"Christmas Lessons" - Luke 2:41-52 - December 28, 2003

A week ago, Lin and I took our grandchildren to see the "Nutcracker" in Columbus. Before the performance we had some time to do some window shopping in the City Center Mall. Periodically, I would become separated from Lin and the kids. I kept telling them that they needed to stay close to me because I didn’t want to lose them. My grand-daughter, Lindsey said, "Grandpa, you’re the one who keeps getting lost, we always have to come looking for you!"

In the gospel story, Mary and Joseph lose Jesus. They go looking for him and in three days they find him in the temple. He was not lost since he was there, asking questions and discussing theology with the Rabbis. In a sense it was his parents who were lost because they did not understand why Jesus had separated himself from them. How could an adolescent leave his parents and go off on his own? He then tells them that "he must be about his father’s business."

Jesus had gone to the temple to learn, to affirm his faith and explore his relationship with God. He was seeking and searching, striving to determine who he was and what his mission was. It was the beginning of his separation from his parents. To help him fulfill the plan for his life they would have to begin the process of letting go.

As we close out the year 2003 all of us have some letting go to do. This is an opportunity for us to resolve those dreams that did not come true, or to celebrate those goals that we achieved. In a sense we are saying goodbye to the past. Whatever we did or did not do is now history. Now is the time to receive God’s forgiveness for our mistakes and accept God’s grace for our blessings. It is a time to look forward and focus on the future as Jesus did in the temple. It is a time to reflect on those challenges that were realized and ask God’s guidance to help us in our pursuits.

I have no doubt that Mary and Joseph did their best to raise Jesus. Nevertheless, he is now on the threshold of becoming an adult, finding his way and spreading his wings. He would now learn from the Rabbis and other scholars within the community of faith. Regardless of loving parents Jesus would be influenced by the greater community.

A classic movie that is often shown at Christmas time is "Home Alone." In the movie, Kevin, was left behind by his family and for one week he had to manage by himself. He became acquainted with a bag lady in Central Park. They became friends and at one point she helps him when he was being pursued by the bad guys. His parents are far away and Kevin had to depend on a total stranger to help him at a critical moment. There are others too, as Kevin learns that he must interact with the community in the absence of his parents.

No one is raised in a vacuum. We grow up in a community which is greater than the cozy confines of our families. Hillary Clinton was right when she said "It takes a village to raise a child."

One of the most difficult lessons in life is the process of venturing out on our own. We choose our friends, yes, even mates. They may not be who our parents would select, but at some point we must be given the freedom to make our choices and live with the consequences.

Jesus was coming of age and now it was time to "be about his Father’s business." In other words, he must do what was right for him. It was time to fulfill his calling, to be who he was meant to be. If he resisted he would struggle for the rest of his life and never rest until he resolved who he was.

Most everyone is influenced by the expectations of parents, relatives and close friends. People have a perception of who we "ought" to be. Those who live their lives to please their parents will never be happy, nor will they become fulfilled. It is only when we become our authentic selves will we realize true happiness.

In the television series, "The Waltons," John Boy reaches a critical juncture when he tells his father he is not destined to remain on the family farm. He wants to go to New York City and be a writer. That is his life-long dream. That is who he really is. Painfully, he leaves the Walton Clan and goes to New York and becomes who he is intended to be.

Jesus set out to do not only his thing, but God’s thing. Just what was his Father’s business? First, he was to be loving, humble and walk daily with God. Secondly, his mission was to spread the gospel and tell the world about the presence of God. And third, he traveled about, changing lives, and transforming people, enabling them to also be themselves and pattern their lives after the purposes of God.

Just as this event in Jesus’ life became a pinnacle moment to realize who he was it is a pinnacle moment for those of us in the church. We are people of faith. We too are called to walk with God. We too are called to spread the Good News and go about helping to change lives.

One of our greatest presidents was Abraham Lincoln. More lives were changed in our country under his presidency than perhaps any other. On February 11, 1861, Lincoln left his home in Springfield, Illinois to begin his new life in Washington. As he stood on the rear platform of the railroad car he bid his townspeople farewell. He closed his remarks with the following words; "Today I leave you. I go to assume a task more difficult than that which devolved upon General Washington. The great God which guided him must help me. Without that assistance I shall surely fail; with it I cannot fail."

God calls each and everyone of us to be who we are called to be and to pursue our goals and commitments with unwavering faith. As we go forward into a new year may we be assured that God will be with us.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio