First Sunday After Christmas

Psalm: Psalm 148 
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26  
Gospel:  Luke 2:41-52 
Epistle: Colossians 3:12-17

Today is the first Sunday after Christmas, or if you are following along with the Christian Calendar, the 3rd day of Christmas. So I guess we should be looking for "french hens" clucking around somewhere. The tradition I am a part of (The Church of the Nazarene) has recently done a better job of incorporating the preparatory seasons of the Church year, Advent and Lent for example, but I think we still have a ways to go in terms of actually celebrating the celebratory times of the year, Christmastide and Eastertide for example. Just as the preparation, waiting, and fasting are important in the communal life of the Church, so is celebrating what Christ has done and offering proper thanksgiving. Recognizing Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter as seasons, distinct from and after their respective holidays, also allows the church to give due time for reflection, thought, and sermons on each event. Following the Christian Calendar I believe is just one way (certainly not the only way) of creating space for churches and pastors to think deeper about the Sunday morning service and sermon. It allows and encourages both the pastor and the congregation to think about our lives in new ways in relation to the life of Christ. And it also creates ways for both to grow deeper in their understanding of theological concepts.

But enough of that, let us move on to actually looking at the Scriptures. In 1 Samuel and Luke 2 there is a comparison of Samuel and Jesus as children. In fact Luke even quotes 1 Samuel 2:26 when he writes, "And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."(vs. 52) Compare that to what the author of Samuel writes, "Now the boy Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men." (vs. 26) Samuel and Jesus both faithfully served the Lord as children and the authors in each case draw attention to their early aptitudes and desire to serve the Lord.We can't make the comparisons match perfectly because Jesus is the Son of God, but it is important to note the areas where the New Testament writes compare the Old Testament with the New. Jesus is viewed as the new Adam, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, David, and others. Jesus recapitulates, or re-lives but perfects, humanity and especially Israel in his life, death, and resurrection.

A couple of other things from this story in Luke 2 that bear saying is first that Jesus uses the words "My Father's house," when Mary mentions  "your father," Joseph, being worried. Jesus already recognized his relationship to the Father and was able to hold his own among the leading religious authorities in Jerusalem at the age of 12. In Jewish culture 13 is considered the age of accountability when men are able to fully participate in the life of the community. So I don't think it is a coincidence that Luke is telling us that Jesus was 12. Another historical note is how the Jews engaged in religious discussions and debate. The teachers and leaders would ask each other questions, such as "what is the greatest commandment," (Matt. 22:36) and then gauge the response for comprehension and wisdom of the Law. So we get a little glimpse into Jewish life at the time of Jesus and also see that Jesus was adept at religious and biblical study at an early age.

Finally, returning to the statement that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, we see that Jesus, although he was fully God, still had a time of maturing, learning, and growing. As we celebrated just a few days ago, Jesus was born a baby. It is a bit ridiculous to even say, but at 2 days old for example, Jesus didn't know he was God. Like all 2 day old humans, he could do very little other than breath, eat, make a dirty diaper, and sleep. Jesus had to learn and grow. We can never forget that in the incarnation God became man. I think there is a tendency today to emphasis Jesus' divinity at the expense of his humanity. Of course the relationship is complicated, and I don't think it can be ever fully understand, as I said last week, but still we confess with all Christians that Jesus is fully God and fully man.

Well, I think I have rambled on enough for this post and I hope you enjoyed reading the Scriptures this week. The Psalm is a psalm of praise of who God is, especially in light of all that he has created. I'll let the Colossians passage speak for itself, but it definitely has a lot for us to work on in our relationships with each other. Let us seek the Lord this week and serve him first.

Grace and Peace.