The Journey of Faith and the First Words of Jesus

Let's turn together to the gospel according to Luke chapter 2 and we can read at verse 49.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

! Luke chapter 2 at verse 49.

Luke 2 · chapter mention

And he, that is Jesus, he said to them,

Why were you looking for me?

Do you not know that I must be in my father's house?

And so on.

Of course it's interesting to read the beginning of this gospel,

especially because of the particular way in which Luke draws together to us the story of the coming of Jesus into the world.

And when we connect that with all that God has said in the Old Testament,

we see the way in which there are great promises spoken by God right down from the book of Genesis

right into the book of Malachi in the Old Testament.

Promises that are waiting to be fulfilled.

And we consider also that from the days of Malachi,

who wrote 430 years before Jesus was born,

it was a long time of waiting for God to fulfill his promises.

And just as God had promised he would do,

God came suddenly to the world and to the temple to announce the coming of John the Baptist

and then to announce the birth of the Lord Jesus.

And we read through these stories and we see the connection between the two of them

and the way in which they, particularly in themselves,

were the fulfillment of God's promise,

with John the Baptist being the one who came to prepare the way

and Jesus was the one who came to be our saviour.

And through the story up until now,

we are developing a portrait of who Jesus was

and how he grew up and the things that his parents did with him.

And one of these portraits is this last section that we have in this chapter

that speaks to us of another part of the story.

And as we reflect upon life and reflect upon the story,

we know that life is a journey.

They were joining up to Jerusalem because of the time of year,

but we are ourselves on a journey.

William Hague, the former leader of the Tory party,

wrote in the Times this week and he spoke about the way in which

we must prepare for the next calendar year.

And we must prepare for a world that is dramatically better

or catastrophically worse.

In other words, we don't know what's going to happen,

but we need to be prepared.

And in the midst of all the changes that we see in our world,

we need to seek to have the journey through the coming year

that will bring us to where God wants us to be

and perhaps will reverse us in our thinking

and in the journey that we are on,

a change of direction to bring us where we must be.

We're on a journey,

and where will that journey take us?

And today I want us to consider

the journey of faith

and the first words of Jesus.

First of all,

I want us to think of the mistake

that is to be avoided.

And the mistake that is to be avoided

took place in the life of the community of faith

in the close family religion of Mary and Joseph.

And that's where we have the story here.

In verse 41,

His parents went up to Jerusalem every year

at the feast of the Passover.

They were godly people.

They were religious people.

They followed the Bible.

And they understood the significance of the Passover.

It is the Passover and the Exodus from Egypt

that made up their origin as the people of God.

They have come from there.

And down through the journey of the Old Testament,

the people of God,

time after time,

remembered the Passover,

celebrated the Passover

to remind them that God had redeemed them

and taken them out of Egypt.

And we read the directions given for that

in the book of Leviticus

and the book of Exodus

on the first month,

on the 40th day of the month,

they were to celebrate the Passover.

And then from the 15th of the month,

for seven days,

the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

It was a case of,

let's remember what God has done for us

to make us who we are.

And for the next seven days,

let's remember what God wants us to be like.

That is a life without sin.

So for that whole eight days of gathering,

it was a celebration of what God had done.

And it was, in a sense,

a commitment

to what God wanted them to be

and what they should be

in the light of God's word.

And we read multiple times

in the book of Psalms,

the way in which the people of God

joyed going up to the house of God.

They celebrated,

they sang their psalms,

they rejoiced because of where they were going.

And they had done their own thing

throughout the past year

and now it's time

to gather together

and to once more

make their journey up to Jerusalem

to celebrate this event

that established them

as the people of God.

And here on this occasion,

the devoted parents

took Jesus up with them

when he was 12 years of age.

And in the Jewish household of the day,

the son of the family

would become the son of the covenant,

the bar mitzvah,

become the son of the covenant

at 13 years of age.

And so just like we take our children

to the church

to learn about the story of the Bible,

so parents will take their sons

up to Jerusalem

at least two years

before they reach the age of bar mitzvah

or the son of the covenant

to learn what the things

that happened at the Passover,

to learn about the faith,

to come to understand

why the family lived the way that they do.

And so when they come to

the age of being sons of the covenant,

when they take pressure

and responsibility

for keeping the covenant

and for the word of God,

they will understand

what they are doing.

They are doing the right thing.

They are doing the godly family thing.

They are following the pattern

that we see down

through the Old Testament.

This is what the people of God do.

And we read in Exodus

and in Leviticus

the ways in which

the fathers would sit with their children

teaching them what the Passover means.

