Sunday of the Holy Family

Children 1

Now that Christmas is over, do you have anything to look forward to? Is there anything coming up that will make you happy and excited, or do you think that’s all over with now that Christmas has come and gone?

Vacation will be over and school will be starting again in a week or so. Are you looking forward to going back to school? (Let them answer.) Pretty soon, you will be reading stories and doing math and taking tests again. Does that make you excited? But before you do that, you’ll have to take all the Christmas clothes you got that don’t fit or don’t match and spend five hours with your mother in the clothing store trying on different sizes and colors. Are you looking forward to that? Now that Christmas is over, what are you looking forward to?

Of course, there are some good things to look forward to as you think a little further ahead. In just half a year, summer vacation will be here, and you will have lots of time to play. And sometime between now and next Christmas, you’ll have a birthday party – those are two good things to look forward to, right?

Think a little further ahead. In just a few years, you will be old enough to get a driver’s license. Won’t that be nice? Further down the road, you can look forward to finishing school, finding some work that you like, perhaps getting married and having children. There’s a lot to look forward to in life, isn’t there?

The Bible tells us that a week after Jesus was born, His mother and father took Him to Jerusalem, where they met a man named Simeon, who talked with them and gave them a blessing. Now Simeon was very old, so he may have felt he didn’t have a lot left to look forward to in life. Or he may have been content to look forward to his retirement, to taking it easy, visiting with his grandchildren and enjoying his memories. But the Bible says that Simeon was actually looking forward “to the consolation of Israel,” which means he was looking forward to the coming of Jesus Christ. He wanted to see Jesus face to face, to know the Son of God in the flesh and draw near to Him. When he did this, Simeon felt his life was complete.

What are you looking forward to? You can look forward to school and growing up, and as you get older, you can look forward to grandchildren, retirement or many other good things. But Simeon reminds us that there is much more to seek in life, and we ought not set our sights too low. We can look forward to knowing God more and more as we grow older, to growing closer to God in every way we can. We can look forward to knowing Jesus, and to living with Him more closely as the years go by. Like Simeon, we can grow in spirit and wisdom because we are looking forward to something much larger than ourselves. So, if ever you should be asked what you are looking forward to, tell them you are looking forward to knowing your God, to living more closely with your God, and to drawing so near to Him as to see Him face to face. Amen.

Children 2

Good morning! Allow some discussion on the following questions: Have any of you ever been afraid? (response)What are you afraid of? (response) You know what I am afraid of? I am afraid
of name something you are afraid of. What do you do when you are afraid? (response) What about at night when you go to sleep and you’re in bed and you hear noises outside and in the house? Do you get scared then? (response) What do you do? (response) It’s O.K. to be scared but there is a way to get over your fears. I want to tell you what to do at night when you’re scared but first let me tell you a little story.

Does everyone remember Joseph and Mary? (response) Who are they? (response) That’s right they are Jesus’ mom and dad. Well, after Jesus was born everything was so wonderful but then something happened that scared Joseph and Mary. They heard that the King Herod wanted to hurt the baby Jesus, in fact King Herod wanted the baby Jesus to die. Use your own judgment on how this information should be expressed. So he sent a bunch of soldiers out to get Jesus. Would you be scared if you knew someone was trying to take your baby? (response) Well, Joseph was told in a dream to run away. So he took Mary and the baby Jesus and they ran far away. A couple of years went by and they came back home. King Herod was dead and everything was OK. So you see it’s O.K. to be scared but we always have to come back and look around and make sure everything is safe. Joseph ran away from danger but he eventually came back to the place he had run from.

That’s what I want you to do. Next time you are in bed and you hear noises under your bed or in the closet I want you to get up and look under the bed and go over and look in the closet. I promise there won’t be any monsters under your bed and there won’t be any creatures in the closet. It’s OK to be afraid but don’t be scared all the time. Get up look around and make sure everything is safe, then you will be able to go to sleep.

Adult 1

We Americans are a competitive people. We have this drive to always want to be better than someone else. As a result we spend a lot of energy comparing ourselves, or our situations with those with whom we work, live near, etc. In many ways this is healthy. I want a doctor who does everything she or he can to be better than every other doctor. The same can be applied to every service orientated position, or even to any person we work with or for.

However, we would be wrong if we were to apply this natural competitive attitude to our families. It is neither just nor wise for us to compare our families to our neighbors. Yet, so many of us do this. “I wish my marriage was as happy as theirs. I wish my children got along as well as theirs. I wish our family was as strong as theirs.” This is wrong because, first, every family is a unique relationship of singular individuals. It is impossible for two families to be identical. Second, every family has challenges which usually are not apparent to the eye of the envious neighbors.

