signal from
God through
his word to
inform our
thinking and
to enable us
to live as
the children of
God in this
world.
To enable us
to do so
as children and
families and as
parents and
families.
To enable us to
do so in
school and
our teaching
instruction and
friends and
with our
fellow pupils.
To appreciate,
to receive,
to be ready
wherever we
spend life and
work or in
learning,
whatever we
are doing,
that the
obstacles aren't
there.
And if they
are there,
and if these
obstacles are
the means of
Jesus and
you going a
separate path
in life,
then it's
time to
move.
Retracing your
steps must be
going to that
place where
the obstacles
are gone.
And where,
as Peter
said on the
Mount of
Transfiguration,
when God
said to him,
there's my
beloved son,
listen to him
alone.
they saw
Jesus only.
We can be
in the
crowd,
but if we
have faith,
the willingness
to receive,
we can be in
the crowd and
see no one but
Jesus only.
He becomes
the priority.
There is a
ministry to
be appreciated.
And that
appreciation
depends on
your heart
and on
mine.
and your
readiness,
your
willingness to
receive,
or perhaps
a resistance
today to
accept the
very truths
that God
is speaking
to us and
that Jesus
is speaking
to us from
his word.
So there's
a mistake to
be avoided,
there's a
ministry to
be appreciated,
and thirdly,
there's a
mission to
be accepted.
we could
ask the
question,
who does
Jesus think
he is?
It's a
question of
respect,
and the
answer is
clear from
this passage,
he knows
that he is
the son of
God.
And that's
what I come
to understand,
that there is
a mission that
is known to
Jesus,
that he speaks
of here,
that we must
accept.
and as we
see his
parents coming
to them in
their astonishment,
what is it
that they
actually do?
They find
fault with
Jesus.
Have you
ever done
that?
When things
aren't happening
the way that
you expect,
when God
is not doing
what you
expected him
to do,
or when God
is doing
what you
find
unacceptable,
have you
ever blamed
God?
That's what
Mary is
doing here.
Why
did you
treat us
like the
son?
Why have
you treated
us so?
Behold,
your father
and I have
been searching
for you in
great distress.
They are
struggling to
cope with a
new thing
in the life
of Jesus,
and because
of not being
able to
understand what
is happening,
their defense
mechanism is
to blame
Jesus for
letting them
down.
And
sometimes
you and
I can do
that.
God does
new things
for us all
the time.
God does
things that
change things
for the
better,
as we
noted from
William Hague.
God can
do things
that can
be catastrophically
worse,
but do
we blame
God because
of the
new thing
that we
cannot
understand?
The
blaming of
God that
blocks the
channel of
communication,
that stops
my appreciation
of the
word of
God.
I need to
ensure that
when things
do go
wrong,
that my
response to
that is
to look
to myself
and to
hear what
Jesus is
saying,
so that
what is
new becomes
accessible to
me,
and what is
new becomes
the very
thing that
is at the
center of
my life.
And what
does that
news thing,
what does
Jesus say
to them?
why were
you looking
for me?
As if
Jesus
himself were
astonished
that they
didn't
understand that
this is where
he should
be.
Why were
you looking
for me?
Did you
not know
that I
must be
in my
father's
house?
there are
two things
in the
words that
Jesus
speaks here
that remind
us of
the mission
of God.
Did you
not know
that I
must?
When I
read the
word must
in the
gospels,
it speaks
to me of
a necessity
that's
bound up
entirely
with what
God has
purposed
to do.
Jesus
must do
this
because
he came
to do
the will
of God
and God
in sending
him has
said to
him,
this is
what you
shall do.
There is
a necessity
that arises
from the
way in which
God has
designed
that Jesus
would work
in the
world.
There is
the must
of the
necessity
of the
will
of God.
And
everything
that Jesus
did from
the time
in which
he was
born,
growing up
his life
here in
the temple
here,
I must
be here,
I must
go this
day and
the next
day and
then go
to Jerusalem.
The
Son of
Man must
suffer many
things.
It's all
about fulfilling
the word
of God.
The
Son of
Man must
enter into
glory.
The
Son of
Man must
sit at
the right
hand of
God in
heaven.
There's
a necessity
that belongs
to his
journey as
someone who's
here to
do the
will of
God.
And that
necessity
is entirely
built up
with the
family
business,
the family
plan,
the family
project,
what God
the Father
has purpose
to do.
I must
be in
my
father's
house.
Your
father and
I,
says Mary,
were
distressed
because we
could not
find you.