It was a Q&A session,

a question and answer session,

where the children would ask,

what does this mean?

And an opportunity was given

to explain

what the Passover was about.

the Passover lamb,

the blood that was shed,

the angel of death,

the safety under the blood.

It was an opportunity

to tell the story.

And here was a family

to be admired

because they did the things of God.

They did them faithfully.

They did them joyfully.

And they did them repeatedly.

And for ourselves

as a covenant community

and as Christian families

belonging to the church of Christ,

we are doing the godly thing

that the Bible requires of us.

We are doing a thing

that God is pleased with.

Coming to do it

for the right reasons.

Remembering that we're here

to reflect upon,

to celebrate

what God has done for us.

The family

doing the right thing.

A godly family.

A religious family.

But we see that

the mistake to be avoided

takes place

right in the midst

of the admirable way

in which they are living

their lives.

They have celebrated

the Passover

and then we read

in verse number 43.

When the feast was ended,

they had kept the Passover.

They had kept the feast

of unleavened bread.

When the feast was ended,

as they were returning,

the boy Jesus

stayed behind

in Jerusalem.

The feast is over.

It is time

to return home.

And it's when

that time came

that Mary and Joseph

went separate ways

to Jesus.

They retraced their steps

back to Nazareth

while he stayed

in the house of God.

And as we,

as we read on,

his parents did not know it.

It's a knowledge

that speaks of experience.

Of learning from the things

that are happening around us.

that the parents

did not feel

in any way

that Jesus

was not with them.

They were with the crowd

coming up to Jerusalem

and now they're with the crowd

going back home

to Nazareth.

And they had no thought

that Jesus

was not with them.

Not only did they have

no thought

that he wasn't there,

but we also read

that they supposed

him to be

in the group.

They took it

for granted.

They took it

for granted

without any knowledge,

without any experience,

without any facts

to back up

their supposition.

They supposed,

they took it

for granted

that he was

in the group.

Jesus

was absent.

They had travelled

these days' journey

as a community

going back

to Nazareth

with young people

walking together

and older people

walking together

and people walking

together with their friends,

a large group

travelling back

to Nazareth

and then

at the end

of

the first day,

as will be the case

at the end

of every day,

it was time

to check in

for the evening.

It was time

to ensure

that everyone

was there

that should be there.

And when Mary

and Joseph

came to

do their check-in

for their family,

they discovered

that Jesus

was not

with them.

and today,

that's

the mistake

that you and I

want to avoid.

It's to be

busy

in the things

of God,

to be busy

in the life

of the church

of Jesus Christ,

to be busy

even in the worship

of God

and to take it

for granted

that Jesus

is with us

and to

suppose

that he's there

without any

facts,

to confirm

that without

anything in

their hearts

that would

tell us

that,

to take it

for granted

that he is

there and

to carry on

with our

journey

without him.

And God

wants you

and I

today to

ask ourselves

is Jesus

with us

or not?

Could it be

the case

that we are

mistaken in

thinking that

he is?

Could we

have left

him behind

whether it's

at Christmas

Day or

Easter Sunday

or any

other time

of the year?

Is it

the case

that we

came,

we read,

we heard,

we saw

and we

left him

behind?

God

today wants

you and

I

to check

in

and to

ask that

simple

question.

Is the

Lord Jesus

our Savior,

our Friend,

our Shepherd,

our Companion?

Is he

with us

on this

last Lord's

Day of

this year?

Check in

and see

if Jesus

is there

or if

Jesus

perhaps

is not

there.

There's a

mistake

that's to

be

avoided.

Secondly,

there is

a

ministry

that's

to be

appreciated.

And we

see the

family

searching

urgently

for

Jesus.

How did

they respond

to

discovering

that he's

not there?

There is

distress,

there is

perhaps an

element of

panic,

what they

took for

granted

simply

wasn't

true.

And so

in verse

44,

suddenly

the

absence

of

Jesus

overrode

everything

else in

their lives.

They had

gone the

whole of

that day's

journey

with their

friends,

with their

families,

talking about

everything that

happened in

Jerusalem,

and they

had thought

Jesus was

there.

perhaps never

crossed their

minds that

Jesus was

not there.

They took

it for

granted that

he was,

but now

they discover

he is

not,

and finding

him becomes

the most

important

thing in

life.

And so

it is for

you and

for me

today.

If you

have checked

in to see

if Jesus

is there

and he's

not there,

then you

response to

that should

be exactly

what Mary

and Joseph

did.

