Wednesday’s Thoughts on the sermon
“The Talk of the Temple”
The confrontation of Jesus at age 12 with the theologians and priests was an important event. It is reported in the Gospels and it telegraphs some of the early experiences in his life. There is very little we can learn from his birth until he was 30 years old. This encounter int he temple is one of the few glimpses of the kind of person he was. He made an impression on the hierarchy there.
Much of what happens to us in our later years can be viewed in our early days. We are what we were; we become what we started out being. Our formative years are decisive. That is true for us. That is true for Jesus.
One of the points of contention he was bound to address with his people is the attitude of victimization that had become ingrained into the culture and into the soul of the leaders. They were a suffering people. They experience defeat and exile, and they were on the verge of being attacked by the Romans. Their past was troubled and their future did not look good. I’m guessing Jesus would have confronted that “why me?” attitude with a strong message of affirmation. He would have wanted religious people to avoid the trap that comes when we blame other people for what happens.
I think his first question would have been, “Have you been born again?” He would have wanted people who were worried about their distant past to consider their immediate present. He would have pushed the leaders of his faith tradition to move beyond blame for the days that were tragic by asking them to consider the glory of the present day and the rebirth of wonder that occurs every day. It causes us to ask the same questions about our lives and our present situations.
If things haven’t gone well, what about how things can change? If life has given us death can we not see how life has opened us to re-birth. Jesus was all about getting away from making excuses to getting into making sense of the present.
Today is our day; even if we have had bad days.
What does the day bring?
How can the day be celebrated?
How can we be born from above when we are being drug down to earth?
It is important that we hear the question Jesus asked the theologians and priests. It is important that we take a look at our re-birth today and tomorrow.
Do you have thoughts about this? Write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If you would like to have others see your response click on the “comments” box at the bottom of this page.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Charles Schuster
I remind myself that God values my life. If God values my life, I can do no less. Valuing my life, I cannot be a victim. I cannot be passive and accepting of the “miseries,” “injustices,” and “inequities” with which I may be confronted. Not “What Would Jesus Do?,” but “What Would Jesus Have Me Do?” Acting and being from the knowledge of God’s enduring and absolute Love, helps me know that the despair of today is being grieved, but shall never conquer, and that because my life is precious, it’s scars and tests are marks of honor, not marks of defeat.