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. In our natural competitive attitude, we are tempted to look at the Holy Family as an ideal we cannot realize in our families. But, Jesus, Mary and Joseph had their share of struggles. The trust which is fundamental to a marriage was challenged by the pregnancy. Joseph must have felt terrible when he had to bring his wife to a stable to have the child. Living in a foreign land, Egypt, away from family and traditions, was far from ideal. Still, the Holy Family made it through the difficulties of their family life for one reason only: they had great faith. Joseph had faith in the angel of his dreams and treated the pregnant Mary in an honorable way. He had faith that God would help him protect the child, and he moved the family to Egypt. Mary had faith both in the angel and in God’s working through Joseph. Jesus, having emptied himself of his divinity, had faith in his parents to care for him. Some of the pious Christian works of the second and third centuries didn’t understand this. The apocryphal gospels, which have never even remotely been considered Sacred Scripture, would present the child Jesus performing miracles to help his family even in everyday chores, like changing rocks to bread so Mary would not have to bake. (By the way the apocryphal gospels also had Jesus doing distinctly unchristian actions like beating up the local village bullies.) The child Jesus didn’t need to perform miracles. He had all the miracles he needed in parents who cared for him.

The Holy Family conquered their struggles through their faith-life. This must be the primary concern of our families. For example, so many single parents waste energy wishing that their marriage had worked out and their children could be with both their parents. It does no good to long for that which is not probable. Instead, the single parent should focus on establishing a strong Christian home. Or so many parents wish they had the financial resources of their neighbors to be able to provide so much more for their children. What children need is a Christian home, not the things that the neighbor’s kids have.

The readings for this Sunday present some aspects of a Christian home. The first

reading from Sirach says that children need to respect their parents. At first it refers to young children as it notes that mothers and fathers have their authority from God. Then it refers to older children when it says that children should take care of their parents when they age. Little children learn respect for their parents from the respect they see their parents giving each other and the respect their parents have for their grandparents. I have always believed that the way you treat your parents will be the way your children will treat you. If your relations with your parents are motivated by respect and love, and are evident in your kindness to them, your children will have learned this aspect of Christianity and will treat you the same way as your years mount.

The second reading deals with the interrelationships of the family. Paul tells the Colossians and us to deal with each other out of kindness, to be patient with each other, to forgive each other continually, not to let out pride determine what we say and do to each other. If we strive to live this way, than as a family we can pray together not just in Church, but in every aspect of our lives. “Whatever you do, whether in speech or in action, do it in the name of the Lord.” Paul goes on to mention the roles of a family in his epoch. At that time the equality of women was not recognized. In the Roman empire women were seen as property that needed to be protected by their fathers or their husbands. The respect given to a woman was different from that given to a man. That’s why we have the phrase, wives be submissive to your husbands. Closely followed by husbands love your wives. The heart of this reading is that husbands and wives must respect each other. This same line of thought continues with children being told to respect their parents, and parents being told not to nag, to continually find fault, with their children.

A few years ago one of the finest men I have ever met died of a massive heart attack on Christmas day. One day about ten years before this, he spoke to me about his daughters who were in their early twenties at the time. He said to me, “My girls are really good kids. Yeah, they both made mistakes and had babies before they married, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are both good kids.” Those are the words of a father who was disappointed, true, but not to the degree that it changed the deep respect he had for his children. My thought is that the reason why the girls were such good kids and why they both went on to be good mothers and wives, was because they were treated with respect by their father, and mother for that matter, and they returned this with respect and deep love. By the way, the gentleman passed away after opening up a gift that the families of the two girls gave him on Christmas Day. God bless him and God bless all parents who never let anything diminish their respect for their children. And God bless children who receive and return their parents’ love. That is what Colossians, the second reading is about.

Today’s Gospel is acted out almost every Sunday in every parish. Mary and Joseph went to the temple holding Jesus. Simeon and Anna made a fuss. This happens in our parishes also. Couples come in to the church holding their newborn child. There joy is indescribable. “Look who we have with us,” they say before they ever open their mouths. Most priests, like me, make believe they are surprised even though they may have seen the expectant Mom every week. I love seeing the babies, and I

enjoy making a fuss. And I love seeing the huge change in the parents who present their first child. One young couple told me something that I know all of you realized when he came home from the hospital with that first child. They said, “You know, we can’t come and go and do the things we did before we had the baby, but we have so much more now. Life was great before, but much better now.”

Parents, we all love seeing how much you love your children. We love the fact that you all are determined to provide the best for your children. Please remember: to be the best parents you can be, remain grounded in the Lord. Make prayer a part of your home life. Pray with your children at bedtime and pray for them after they fall asleep. Teach your children respect. Let them witness your respect for them, for each other, and for others and demand that they respect others, including you.

Do your best, and trust God to do the rest. May all our families be Holy Families.