Your

response must

be to

leave

everything,

to leave

everyone,

to stop

everything,

and to

return,

to retrace

your steps,

and to see

where you are,

to find the

Jesus that

you thought

was there.

and that

diligence

may take

you to

retrace

steps,

not to

yesterday

or the

day before,

maybe

retrace

your steps

to a

long time

in your

past

when Jesus

was there

and Jesus

was close

to you

and Jesus

was speaking

to you

and you

knew it

was Jesus

speaking to

you and

that's

now lost

to you

and today

you have

to return

and retrace

these steps.

Where did

you go

from there

to where

you are

today

without

Jesus?

And when

you ask

yourself

that question

God will

help you

to see

the different

points on

your journey

where you

diverged

and departed

from where

you should

be and

when you

and the

Lord Jesus

went to

your

separate

ways

because

you

did not

have him

as the

priority

in your

life.

The urgent

searching

for Jesus

the retracing

of steps

and

it is in

retracing

the steps

that 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

answer.

They found

him in

the temple

the place

where in

their world

heaven meets

the world

the place

where God

is to be

found.

They found

him in

the temple

courts.

they found

him there

as the

son of

the

covenant

as the

person

who is

preparing

to take

responsibility

for himself

in the

journey of

faith.

they found

him in

the temple.

And it

is there

that we

read the

way in

which he

was with

the teachers.

He was

answering

their

questions

as he

was

questioning

them.

And we

come to

find Jesus

in the

temple

with those

who are

the teachers

in the

temple.

And all

of a sudden

there is

our own

reversal

because

the

son of

the

covenant

this

child

Jesus

the

son of

Mary

and

Joseph

he

knows

more

than

they

do.

His

understanding

is greater

than their

understanding.

And instead

of him

sitting at

their feet

for him

to be

taught by

them

he

becomes

their

equal

in the

teaching

arena.

He is

sitting

with them

in their

midst.

They are

exchanging

their

questions.

they are

exchanging

answers.

And Jesus

astonishes

them

because of

the answers

which he

is giving

to them.

And when

his parents

saw him

they were

astonished

themselves.

His answers

blew them

out of the

water.

He was

there as

the pupil

becoming

the teacher.

and those

who were

with him

appreciated

the message

and the

answers that

he gave.

They are

here to

celebrate the

Passover

that speaks

of their

origin as

the people

of God.

Who

understands

the Passover

better than

the one

concerning whom

John said

behold the

Lamb of

God

takes away

the sin

of the

world.

who

understands

the Passover

better than

the person

that Paul

describes in

writing to

the Corinthians

that Christ

our Passover

Lamb

sacrificed

for us.

How much

his mind

was filled

with the

truths of

the Old

Testament

that overflowed

out to them

as he taught

them things

that they

hadn't heard

before.

astonished

at the

depths

into which

he entered

and explaining

to them

the things

of God.

They were

astonished.

There was

a process

taking place.

He was

teaching

the

teachers

and for

the rabbis

in that

teaching

environment

there were

three

particular

things

that were

really

important

for the

teaching

experience

to be

effective.

There was

of course

the subject

to be

taught.

There was

the knowledge

of the

teacher

and there

is

the

willingness

of the

pupil

to be

taught.

And once

these three

things are

in place

then the

teaching

becomes

transformational.

The

curriculum

bears its

fruit.

The

child is

instructed

and grows

in

intelligence

and

understanding.

And as

those who

were taught

by the

rabbis

would learn

from the

example of

the rabbis

also,

so those

who are

learning from

the teaching

of Jesus

will learn

from his

example

also.

It's the

appreciation

of the

ministry of

Jesus,

of his

teaching.

It's having

the openness

of mind

to grasp

and to

bring

together

and to

pull

together

the facts

of what

is being

taught to

them.

Jesus

was here

instructed

by them

and he

had the

ability

to take

all that

they taught

him

and to

fill that

out with

his own

understanding

of why

he was

here and

of what

the word

of God

said.

And for

you and

for me

today,

we must

be like

those who

are astonished

in the

temple

listening to

Jesus.

We must

be like

Mary and

Joseph

astonished

at what

Jesus has

to say

to us

and that

astonishment

is dependent

on your

willingness

to accept

and to

receive

and to

my

willingness

to accept

and receive

the very

things that

God has

to say

to us.

And as

we

journey on

through life

that

is key

to our

journey of

faith

being a

journey which

takes us

to the

place of

safety and

of security

and of

salvation.

There must

not be any

roadblocks

in our

listening to

what God

has to say

today.

