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A Worthy Resolution
Luke 2:41-52 |
January 14, 2007
Pastor Tom Marcum
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I’ve enjoyed the hilarious writings of nationally syndicated
columnist, Dave Barry for years. Earlier this week, I read his column
about New Year’s resolutions and it was a classic. He wrote,
in part:
You need to make some New Year’s
resolutions so that you can become a better you—a more attractive
you—an organized you—a you that is…well, less like
you. Keeping resolutions can be difficult…but you can do it,
if you follow these practical tips:
#1 Be realistic. Many people
give up because they “set their sights too high.”
Pick a goal that you can reasonably expect to attain.
Unrealistic goal: “I will learn to speak Chinese.”
Realistic goal: “I
will order some Chinese food.”
Unrealistic goal: “I will read a good book.”
Realistic goal: “I
will examine the outsides of some good books, then waddle over to
the part of the bookstore where they sell pastries.”
#2 Think Positive. To succeed,
you must believe in yourself. Write this motivational statement in
large letters…someplace where you will see it often: “I
can do it, and I will do it! Starting next year!”
I don’t know if you participate
in the annual sport of making New Year’s resolutions. To be
honest with you, I’ve never been a particularly big fan of them.
But I do believe that there is a seasonal component woven in to our
human nature and that the beginning of a new year offers us an opportunity
that we can use to our benefit. So, regardless of what we call it…
a “resolution,” a “new beginning,”
a “mid-course check-up,” or something else,
I think we are wise to use the occasion of the New Year to refocus
our vision and our energies in the direction that we really want to
go.
And to help us in this task,
we’re going to continue the story we began at Christmas with
the birth of Jesus. And as we return to the story, this morning, the
infant Jesus has now grown to become a boy of 12. A significant age
for a Jewish boy because it is at this stage that he begins the official
transition from childhood to adulthood. One by one the special allowances
granted to a child are replaced by the greater expectations and increased
responsibilities of adulthood.
We pick the story up in Luke
2, beginning at verse 41.
Every year his parents went
to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When
he was twelve years old, they went up to the feast, according to the
custom.
Jewish law required attendance
at the annual Passover festival. Consequently, every year the roads
to Jerusalem were clogged as Jewish families, otherwise scattered
throughout Israel, made their way to the temple. Whether or not Jesus
had accompanied his family in previous years, we don’t know,
but now that he has reached the age of 12 it was important for him
to make the journey to fulfill his adult responsibilities.
Continuing in verse 43 we read:
After the feast was over,
while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind
in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their
company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him
among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they
went back to Jerusalem to look for him.
Lest we conclude that Mary and
Joseph were inattentive parents, it’s important to note the
nature of these annual journeys. Jesus’ family would have joined
themselves to a much larger group of travelers. Typically, the men
would lead, the livestock would be placed in the middle and the women
would bring up the rear. The children would generally be assigned
to look after a beast or a bundle of goods and their movement within
the group was very fluid. So, though not in constant sight, Mary and
Joseph, like the rest of the parents, would simply have assumed that
their children were somewhere in the midst of the caravan’s
chaos. Consequently, Jesus was not missed until the family regrouped
at the end of the day.
Continuing in verse 46 we read:
After three days they found
him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to
them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed
at his understanding and his answers.
Some people have used these
verses to paint a picture of Jesus as some kind of religious whiz
kid, but Luke’s text does not really support such a view. What
we see, here, is the young Jesus, obviously well schooled by his parents
and possessing an impressive understanding of scriptures, participating
in the religious discussions that were a part of temple life for all
Jewish men.
Continuing in verse 48 we read:
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have
you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching
for you.”
When they finally find their
son, his mother reacts as any mother would: “Where have
you been? We’ve been worried sick about you.” I remember
hearing those very same words from my mom countless times.
But as we move on to verse 49
the scene takes a truly unusual turn in Jesus’ response to his
mother.
“Why were you searching
for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had
to be in my Father’s house?” (The King James translates
that verse as, (“I must be about my Father’s business.”)
But they did not understand what he meant.
Then he went down to Nazareth
with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these
things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in
favor with God and men.
We don’t know exactly
at what point the growing, maturing Jesus fully recognized the uniqueness
of His relationship with His Heavenly Father, but clearly on this
day in the temple, Jesus makes it clear that His life will be wholly
dedicated to God when, in response to his mother’s concerned
questioning, he turned to his mother and said: “Why would
you have looked for me any place other than here? Don’t you
know that I must be about my Father’s business? It’s who
I am. That’s my agenda. That’s the point of my being.
