A sermonic bit to end the year.
It comes as a surprise to some people that Jesus was never a Christian. He was a Jew. Always. Luke’s Gospel, although probably written with a focus for those who were not Jewish, makes sure we understand right from the beginning that Jesus of Nazareth was truly Jewish. We actually know remarkably little about Jesus. Countless books have been written but when we get right down to it, all we know of this figure of religious significance is found in a few verses of the Gospels. Today, we find Luke doing some gap-filling. Quite possibly this is a huge feat of Luke’s imagination, but even if it is, we are in no doubt about Luke’s purpose – to set the life of Jesus firmly within a Jewish context.
His parents do everything the Law demanded of them, and more. Instead of ensuring they went to Jerusalem for Passover once in their lifetime, they went every year. In the context of this sacred festival, central to being Jewish, Luke creates a picture of a 12 year old boy debating with the sages as if he is some sort of tribal child prodigy. They lose him for a while, then find him on the third day of looking, in the Temple, listening and asking questions, and all who heard his answers were amazed.
Here is language we will hear again and again throughout the Gospels – people are amazed around Jesus. It’s the writer’s way of establishing that in this person called Jesus of Nazareth, something remarkable is going on. Later the something remarkable establishes itself in the death and resurrection stories which are the foundation for the belief in Jesus that became the church. But that’s a long way off in Luke’s narrative. Right now, he wants the reader to know that Jesus didn’t burst onto the scene and then sort his life out, but there was always something special about the kid from the sticks.
It’s important for us to understand that the Gospels are not biography written for 21st Century followers of Jesus. They’re documents of their time, containing some authentic biographical details which link Jesus with his time, but also they make continuous comment of a theological nature on who they believe Jesus is. Special, this kid, watch him grow in favour with all people and with God, writes Luke. Now then follow his ways all the way to God. Such is the theological commentary in a nutshell. Luke is not concerned with our concerns – he doesn’t care what side of his head Jesus parted his hair, or how come he walked with a limp, or whether he rode a donkey, threw stones at the local rabbi, or any other thing that would make the childhood of Jesus interesting to us. No, Luke creates a story of Jesus as God’s special one, not for his own sake, but to give a lead to others to follow.
For us, this reading comes at the cusp of a new year. We’re about to change our calendars, throw away the old diary, make hogmanay and new years resolutions. The last day of the year has always had its own significance – it is a day of pondering, looking back and looking forward at the same time. What we each remember of the past year is determined by what we each experienced. We tend to remember the extreme peaks and troughs of life – the traumas or the highs. We may remember these things connected to weather – the great snowfall, or to family circumstance – the time when Sarah broke her arm. We may also remember the year in interior ways – insights or thoughts that have helped us become better people, or to make important changes. It might be a year when we have some community insights too. The changing of the year is a time to reflect. Because it comes just after Christmas, and we’re in the summer rush, for us this time of reflection can easily slip past and hardly happen.
There is an old church tradition of seeing out the old year and seeing in the new in worship. It’s called the Watchnight service. No, tonight we won’t be here at midnight. It’s tradition is focussed on thinking back and looking forward. Thinking back over the past year and making our repentance for the things we’ve done that need to be different. Looking ahead in hope and anticipation that God will walk our way with us.
The tearing down of last year’s calendar is something of a sacred act. With it goes all the activity of last year. Similarly putting up the new one is a sacred act of trust and hope. And in between is a time of pondering, reflecting, and wondering. Rituals such as calendar changing are a good time to stop for a moment. No it’s not questioning in the temple time, but it is a chance to remember that we are choosing to follow the Way of the one whose childhood is depicted as being immersed in the religious and spiritual life of his parents. It’s a chance to ask ourselves how our immersion into the Way makes a difference to who we are and the ways we live. Or then again, we could just throw the old one out and put up the new. But I hope not!