We must

not be on

our narrow

streets with

the obstacles

of the high

buildings blocking

our reception

of what God

has to say.

we must

live our

lives in

the open

space

where the

obstacles are

removed and

where there is

a direct

signal from

God through

his word to

inform our

thinking and

to enable us

to live as

the children of

God in this

world.

To enable us

to do so

as children and

families and as

parents and

families.

To enable us to

do so in

school and

our teaching

instruction and

friends and

with our

fellow pupils.

To appreciate,

to receive,

to be ready

wherever we

spend life and

work or in

learning,

whatever we

are doing,

that the

obstacles aren't

there.

And if they

are there,

and if these

obstacles are

the means of

Jesus and

you going a

separate path

in life,

then it's

time to

move.

Retracing your

steps must be

going to that

place where

the obstacles

are gone.

And where,

as Peter

said on the

Mount of

Transfiguration,

when God

said to him,

there's my

beloved son,

listen to him

alone.

they saw

Jesus only.

We can be

in the

crowd,

but if we

have faith,

the willingness

to receive,

we can be in

the crowd and

see no one but

Jesus only.

He becomes

the priority.

There is a

ministry to

be appreciated.

And that

appreciation

depends on

your heart

and on

mine.

and your

readiness,

your

willingness to

receive,

or perhaps

a resistance

today to

accept the

very truths

that God

is speaking

to us and

that Jesus

is speaking

to us from

his word.

So there's

a mistake to

be avoided,

there's a

ministry to

be appreciated,

and thirdly,

there's a

mission to

be accepted.

we could

ask the

question,

who does

Jesus think

he is?

It's a

question of

respect,

and the

answer is

clear from

this passage,

he knows

that he is

the son of

God.

And that's

what I come

to understand,

that there is

a mission that

is known to

Jesus,

that he speaks

of here,

that we must

accept.

and as we

see his

parents coming

to them in

their astonishment,

what is it

that they

actually do?

They find

fault with

Jesus.

Have you

ever done

that?

When things

aren't happening

the way that

you expect,

when God

is not doing

what you

expected him

to do,

or when God

is doing

what you

find

unacceptable,

have you

ever blamed

God?

That's what

Mary is

doing here.

Why

did you

treat us

like the

son?

Why have

you treated

us so?

Behold,

your father

and I have

been searching

for you in

great distress.

They are

struggling to

cope with a

new thing

in the life

of Jesus,

and because

of not being

able to

understand what

is happening,

their defense

mechanism is

to blame

Jesus for

letting them

down.

And

sometimes

you and

I can do

that.

God does

new things

for us all

the time.

God does

things that

change things

for the

better,

as we

noted from

William Hague.

God can

do things

that can

be catastrophically

worse,

but do

we blame

God because

of the

new thing

that we

cannot

understand?

The

blaming of

God that

blocks the

channel of

communication,

that stops

my appreciation

of the

word of

God.

I need to

ensure that

when things

do go

wrong,

that my

response to

that is

to look

to myself

and to

hear what

Jesus is

saying,

so that

what is

new becomes

accessible to

me,

and what is

new becomes

the very

thing that

is at the

center of

my life.

And what

does that

news thing,

what does

Jesus say

to them?

why were

you looking

for me?

As if

Jesus

himself were

astonished

that they

didn't

understand that

this is where

he should

be.

Why were

you looking

for me?

Did you

not know

that I

must be

in my

father's

house?

there are

two things

in the

words that

Jesus

speaks here

that remind

us of

the mission

of God.

Did you

not know

that I

must?

When I

read the

word must

in the

gospels,

it speaks

to me of

a necessity

that's

bound up

entirely

with what

God has

purposed

to do.

Jesus

must do

this

because

he came

to do

the will

of God

and God

in sending

him has

said to

him,

this is

what you

shall do.

There is

a necessity

that arises

from the

way in which

God has

designed

that Jesus

would work

in the

world.

There is

the must

of the

necessity

of the

will

of God.

And

everything

that Jesus

did from

the time

in which

he was

born,

growing up

his life

here in

the temple

here,

I must

be here,

I must

go this

day and

the next

day and

then go

to Jerusalem.

The

Son of

Man must

suffer many

things.

It's all

about fulfilling

the word

of God.

The

Son of

Man must

enter into

glory.

The

Son of

Man must

sit at

the right

hand of

God in

heaven.

There's

a necessity

that belongs

to his

journey as

someone who's

here to

do the

will of

God.

And that

necessity

is entirely

built up

with the

family

business,

the family

plan,

the family

project,

what God

the Father

has purpose

to do.