Fr Joseph Pelligrano

2 DeSiano

This year it has been impossible to experience Christmas without constantly thinking of the wars that are going on in Israel and in Ukraine. In Bethlehem, the traditional Christmas crib has been changed into the image of a baby on a pile or rocks. We certainly have seen plenty of images of piles of rocks, in Ukrainian cities and. In a terrible way, throughout Gaza. At the same time, we have been hearing about hostages and seen images of family members tearfully talking about their fears for their loved ones.

So this feast of the Holy Family underscores the place of family in our lives. On the one hand, we have to take family for granted because it’s the closest framework of our lives; on the other hand, when family members are threatened or torn away from us, it fills us with fear and drives us to grief. We realize how we cannot take family “for granted.”

Family is not some organizational invention, although some people sometimes make it sound that way. Family is the basic way human beings become human. The very frailty of children demands the constant care of their parents. The very love of parents shows itself in the birth of new life. In our flesh and bones, in the deepest outlines of our hearts, family has been chiseled.

Family has love and commitment built into it. This is why any divorce feels like a tragedy. This is why conflict between parents and children seems intolerable. This is why the image of seniors virtually abandoned in nursing homes feels like betrayal. Family is such an instinctual part of our lives that it demands that we commit ourselves to it. We all smirk when we hear mobsters refer to themselves as “family.” But they certainly have understood the commitment part of family reality.

Our Gospel has Mary and Joseph bring Jesus, aged eight days, to the Temple to satisfy the practice of ancient Judaism. But this is far more than a ritual Mary and Joseph are carrying out. No, this is St. Luke’s way of saying that, from his earliest breaths, Jesus was committed—to the vision of his Father, to the vision of the Kingdom of God, to a vision of a new human family bound together in universal love and joy.

As a Church, you and I are the visible sacraments of this vision of God. Through our lives as disciples, joined together in Jesus, sharing in his unending banquet at every Mass, we are attempting to reveal God’s vision of a worldwide family of love to the world. It begins with belonging and with our commitment to belong to others, to care for them, to serve them.

Our mission today is to stand as a counterimage of the images of violence and division that so pervade our world today. Our mission is to reflect toward each other the commitment God has made to us in the birth of Jesus and the human family to which he belongs.

ADULT 3

If you’ve ever felt like your life was out of control, then you can relate to the harrowing adventure of Tattoo, a basset hound from Tacoma, Washington. One evening, Tattoo’s owner headed out for a drive. He didn’t notice that Tattoo’s leash had gotten caught in the car door. Police officer Terry Filbert, patrolling the neighborhood on his motorcycle, spotted the poor dog running–and occasionally rolling–alongside the car. The officer stopped Tattoo’s owner and alerted him to the situation. Tattoo came out all right, but he hasn’t been begging for any walks for a while. He’s kind of content to stay at home. (1)

You may feel like Tattoo after the last few weeks. This is always such a busy time of the year. But now Christmas has passed. The presents have been opened. The wrapping paper has been discarded. Now it’s time for us to kick off our running shoes and relax. Groups have come in to visit and provide entertainment since Thanksgiving , so many and now you are left to next year.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy for Mary and Joseph. After the shepherds had gone back to their flocks and the wise men had gone back to the east, Mary and Joseph had to flee for their lives and the life of their newborn son. After following the star into the region of Judea, the magi were uncertain of their ultimate destination, so they had consulted with King Herod, seeking the birthplace of the newborn king. Herod was immediately alarmed that a child had been born who would one day be king. Herod was not going to give up his throne without a fight.

You need to know that Herod was a thoroughly evil and violent man. He was married to ten women. He had fifteen children. Ten of them were boys. As his ten sons grew up and became men, they were destined to become king. Herod did not trust his sons and he accused two of them of treason. In the year 7 B.C., these two sons were sent back to Rome, put on trial, and assassinated. In 4 B.C., Herod also killed his oldest son.

No wonder that Caesar Augustus said of Herod: “It is better to be Herod’s pig than Herod’s son.” The quotation is a play on words. In Greek, which cultivated Romans spoke at the time, the word for pig (hys) and son (hyios) sound alike. “It is better to be Herod’s hys than Herod’s hyios.”

You may remember that on the day Herod died, he arranged for a large number of people to be rounded up in Jerusalem and executed on that day as well. He knew that there would not be any mourners for him, so he arranged numerous executions in Jerusalem at the time of his death so there would be mourners all around.

That’s the kind of man Herod was. So it is perfectly plausible that after he discovered that the wise men were not returning to give him directions to the newborn king’s birthplace, Herod would give orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under. That is perfectly consistent with his character. As writer Frederick Buechner so beautifully put it, “For all his enormous power, he knew there was somebody in diapers more powerful still.”

