“Now his parents went to
Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the
Passover. And when he was twelve years
old, they went up according to custom.
And when the feast was ended, as they
were returning, the boy Jesus stayed
behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not
know it, but supposing him to be in the
group they went a day’s journey, but
then they began to search for him among
their relatives and acquaintances, and
when they did not find him, they
returned to Jerusalem, searching 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. And when his parents saw him,
they were astonished. And his mother
said to him, “Son, why have you treated
us so? Behold, your father and I have
been searching for you in great
distress.” And he said to them, “Why
were you looking for me? Did you not
know that I must be in my Father’s
house?” Luke 2:41-49
“I can’t find my
child!” If you are a parent, chances
are that you have experienced the panic
of losing your child at least once in
your life. Nothing can make you feel
more terrible as a parent than when this
happens!
Jesus’ parents didn’t
just lose a child…imagine the pressure
of losing God’s Messiah! But it wasn’t
that Mary and Joseph were bad parents,
they were just busy juggling
life. Passover was the biggest holiday
of the Jewish year and it meant picking
up and traveling. By comparison, think
of how busy our own Christmas holiday
is! So they were busy making holiday
food, catching up with relatives, and
even were busy with all the Churchly
things going on with this religious
holiday.
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It’s easy for us to lose sight of Jesus when we
are busy with life. Making plans and going places, just like
they did; grocery shopping and making meals. Even getting the
family to Church can be so busy and frustrating that when we get
there, our focus really isn’t on Him but on other busy
things. The real question for us is, are we losing Jesus in the
busyness of life? You know, they didn’t even realized He was
missing at first. Maybe it has been the same with us too? But
when they DID realize they had lost Him, they immediately turned
their back on everything and made finding Him their first
priority.
We find Jesus in the same place Mary and Joseph
did: at His Father’s House…if we are not too busy. It is the one
place Jesus has promised to be. He says, “Where 2 or more are gathered
in My Name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matthew
18:20). The One who is call the Good Shepherd is found with His flock. Even
in Communion, Jesus meets us in a special way and is really present,
saying “This is My body given for you…this is My blood shed
for you for the forgiveness of sins”.
It’s easy to be busy and lose sight of Jesus, but
thankfully, He shows us where He can be found!
Pastor Dan McQuality,
Grace Lutheran Church, 201 S. College St.,
Lincoln, IL
10:30am Sunday Worship; 9:00am Bible Study
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