- Sermon - Mickey Anders

December 31, 2006

Text: Luke 2:41-52

Are you going to make some New Year’s resolutions for the New Year? I hope you do because resolutions can bring positive changes into our lives.

The late Erma Bombeck made these New Year’s resolutions:

1. I'm going to clean this dump just as soon as the kids grow up.

2. I will go to no doctor whose office plants have died.

3. I'm going to follow my husband's suggestion to put a little excitement into my life by living within our budget.

4. I'm going to apply for a hardship scholarship to Weight Watchers.

5. I will never loan my car to anyone I have given birth to.

6. And just like last year...I am going to remember that my children need love the most when they deserve it the least.

One woman told her friend, "I have kept every New Year's resolution I have ever made." Her friend was stunned. He said, "Really? I am impressed. How have you managed to keep all of them?" She replied, "Oh, it's easy. I keep them in my desk drawer!"

Most people are like television commentator, Andy Rooney, they have given up on resolutions. Andy Rooney said:

“I've given up on resolutions and switched to revolutions. I'm revolting against the way I am.

I'm not going to lose any weight again this year. Last year I was determined not to resolve to lose any. I didn't try and for once my resolution was successful. I didn't lose any” (quoted in Homiletics, December 29, 1996).

But resolutions don’t have to be funny, and we don’t have to give up on them. New Year’s resolutions can make a difference in your life.

But for most of us, New Year's resolutions get packed away with the last of the Christmas decorations. The problem with most of our resolutions is that they are too safe, too sensible and too self-centered. We resolve to make tiny cosmetic changes in our lifestyles -- but refuse to consider restructuring our lives.

Luke's story about the boy Jesus offers us an example of what it would mean if we were to transform our lives by making a serious resolution that from this day forward we will be "about [our] Father's business."

The scene opens by showing the kind of home in which Jesus was raised. It was a home that was committed to obedience to the law. They made the annual trek to Jerusalem each year on the festival of Passover.

Verse 42 says, "They went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast," according to the King James Version. The King James Version appears to be more accurate here than the NRSV, which says, "They went up as usual for the festival."

When I looked at my interlinear Bible, the Greek word is "ethos," translated "custom." Doing something because it is the custom can be a good thing or it can be a bad thing. Some people go to church out of custom and nothing more. Their religious activities are more form than substance.

Recently I conducted my get-to-know-you sessions with two college students. One of them said, "While I was away from church for the semester, something changed. I can't put my finger on it, but there is new atmosphere. Before it seemed that people when to church out of custom, but now it seems that they are there because they want to be there." Even college students who only attend occasionally notice the difference between doing something out of custom and doing something from the heart.

But customs can be good when they express who we are and what we believe. The word "ethos" seems to indicate the latter. It was the ethos of Mary and Joseph to observe the festival. Customs are good when they are connected with our deepest values.

Jewish tradition commonly recognized twelve as the beginning of the end of childhood. Scholars have trouble tracing the Jewish bar Mitzvah back to the time of Jesus, and there is no indication that this was a bar Mitzvah. But by about the age of twelve, a boy could be held responsible for keeping binding vows. This age marked the transition from childhood to the beginning of adulthood. This story depicts the transition from the infancy narratives to the narratives of Jesus' adult ministry.

Joseph and Mary, along with their friends, neighbors and relatives - all made the required pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. But as soon as the allotted time for the holiday was over, they hit the road -- anxious to get back to all the chores and responsibilities that filled their lives. Joseph undoubtedly had carpentry projects awaiting his attention. Mary would have had the hundreds of time-consuming tasks it took to keep her family fed and clothed. Like most of us at the end of an extended vacation, they were probably looking forward to getting back to the comfortable familiarity of their own home.

As the caravan turned towards Nazareth, it is very likely that the men were at one end of the procession and the women at the other. The animals and possessions were in between. The children would normally be assigned a beast or a bundle to manage, but their movement within the group was much more fluid. Little wonder that Mary and Joseph assumed Jesus to be somewhere in the midst of the caravan’s chaos and did not miss his presence until everyone stopped and settled in for the night. Immediately Joseph and Mary retraced their steps and trekked back to Jerusalem.

Notice that Joseph and Mary unintentionally left Jesus behind in the Temple. A lot of bad things happen in life when we operate with a lack of intention, and I might add a lack of attention.

During our summer sailing camp, we try to teach young people the skills necessary to sail their own boat. Everyone gets a turn steering the boat with the tiller. I have noticed that some people can do it; others can't. Those who have difficulty paying attention will become distracted by conversations or by passing boaters, and their course will zigzag all over the lake. It requires attention to sail a fair line.

Perhaps we can see this incident in the Temple as a metaphor. Joseph and Mary unintentionally left Jesus behind at the Temple. Sometimes we also leave Jesus behind when we leave church. I like the inference that we must be intentional about Jesus. We must pay attention to our spiritual lives or we too will wander. I think this is a clear call for us to make resolutions about our spiritual direction for the coming year.

When Joseph and Mary realized the boy was lost, they proceeded directly to the temple site, perhaps already suspecting they would find Jesus there. There we find Jesus participating as a bright and articulate student. He showed unusual understanding of all things spiritual, even at such a young age.