I must

be in

my

father's

house.

house.

Your

father and

I,

says Mary,

were

distressed

because we

could not

find you.

But Jesus

makes it

quite clear

how he

sees

himself.

I must

be about

the business

of my

father's

house.

And that

business

is the

business

which he

came to

complete.

When he

came into

this world

to die

for the

sins of

the world,

it was,

says Isaiah

and Isaiah

53,

it was the

will of the

Lord to

crush him.

And Jesus

in the

garden going

to fulfill

the mission

of God.

And in

this pictorial

way,

God placing

the cup

of wrath

into his

hand,

take this

cup from

me.

Nevertheless,

not my

will,

but yours

be done.

The

mission of

God is

such that

I must

drink this

cup and

drink it

to the

dregs.

And in

his commitment

to the

will of

God,

he arises

from the

garden.

The cup

that the

father has

given to

me,

surely I

will drink

it.

And he

goes off

purposefully

to Calvary's

cross.

This cup

is a

new covenant

in my

blood.

And so

he gives

his life

as a

ransom

for many.

It's

a mission

that we

must accept.

The

journey of

faith

is not

complete.

And

indeed,

the journey

of faith

in the

sense of

the genuine

faith of

the Bible,

the journey

of faith

has not

yet

commenced

until we

embrace

Jesus

Christ,

the child

in the

manger,

the Son

of God,

until we

embrace

him

as the

one who

has fulfilled

the commission

of the

Father,

who said

on the

cross,

it is

finished.

and with

a loud

voice,

he gave

up his

life,

his spirit

to God.

That's

where we

must close

this year.

We must

check out

of 2025

and check

into

2026

and ensure

that as

we check

out of

this year,

Jesus

is with

us as

our

personal

saviour.

And so

as we

check into

the next

year,

if in

God's

good

providence

we see

it,

as we

check

into it,

we will

know

that we

will be

safe

and we

will be

secure

because

the Lord

is our

shepherd.

He will

be our

guide.

No matter

where life

will take

us,

though we

walk through

the valley

of the

shadow

of death,

we will

fear no

evil because

he is

with us.

And so

today let's

hear what

God is

saying.

Let's

ensure we

take note

of the

mistake

that's to

be avoided.

Let's

ensure that

we go on

a life

appreciating

the ministry

of the

gospel where

we learn

about Jesus

and let's

ensure

that we

don't stop

short of

embracing in

our hearts

that Jesus

who loved

me and

gave himself

for me

and let's

ensure that

we go

forward

confident in

our faith

and on

our journey

of faith

that our

faith is

in him

and that

by faith

we have

peace with

God

and that

we enter

in to

that grace

of Christ

in which

God has

made us

able to

stand.

May God

bless his

word to us.

Let us

pray.

most

gracious

God

we

rejoice

in you

and in

your

care

of us.

We are

thankful to

you that

we have

your promise

that you

will never

leave us

or forsake

us.

We read

through your

word and

we are

reminded

in different

places that

we are a

people who

tend to go

astray

from you.

But we are

thankful to

you that

you are the

shepherd who

rescues and

who recovers

and who

restores.

And we are

thankful today

for every way

in which you

have done so

in the past.

And help us

today to

know something

more of your

restoring power

and grace.

And help us

to sense

that you are

with us.

And help us

to feel

your love

and your

power and

your grace

in our hearts

and our lives

as we journey

on to the

rest of this

day and

in your good

providence as

we draw to

the close

of this year.

So hear our

prayer and

accept us.

Having mercy

we pray for

Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Amen.

The Holy

Psalm is

Psalm number

84.

And we're

singing at

verse number

5.

And

the Psalms

on page

112.

It's a

psalm about

the people

of God

journey to

the house

of God

and longing

for the

peace that

they find

in the

house of

God.

We're

singing at

verse 5

down to

verse 10.

Blessed are

those whose

strength is

in you,

those who

have a

pilgrim's

mind.

Pools from

autumn,

rains,

refresh them,

springs and

bakers,

veil they

find.

We're

standing at

verse 5 to

verse 10 to

God's praise.

akeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeakeake

Strength increasing, sigh onward, they go on their way to God.

Hear my prayer, O God Almighty, and receive the plea I make.

Listen to me, God of Jehovah, hear me for your mercy's sake.

Look how a father, a shield and a ring, they are to your chosen King.

One day in your course is better than a thousand days elsewhere.

Let me stay in my old temple, let me be adorned there.

Adorned by the Lord, in the depths of wickedness.

I'll go to the main door after the benediction.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all now and forevermore.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.