It’s why I’m here. It’s what I do. My life is all
about attending to my Father’s business.”
As I read this passage earlier
this week, verse 49 leaped out at me as a wonderfully simple yet awesomely
powerful resolution to carry us into the New Year with our vision
and energies focused in the only direction that ultimately matters:
Be it resolved that at the
beginning, the middle and the end of 2007, I will be about my Father’s
business.
Be it resolved that at the
beginning, the middle and the end of 2007, we, the Petaluma Valley
Family, will be about our Father’s business.
--It doesn’t matter what
the ramifications or consequences of attending to His business may
be…I will attend to my Father’s business.
--It doesn’t matter what
cost or sacrifices we may have to make to do so…we will attend
to our Father’s business.
There may be things going on
in my life that I don’t understand…things that are painful
or frightening…things that make me wonder why are these things
happening to me…things that are wonderful and satisfying…but
the circumstances of my life…whatever they may be…will
not distract me from my goal: At the beginning, the middle and
end of 2007, I will be about my Father’s business.
There may be things going on
in our church that we don’t understand…things that are
painful or frightening…things that make us wonder why are these
things happening to us…things that are wonderful and satisfying…but
the circumstances that we face…whatever they may be…will
not distract us from our goal: At the beginning, the middle and
end of 2007, we will be about our Father’s business.
If it matters to Him, it matters
to us.
If it’s on His agenda,
it becomes our agenda.
If it’s His will, it becomes
our priority.
We will be about our Father’s
business.
So, the question, then, is how
do we do that? How do we maintain our focus on our Father’s
business through all the many challenges and changing circumstances
that life will no doubt have in store for us over the course of this
year?
Well, let’s look to the
example of Jesus. How did He stay focused on His Father’s business?
To point us in the direction of an answer to that question, let me
ask you this question—What was Jesus doing when, for the
very first time, he boldly and clearly declared that His life was
all about faithfully attending to His Father’s business?
I’ll tell you what He was doing. He was deep in God’s
word. He was in the temple…the place where the word of God was
searched and studied and taught and interpreted and explained. He
was nurturing His relationship with God by studying the word of God
as He prepared to be on mission with God.
And there’s our example.
There’s our guide to help us keep our focus constantly on our
Father’s business.
“Lord, help us never
to stray from Your word. Father, teach us to recognize the amazing
treasure that we have in your Word. Teach us to delight in Your word.
Teach us to store it up in our hearts. By the power of Your spirit,
open our eyes and help us to see and understand the things that You
desire to teach us. Lead us in the way that you would have us go and
help us to respond to all of Your words with a humble spirit and a
heart of obedience.”
Many of you have joined, The
Reflector, our email group that allows the members of our church family
to stay in touch with each other throughout the week. Through The
Reflector, we share prayer requests, announce upcoming events and
so forth. We also send out a Daily Devotional. The devotional posted
on The Reflector this past Thursday began with these words from Isaiah
66:2, “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and
of a contrite sprit, and who trembles at My word.” Henry Blackaby
then wrote: “Do you tremble when God speaks? John lost all physical
strength when God spoke to him; Paul fell to the ground when Christ
met him on the road to Damascus; Moses trembled when God spoke to
him; and Peter, when he realized who Jesus was, ‘fell down at
Jesus’ knees saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful
man, O Lord!’”
Blackaby then concludes with
this challenge: “As you study your Bible, you may sense
that God has something to say directly to you through the verses you
are reading. Take a moment to consider the awesome reality that the
God who spoke and created a universe is now speaking to you. If Jesus
could speak and raise the dead, calm a storm, cast out demons, and
heal the incurable, then what effect might a word from Him have upon
your life? The possibilities should cause you to tremble! The next
time you open God’s Word, do so with a sense of holy expectation.”
Folks, I don’t have a
crystal ball to predict what 2007 is going to bring our way, but I
do have a passionate resolve and it is this:
Grounded in God’s word…
…and guided by God’s spirit…
…WHATEVER comes our way…
We will be about our Father’s business.
If you will join me in that
commitment, then let it be known by saying, “Amen.”
© Copyright
2006 Pastor Tom Marcum
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