Gospel: Luke 2:41-52
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| There was a print of this painting hanging in the basement of First Lutheran in Morris I never understood the significance of it until now.... |
Merry Christmas!
I usually don’t start out with a story about myself, and ultimately, it’s not a story about me. It’s a story, actually, about my son, Sam. You’ll figure out why I’m telling this story in a minute. We were living in St. Paul the last few years, and two Februarys ago, Sam was almost two. We were visiting a large Methodist church watching a friend preach, and before the service, we were given a tour of this large, magnificent church. So, during the service, the three of us sat off to the side while Sam calmly played with the toys next to us. The service was nice, my friend preached a beautiful sermon, and after the service, we got a chance to congratulate him on his sermon. We had just finished talking, and noticed Sam was no longer with us after the conversation. Sam was gone.
In a large, urban Methodist church, in which we’d never been before, Sam was gone. I don’t know how many of you have misplaced children for an extended period of time before, but Tiffany and I were scared. Frightened. We knew Sam was adventurous, but after spending what seemed like an eternity checking all the offices, the sanctuary and the upstairs area, we knew Sam wouldn’t venture stairs by himself. At less than two years old. A 23-month old child wouldn’t venture down the stairs, would he? Panicked at what a young toddler could do going down strange stairs could mean… We hurried down the stairs. Down the long winding hallways of this large Methodist church, there he was. In the nursery, calmly playing with toys like nothing was wrong. There was our Sam, playing with toys he’d remembered about from the tour before. There was our Sam, doing what came naturally to him: being adventurous and playful.
So also was Jesus doing only what came naturally to him. Jesus was out and about in the world, learning from the teachers and asking questions. Where else would he be but with the people? Jesus spends the majority of his ministry out and amongst the people. Jesus wasn’t a monk locked away studying, but learning and teaching amongst the people. Jesus was the long-awaited newborn King, but he didn’t rule from a lofty throne high upon a tall tower. Jesus lived, learned, and taught with people just like him. For Jesus was entirely human. Unequivocally, 100% Human. What better way to show the humanity of Jesus than to show Jesus as a small child, disobeying his parents by staying behind.
This is the only mention of this story in all of the Gospels. Only the author of Luke wrote about Jesus’ childhood. In Mark and John, we start right away with Adult Jesus. Matthew and Luke are the only Gospels that mention the story of the Nativity. And Luke is the only Gospel that mentions Jesus as a child.
Jesus’ humanity is shown here with Jesus as a child disobeying his parents, and being a typical inquisitive child. In Mark, Jesus calls a little girl a racial slur. In John, he takes out a whip and starts tossing a whip around in anger. Heck, he even cries when his friend Lazarus dies. The Humanity of Jesus is something that is difficult to understand; difficult to grasp; difficult to figure out. Jesus is God. Jesus is Human. Jesus is both. Jesus was born of a woman, but yet is the Son of God. He’s perfectly imperfect.
Why, do you think, is it difficult for us to rationalize Jesus as a fallible human being? Why is it difficult to rationalize any important person as a fallible human being? Celebrities, as high and lofty as they seem to be, up and away from everyone, are still human. They have affairs, divorces, diseases, and even bathroom breaks. They struggle with mental health issues, addiction, and injuries. They break the law, get away with it, and get on with their lives. They fight for the same causes we do, and fight against the same causes we fight against. They stand for values that we value, or values we don’t. The veil is lifted, and suddenly, they’re more human than they originally seemed.
That goes for all of us as well. We’re all human beings. We’re all fallible. We all screw up occasionally. We all have little quirks who make us who we are. We have mental health issues, physical ailments, the general wear and tear of the body. I have to say... I’ve learned more about the human eye from talking with folks here with glaucoma and macular degeneration, than I have ever. Uffda. It’s one of those body parts we definitely take for granted. Sight is one of those senses that we take for granted until we start to lose it.
Time… Time is one of those things that we take for granted. I’m younger than some of your grandchildren, and yet the passage of time has always fascinated me. You wait and wait and wait for a day to arrive, and suddenly, before you know it, it’s here. Screaming in your face at 3 in the morning. Then it’s walking, and talking, and running, and jabbering, and endless conversations and questions. Oh the questions.
We take humanity for granted. When the realities of humanity stare us in the face, and we’re awestruck by them. It’s still Christmas, and we want the baby boy child to stay in the manger. We want that effervescent glow of Christmas to continue. For the star to still hang over us. For the shepherds to keep watch. For the angels to sing out their angelic choruses. We keep the Christmas tree up forever it seems. When I was growing up, we sometimes kept the tree up until Good Friday, or even Easter. We don’t want to let go of that feeling.
We don’t want the harsh realities of humanity to creep in. We don’t want to read on in the Gospel of Matthew that Herod slaughtered children looking for Jesus. It’s hard for us to move on from the manger in the stable. It’s hard for us to realize that the Savior born that night in Bethlehem; the long awaited Savior of the World, in the form of a child… would one day disobey his parents and lose himself amongst those in the temple. This little child wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger… would one day have a dinner with his friends. A dinner, where even his friends didn’t want to rationalize that this Messiah friend they knew, was about to go to his demise. This Emmanuel, God Incarnate, would have to face a fate destined only for the worst of criminals, the lowest of the low… That one night, the long-awaited Messiah would hang on a cross, and die… to save us all… from ourselves. That one bright and cheery morning soon thereafter, the baby boy child who was once wrapped in swaddling cloths, would shed his burial robes and rise again, to save us all. That the undeniable Grace, Love, and Mercy that comes from God, shone like the Sun that morning, breaking through the bonds of our sin to bring salvation to all.
That even despite our humanity; that even despite our brokenness; our fear and anxieties… Jesus the Christ died for us and saves us all. This Truth, this Good News - is hard for us to grapple with. That the realities of sin and death are nothing for the power of God’s Love. That the realities of humanity, and the brokenness of this world… Are right up God’s alley. For God was made human through the life of Jesus Christ. The Emmanuel. God understands the brokenness, and is right there with us in the thick of it. God is with us in the manger, in the temple, at the Last Supper, at the Cross, and after the grave. God’s humanity springs forth and shows up in the darkest of places. Even when temporarily misplacing a child, when all the fears rush forth in your head of all the darkest of scenarios… God is with us. God is with you.
So the end of the year is fast approaching. Another year, another leap year for that matter... is fast upon us. Christmas is still with us for a few more days, and you have my permission to leave the tree up for as long as you want. As we look back on the year here at Zion, in our community, in our state, nation and world… think of ways God was present with you and your life. Think of the times in which God felt distant, like God was missing somewhere else for an extended period of time… You know where God was, is, and will be. Right where God should be. God is with you. No matter what.
Amen.
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