December 30th:
Potsdam & WS Call: Colossians 3: 12-17 Text: Luke 2: 41-52 Read: W&S # 8 Growing Up [Read Luke 2: 41-52] There are a lot of reasons to like this story of Jesus being left behind in Jerusalem. With my off beat mind, I like it because it sets up some fun questions: Why didn't his parents let him have a cell phone? If we had been there, would we have called child protective services on Mary and Joseph? Too, I like it because I relate to it a bit My parents actually did once arrive home from church Only to discover that they had left my brother Bob behind. Of course, when they returned to pick him up They didn't find Bob teaching the pastor and the Sunday School staff I like it because by informing us That Mary and Joseph made annual pilgrimages to Jerusalem And that this visit was not just a one time thing. We learn that Jesus was raised in a family Where worshiping God was given priority. And I like this story because I still recall learning it in Sunday School When I was about 8 or 9 And that, I have to admit, was, well ... more than 20 years ago. It is one of several stories that I still recall first learning in Sunday School, among them: The story of Jacob and Esau The story of Hannah giving Samuel to the Lord The story of Solomon determining which of the women was actually the mother of the baby by suggesting that the baby be cut in half Although it was not until adulthood that I learned the women were actually prostitutes the Sunday School materials left that fact out I like remembering that I learned these and other stories in Sunday School For doing so reminds me that our Sunday Schools Have an impact on our being nurtured in Christ I am Exhibit # 1 But there is another, even more important reason that I like the story For it conveys a message that helps me when I feel inadequate or confused - particularly as regards faith and service. For in the story, we are reminded that even Jesus had to grow up and mature that even Jesus had to learn things so that his ministry would be successful. We see that when we observe the astonishment of the twelve year old Jesus discovering that his parents had been worried and looking for him His mother asked, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." Jesus was floored. His response, was an amazed "Why were you searching for me? "Did you not know that I must be in my father's house?" He was astonished and he amazed that they had been worried about him. And he was astonished and he was amazed that they had not immediately understood that where he would be should have been obvious. He learned something about people that day. He learned about how they react And he took this knowledge and he used it to communicate his message And he was not done learning We know that because the last verse of our scripture says, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years And in divine and human favor." When I feel inadequate or confused in matters of faith and service I find it comforting and I find it reassuring to know that even Jesus had to grow up Just like you and I have to. Understanding that he shared this need for growth with us Should enable us to prevail over discouragement when we realize that we are not yet perfect when we realize that we have room for improvement when we realize that we have failed. When we realize we don't know everything. For on each of those realizations, We need to focus on learning and improving Rather than on failure and giving up Even Jesus had to learn Is there anything more obvious than that you and I have to as well? We can do it. The biggest obstacle to our growth Is our tendency to allow our pride to blind us To our need to do so. For growing often requires us to admit that our previous understanding was immature and incomplete - even wrong For most human beings there are not many harder things to do than that. That's where this story can help us For if Jesus had to grow Then you and I shouldn't be embarrassed To admit our need to learn To admit our failures of the past To admit that we have, at times, been wrong Not just in our actions But also in our understanding of our faith I was talking the other day with a man who attends a nondenominational church whose pastor is very conservative and very inflexible. The pastor lost his wife to cancer a couple of years ago. Some time later he began to date a woman who is divorced from her first husband Apparently a fine, decent woman Whom he had met while she helped to take care of his wife His congregation should be pleased for him. They should be delighted that this man about whom they have cared a great deal and who suffered such a loss when his wife died is able to again experience happiness in his private life But sadly, that is not the case. The congregation instead is coming apart. The saddest aspect is that it is coming apart because For years, this pastor had taught them That that it is a sin To marry or be involved with someone who is divorced He has, in fact, on several occasions, used his power as pastor to reject men from becoming deacons for the very reason that they had married divorced women! And many who have left the church - and some still in it - Think that not only is he now being sinful But also That he is a hypocrite And they question his faith and his call. I have met this pastor Very frankly, I have never been all that crazy about him But my heart went out to him As I heard what is happening to the congregation he serves. [My heart has gone out to the congregation as well.] I doubt very much that this pastor is a hypocrite And I suspect that he really is a man of faith who has been called to service Therefore, I would love to tell him To stand in front of his congregation And admit to them that as he has allowed the Holy Spirit to continue to work on him and in him and as he has spent time prayerfully studying the teachings of Christ he has come to the conclusion that he had been immature in his faith and understanding I would like him to tell that congregation that his inflexible position before was inconsistent with Christ's message of love, mercy, and forgiveness I would like him to tell them that he repents for the hurt and harm he has caused others because of his immature faith. I would like him to tell them that our seeking to understand the teachings and life of Christ is a life long journey never completed during our time on earth. In doing so, I would hope that he would remind them of this story that even Jesus Christ himself had to grow in wisdom and understanding It might or might not save his job But it would be a teaching that might save others from letting their own inflexible pride get in the way of their maturing in understanding and faith And one that might help his congregation recognize their continual need to grow in that faith. As for our own growth, we would be well advised To turn to - among other things - the prescription that Paul provided in his letter to the Colossians, The words that called us to worship this morning Paul told us there That to mature in faith, understanding, and service, we need to clothe ourselves Not with arrogance or inflexibility But rather With compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience Paul told us there That to mature in faith, understanding, and service we must Bear with one another And forgive each other Paul told us that above all To mature in faith, understanding, and service, we need to clothe ourselves in love which binds us together in perfect harmony to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts and to be thankful. If we do all this We can - like Jesus himself - mature and grow up. If we can't, Our growth will be stunted And as far as the story of the 12 year old's stay in Jerusalem We will be back to liking it only Because we can joke about Jesus needing a cell phone And Because we wonder if we would have called child protective. Let's grow Even if it means that we have to admit we have not always fully understood in the past.