But Jesus
makes it
quite clear
how he
sees
himself.
I must
be about
the business
of my
father's
house.
And that
business
is the
business
which he
came to
complete.
When he
came into
this world
to die
for the
sins of
the world,
it was,
says Isaiah
and Isaiah
53,
it was the
will of the
Lord to
crush him.
And Jesus
in the
garden going
to fulfill
the mission
of God.
And in
this pictorial
way,
God placing
the cup
of wrath
into his
hand,
take this
cup from
me.
Nevertheless,
not my
will,
but yours
be done.
The
mission of
God is
such that
I must
drink this
cup and
drink it
to the
dregs.
And in
his commitment
to the
will of
God,
he arises
from the
garden.
The cup
that the
father has
given to
me,
surely I
will drink
it.
And he
goes off
purposefully
to Calvary's
cross.
This cup
is a
new covenant
in my
blood.
And so
he gives
his life
as a
ransom
for many.
It's
a mission
that we
must accept.
The
journey of
faith
is not
complete.
And
indeed,
the journey
of faith
in the
sense of
the genuine
faith of
the Bible,
the journey
of faith
has not
yet
commenced
until we
embrace
Jesus
Christ,
the child
in the
manger,
the Son
of God,
until we
embrace
him
as the
one who
has fulfilled
the commission
of the
Father,
who said
on the
cross,
it is
finished.
and with
a loud
voice,
he gave
up his
life,
his spirit
to God.
That's
where we
must close
this year.
We must
check out
of 2025
and check
into
2026
and ensure
that as
we check
out of
this year,
Jesus
is with
us as
our
personal
saviour.
And so
as we
check into
the next
year,
if in
God's
good
providence
we see
it,
as we
check
into it,
we will
know
that we
will be
safe
and we
will be
secure
because
the Lord
is our
shepherd.
He will
be our
guide.
No matter
where life
will take
us,
though we
walk through
the valley
of the
shadow
of death,
we will
fear no
evil because
he is
with us.
And so
today let's
hear what
God is
saying.
Let's
ensure we
take note
of the
mistake
that's to
be avoided.
Let's
ensure that
we go on
a life
appreciating
the ministry
of the
gospel where
we learn
about Jesus
and let's
ensure
that we
don't stop
short of
embracing in
our hearts
that Jesus
who loved
me and
gave himself
for me
and let's
ensure that
we go
forward
confident in
our faith
and on
our journey
of faith
that our
faith is
in him
and that
by faith
we have
peace with
God
and that
we enter
in to
that grace
of Christ
in which
God has
made us
able to
stand.
May God
bless his
word to us.
Let us
pray.
most
gracious
God
we
rejoice
in you
and in
your
care
of us.
We are
thankful to
you that
we have
your promise
that you
will never
leave us
or forsake
us.
We read
through your
word and
we are
reminded
in different
places that
we are a
people who
tend to go
astray
from you.
But we are
thankful to
you that
you are the
shepherd who
rescues and
who recovers
and who
restores.
And we are
thankful today
for every way
in which you
have done so
in the past.
And help us
today to
know something
more of your
restoring power
and grace.
And help us
to sense
that you are
with us.
And help us
to feel
your love
and your
power and
your grace
in our hearts
and our lives
as we journey
on to the
rest of this
day and
in your good
providence as
we draw to
the close
of this year.
So hear our
prayer and
accept us.
Having mercy
we pray for
Jesus' sake.
Amen.
The Holy
Psalm is
Psalm number
84.
And we're
singing at
verse number
5.
And
the Psalms
on page
112.
It's a
psalm about
the people
of God
journey to
the house
of God
and longing
for the
peace that
they find
in the
house of
God.
We're
singing at
verse 5
down to
verse 10.
Blessed are
those whose
strength is
in you,
those who
have a
pilgrim's
mind.
Pools from
autumn,
rains,
refresh them,
springs and
bakers,
veil they
find.
We're
standing at
verse 5 to
verse 10 to
God's praise.
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Strength increasing, sigh onward, they go on their way to God.
Hear my prayer, O God Almighty, and receive the plea I make.
Listen to me, God of Jehovah, hear me for your mercy's sake.
Look how a father, a shield and a ring, they are to your chosen King.
One day in your course is better than a thousand days elsewhere.
Let me stay in my old temple, let me be adorned there.
Adorned by the Lord, in the depths of wickedness.
I'll go to the main door after the benediction.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all now and forevermore.
Amen.