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SUNDAY SERVICE - Audio Recording  Luke 2:41–52 - Growing in Wisdom and Grace
At the beginning of a new year, we often reflect on where we have been and where we are going. In today’s reading from Luke, we find a young 12 year old Jesus, caught in that in-between space between childhood and adulthood, between the familiar and the unknown. The story invites us to consider our own journey, how we navigate growth, how we seek understanding, and respond to the divine spark within us. In the Gospel narrative, Jesus, at age twelve, stays behind in Jerusalem, immersed in the temple among the teachers. When his parents return in search of him, Mary’s question: “Why have you treated us like this?” echoes the concern of every parent or caregiver or guardian watching a loved one step beyond the bounds of the expected. And so as the young Jesus, sits in the temple, listening, questioning and learning, he begins breaking away from the familiar patterns of his life. His questions are not about maintaining the way things have always been but rather about seeking truth, even if it challenges the assumptions of those around him. Jesus’ response: “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” is as mysterious as it is profound for his parents who struggle to understand. It signals a shift within Jesus, a dawning awareness of his deeper purpose in life. On this the first Sunday of the New Year this story offers us a powerful metaphor for the spiritual journey. At times, we too find ourselves being moved beyond familiar patterns, drawn toward something greater than ourselves, even when it disrupts the comfort of those around us. The call of our deeper truer nature, our deeper purpose, can unsettle others and even ourselves, but it is part of what it means to grow. Thomas Keating once wrote that, “The greatest sin is the refusal to grow.” This warning speaks particularly to adulthood, where our ideas and beliefs often become rigid and fossilized. In adulthood there is the danger of becoming cynical and jaded, feeling like, because we have been around the block a few times, we now know exactly what to expect from life and how life works. Is it any wonder that for many adults, the magic of life and living feels like it is gone. But what if we don’t yet know the whole truth? What if, as St Paul says, we indeed only see in part and that in fact there is more here to see and understand? And so this Gospel story of the 12 year old Jesus in the Temple becomes an invitation to reflect on our own growth inviting us to reflect around four things - Firstly, Seeking God in the Temple or the Inner Sanctuary of the Heart– In the story Jesus stays behind in the Temple while his parents travelled back to Nazareth. But the outward temple of Jerusalem was always only a symbol of the inner temple of the heart that all of us must seek to enter if we are to grow in wisdom and grace. At the beginning of this New Year are we willing to spend time like Jesus in the temple of the heart or the inner sanctuary of the spirit where God dwells and were the seeds of God’s Spirit within us can be tended and nurtured? Secondly, the passage invites us to find companions who can help us to grow. In the story, when Jesus’ parents find him, not only is he in the temple, but he is seated amongst the teachers in the temple courts. He situates himself among those from whom he can learn. Within the Buddhist tradition there is a story of the Buddha’s disciple Ananda who once remarked that good companionship is half of the holy life. But the Buddha corrected him saying: “No, Ananda, good companionship is the whole of the holy life.” Who are the companions in our lives who stretch us and challenge us to grow, inspiring us with greater love and wisdom? Thirdly, the passage invites us to grow by deepening our listening. In verse 46, when his parents find him sitting with the teachers in the temple courts, the first word that describes what Jesus does is ‘Listening’. Listening is an essential ingredient for any form of growth or learning. Henri Nouwen once said that "Listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond.” To listen deeply is to become open and attentive. Listening is the quality that opens the heart to another’s truth and another’s being. It is the quality that rests in stillness, welcoming what is unsaid as much as what is spoken. Listening is the quality that hears beyond words, that temporarily suspends judgment in order to find new understanding. Listening is the quality that creates space in which new possibilities, new perspectives and new insights, can be discovered. And listening requires humility and attentiveness. It calls for stillness and patience. Fourthly, not only is Jesus sitting amongst the teachers listening, He is also asking questions. Little children remind us of the importance of asking questions in order to grow in understanding. Questioning is essential if we are to grow, but Christianity has not always given space for people to ask questions. It is one of the gifts of the Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church that it’s members are not asked to accept unquestioningly what the minister preaches from the pulpit, nor are they asked to accept unquestioningly a set of second hand doctrines handed down to them. Questioning in our tradition is to be encouraged. Albert Einstein once said that "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Never lose a holy curiosity." When we cease to be curious, asking probing questions we stop growing. Thich Nhat Hanh the Vietnamese Zen teacher writes: "Sometimes the questions are more important than the answers, for the questions keep us present, humble, and open." This is echoed in the words of Bertrand Russell who once said "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." As our questions and doubts keep us humble, present and open, one could also say questions keep us trusting in a Higher Wisdom. There is something bigger at work than our egoic thinking. As the Gospel story comes to an end, Jesus does not remain in the Temple. He returns to Nazareth, to the ordinary rhythms of life, where he will need to integrate his spiritual insights into daily living. This is the balance we are all called to embody, drawing strength from the inner sanctuary while engaging fully with the responsibilities of the world. At the beginning of the this New Year, whether we choose to make resolutions or not, may we simply allow ourselves to be open to continue learning and growing. Like the boy Jesus in the Temple, may we seek moments when we can enter the temple of the heart, the inner sanctuary of the spirit where God dwells. May we spend time with companions who stretch us and challenge our assumptions and grow our understanding. May we practice the art of deep listening being open and attentive to life and to those that we meet. And may we nurture a holy curiosity, asking probing questions that keep us open and humble and thus truly wise. Amen. |
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