Luke 2:41-52

(sermon note: 01-05 sermon note)

Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem 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.

This morning’s reading reminds me of the one about a robber who broke into a house while the residents were away one dark night. (Yes, we’ll stick with the whole “Home Alone” theme!) Eager to see what he could loot, he quickly started searching through cupboards and dressers, grabbing valuables with a trained eye. Suddenly, he heard a voice come out of nowhere: “Jesus is watching you.” The criminal jumped, scared the residents were back, and froze. After a few minutes of silence, however, he assumed it was his imagination and went back to robbing. A couple minutes passed before once again the voice returned: “Jesus is watching you.” Quite confused, the thief searched the house and checked the front door, but nothing popped out as unusual. He finally decided to move to a different room and found a parrot but ignored it. Before he could begin to do anything, someone spoke again: “Jesus is watching you.” The robber realized it was the parrot talking! Going to the parrot, he asked it, “Are you the one who’s been talking to me?” The parrot responded, “Yes.” The thief couldn’t believe it. So, he asked another question. “What’s your name?” “Martin Luther.” the parrot replied. The man scoffed. “What type of idiot names a parrot Martin Luther?” The parrot spoke yet again, “The same type of idiot who names a Rottweiler Jesus.”

Kinda makes you wonder who the idiot is in that situation, eh? Much like the robbers in that movie, “Home Alone,” this robber thought he could take advantage of a family’s well-deserved vacation. Little did he and the robbers in that movie know that they’d be presented with quite a challenge in accomplishing such a feat. Though for anyone who’s seen that movie, I suspect a Rottweiler would be less of a challenge than little Kevin McCallister! Talk about a problem child! Sheesh! I haven’t quite figured out why my son absolutely looooves that movie and watches it multiple times throughout the year. He’s such a good little boy and wouldn’t harm a flea! Perhaps it’s simply the idea that Kevin would go to great lengths to protect his home and/or family that appeals my son…not the inner terror being unleashed on the world! I should ask him sometime…

Jesus is not unlike that boy in that movie. As we heard in our reading, Jesus was also inadvertently left behind while the family pressed on ahead with their own adventures. But unlike little Kevin McCallister, Jesus had no reason to unleash his inner terror on the world. In fact, he did what most parents hope their child would do in such situation: he headed over to the temple and eagerly listened to the elders. Now that’s the BEST decision to do, all you clever little boys! Go listen to your elders and learn about God! Of course, Jesus’ unexpected behavior caused quite a stir with his parents. They searched for three long days, no doubt beside themselves in panic and anxiety. I mean, what parent would imagine their child would seek haven in a church of all places, other than a clergy parent?! It’s not that churches are bad places to seek haven in, but children tend not to fully appreciate this place. They think it’s just another place with rules and adults and boring rituals. Apparently not Jesus as a child. No, Jesus eagerly sought out the wisdom and comfort of his nearby church which got me to reflect on this whole idea of seeking and searching. There’s a whole lot of seeking in both our reading for this morning and that opening joke. The burglar was searching throughout the house for valuables, then for the source of the voice speaking in the darkness. Jesus’ parents were searching for Jesus for three terribly long days. Jesus himself was searching for the comfort and wisdom of his heavenly Father in the temple. Everyone was caught up in searching for something and what a mess they found themselves in. Well, I don’t suppose Jesus found himself in a mess. Which goes to show—when we seek out God in our lives, we rarely end up in a mess. In fact, quite the opposite. Invariably we find peace and clarity when we seek out God. We find wholeness and understanding. Sure, our lives around us may continue to be messy but that’s just the nature of this messy world. In God, there is order and calm. In God, there is an escape from the messiness of the world. We should learn from Jesus’ example on how to escape from the chaos around us. Friends, we should search for him and the Father and the Holy Spirit any chance we can get.

I suspect most of us are aware of the church’s decline in our world today. People no longer prioritize church gatherings and worship time anymore. People would much rather gather around sporting events or school events. When asked what religion or denomination they belong to, most people simply respond that they don’t belong to any religion or denomination, the so-called “nones.” And as disheartening as that is to hear as a leader in one of the religions and denominations, I take comfort in a co-existing reality among many people if not most. Most of those “nones” also believe there is a God and the reason they don’t belong to any one religion and/or denomination is because they don’t want they’re understanding of who God is to be limited. They feel that God is much larger than any one religion and/or denomination and so they’re just “keeping their options open,” so to speak. Put another way, they’re continuously searching for new understandings of God and so their titles shift from “nones” to “seekers.” The world is full of “seekers,” arguably more than “nones.” Which is good news, friends! Seekers ARE God’s people! We are ALL called to be seekers! God IS much larger than even our religion and denomination! (Sorry, Luther!) But even so, we can learn so much about God through Jesus and the Christian witness. It’s no wonder Jesus as a boy was drawn to the temple in his time of abandonment. There is powerful wisdom in scripture!

For example, what does scripture tell us about seeking and searching? The wisdom of Proverbs boldly tells us, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” (8:17) And Jesus, the great teacher, wisely taught us, “For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matt. 7:8) Friends, Jesus himself assures us that seeking will bear fruit! Seeking out God WILL produce peace and calm and order and clarity, be assured of it! Jesus also said, “but strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33) Seeking and searching for God are good things! We are all called to be so-called “seekers!” And though Christianity and Lutheranism may not have the definitive answer to who God is, they sure do have a lot of answers and are continuously revealing new answers. But enough evangelizing already!

It is a gift to be able to search out God in our lives. Sometimes the journey is greater than the destination. In God, both the journey and destination are equally great! So let us give thanks for both…thanks be to God!

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.