When Mary finds Jesus she asks, “Why have you treated us like this? The question implies an intentional act of deception or betrayal on Jesus’ part. We can all identify with the “great anxiety” that the parents confess to feeling. We can understand the gut-wrenching accusation of this almost hysterical mother.

Jesus replies, “Why is that?” He is genuinely mystified and amazed at her display of bottled-up anger. His response also reveals that he has now taken on for himself the responsibility of living up to his dedication to God.

In the NRSV, verse 42 says, "He said to them, 'Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?'" The King James Version says, "How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?"

I found it interesting that neither "house" nor "business" were included in the Greek. If we were to translate verse 42 word for word, it would sound like this, "Why that you sought me? Not know that in the of Father my must me?" Should it be "house" or "business?" The word we are seeking is actually left out. But translators have gotten to the obvious intent of the passage by adding "house" or "business."

“I must be in my Father’s house.” Jesus clearly felt the call of his heavenly Father. The translation “about my Father’s business” helps to broaden our concept of God’s house. Jesus is not claiming that he is only to be in the temple from now on. He must be concerned with the “things of my Father.” Jesus answered the most important call of all -- to be about his Father's business.

What would it mean if we were to act in a similar fashion? What would it mean to live according to what God required of us? What does it mean to be about God's business?

The ultimate New Year's resolution a Christian can make is to be in our Father's house, to be about our Father's business. This resolution does not challenge us to cut fat grams, or quit smoking or get to aerobics class twice a week, but to live under the umbrella of God's expectations and to make it our business to be a part of God's business. God's business is transformation.

Verse 40 says, "The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him." (NRSV) I like that it includes physical, mental and spiritual growth.

Our New Year's Resolutions should do as much. We often make resolutions about the physical - lose weight, get exercise. But we seldom make resolutions about the mental and spiritual. I challenge you to make resolutions in all three areas to assure their own growth in the coming year.

I hope you will make and keep resolutions in a balanced way. But I want to challenge you especially to make New Year’s resolutions that contain two essential ingredients: First, go into the Word. Second, go into the world. I believe Jesus did both of those things.

First, go into the Word. When the young Jesus felt called to live beyond business-as-usual and answered the call of God's business, he first went to the temple. In other words, he steeped himself in the meanings and messages of God's Word. Knowing what God intends for men and women, learning what God has already said and done and promised for this world, is a necessary first step in the transformative process.

Make a New Year's resolution to attend church regularly. I remember the first Sunday of 1985 because two new families showed up in my church. I went to visit them that afternoon and asked, as I usually did, “How did you come to visit our church today?” Both couples said they came as a result of New Year’s resolutions. And both became very faithful and active members of our church. What a great New Year’s resolution! Make a promise to be "in my Father's house."

Make a New Year's resolution to attend Sunday School. For over 150 years, the Sunday School has been the primary Bible teaching arm of the church. These are small groups which focus on studying a small portion of the Bible every week.

Make a New Year's resolution to read Luke. My preaching plan for this year focuses on the Gospel of Luke. Most Sunday sermons will be from a text in Luke. My commitment is to read the Gospel of Luke every week of this year. I challenge you to join me in that. Maybe you can only read it once a month. Maybe you will only read the passage for next week's sermon. But this will be the year of Luke for our church. Make a promise to immerse yourself in this wonderful Gospel.

Make a New Year's resolution to join a small group Bible study. We hope to offer a range of small groups from low-commitment groups to high-commitment groups. One high-commitment group will be Disciple Bible Study. This is a 34-week study requiring 3 or 4 hours of preparation each week. We will read 70% of the Bible during the study. There are some in the church who desire a deeper study of the Bible. This will be an excellent opportunity. Make a promise to complete the Disciple Bible Study.

Whatever your level of commitment, make some pledge about reading and studying the Bible for this New Year.

Next, make a New Year's resolution to be in the world. Being about God's business doesn't mean we do nothing but sit in the temple -- in the church -- all day long and discuss theology. Remember that while Jesus started out in the temple, he then obediently followed Joseph and Mary back out into the world. We cannot be a part of transforming the world unless we stand in its midst.

We hope to create an expectation that every member will be involved in ministry. The question is not, "Will you serve?" but "Where will you serve this year?" Make a commitment to serve inside the church and outside the church.

Sharon White felt the call of God to visit the homebound members of our church. Joanna Griffen felt the call of God to play the piano and lead singing at the Arnett Prichard house. Mike and Sherry Vanderpool are helping their son start a new church in Nicholasville. Bob and Doris Ross have made a commitment to start a house church for recovering people. Bob Silvanik feels God calling him to start a small group focused on the contemplation methods of Thomas Merton. These are examples of our own people who have made commitments to go into the world. What is God calling you to do?

I challenge you to make a resolution to participate in the Disciples Habitat build this year, to go on a mission trip to the Gulf coast, to work in a soup kitchen, to ring the bell for Salvation Army. Do something to carry God's love to the world. I challenge you to make some resolutions that will take you into the world.

The calendar for next year is blank. We can make of it a wonderful year of intentional service to God. A fresh New Year lies unblemished before us. What do you resolve to be and do in the year 2007?