The scriptures are realistic about the human condition. There are evil people in this world. We would rather that this story of the slaughter of the innocents were not in the Christmas story. But it is, because that is the kind of world we inhabit.

Some of you remember the classic television show M*A*S*H. M*A*S*H portrayed a group of Army medics and their battalion dealing with the heart-breaking challenges of the Korean War, which we really know was about Viet Nam. In one episode, the battalion is all set to celebrate Christmas when they receive a new patient, a severely injured soldier. The doctors’ deepest fear comes true; the soldier dies on the operating table.

Although it goes against his medical ethics, one doctor writes the incorrect time of death in the medical records. This allows them to tell the soldier’s wife and children that he died on December twenty-sixth. The doctor justifies his actions by saying, “No child should have to connect Christmas to death.” (2)

Every parent would nod in agreement with that statement. “No child should have to connect Christmas to death.” But it is connected with Christmas.

David E. Cobb’s son Jackson loves to hear bedtime stories. One evening, Cobb was telling his son the Christmas story of baby Jesus’ birth. He always told Jackson the G-rated version from the book of Luke. It is full of drama and lovely imagery, but it leaves out Herod’s murderous rampage through Bethlehem.

But Cobb forgot that his son had heard the other Christmas story last year at church–the story from the book of Matthew that set Jesus’ birth within an historical context of injustice and bloodshed. Cobb forgot that his young son had asked all sorts of uncomfortable questions after the service, questions that he and his wife struggled to answer.

So as he tucked Jackson in that night, Cobb began telling the Christmas story, and then he got to the part about the magi leaving gifts, and he said, “The end.” And little Jackson piped up, “What about the babies?”

“What babies?” his dad asked.
“The babies who died, like when Moses was born.”

Jackson remembered. He remembered that the Christmas story is not only about miracles and angels and answered prayers. It is also about injustice, the abuse of power, and the shocking sacrifice of the incarnation. (3)

It’s not the kind of thing a child ought to think about. But we live in that kind of world.

A certain church had just completed their annual Christmas pageant. There had been Scripture readings, and hymns, and candle light, and decorations. It was beautiful and reverent and joyful. Everyone was enjoying that warm and worshipful attitude that we often refer to as the “Christmas spirit.” The pastor was just reciting his Dismissal when he felt a little hand patting his leg. Seven-year-old Billy, who had played King Herod in the Christmas pageant, wanted to say something. Amused, the pastor handed the microphone to Billy. Billy stared at the congregation and announced loudly, “I am King Herod, and I have been watching you. I am going to kill all your babies.”

An uncomfortable murmur spread through the congregation. Billy’s declaration put a serious damper on the “Christmas spirit” that everyone had been feeling moments ago. The members of the congregation wanted to go home feeling good. Instead, Billy had given them something profound to think about. (4)

We live such sheltered lives. We cannot even imagine the way many people live in places like the Gaza Strip and in the Sudan and in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria and some of us have seen it first hand. Some of us remember Korea and Viet Nam and how those people were forced to live. These people see Herod all around them. The 9-11 terrorist attacks brought it home to us for a while, but for the most part, we as individuals were unscathed. The scriptures are realistic about the human condition.

The scriptures remind us, though, that evil never has the last word. Mary and Joseph are forced to flee, but they know it is only for a time. The promises of God concerning their Son are sure. God will never forsake them.

Some of you may be familiar with a speech that Martin Luther King, Jr. gave in Montgomery, AL on the 25th of March, 1965. The speech is copyrighted by Dr. King’s family, so I can’t give you the complete text. It is a pity because it would lift your spirits like it lifted the spirits of those who first heard it.

In the speech, Dr. King asks how long will it be until the hopes of his people would be realized. “How long will justice be crucified, and truth bear it?” he asks. “I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, because ‘truth crushed to earth will rise again.’”

If you were to read the speech on the Internet, you could see the responses of his audience (Speak! All right! How Long?) encouraging the preacher to “preach it.” [If any of you would like to throw in an “Amen” or at least a “Help him Jesus!” that would be fine.] Dr. King asked,

How long? Not long, because “no lie can live forever.”
How long? Not long, because “you shall reap what you sow.” How long? Not long:

Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne,
Yet that scaffold sways the future, And, behind the dim unknown, Standeth God within the shadow, Keeping watch above his own.

How long? Not long,
because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

How long? Not long, because:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;

He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword; His truth is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat. O, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant my feet!

Our God is marching on.
Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah! Glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on.

And that is the glorious testimony of Scripture. Evil shall not have the last word. His truth is marching on.

The scriptures tell us that even in a world filled with demons we can have an abundant life. The story of Herod and the slaughter of the innocents is a horrible story, but it is not without a redeeming message. In the midst of this horror came forth our Savior. Evil did not defeat God’s purposes. Nor shall it ever.

The Christmas season was especially hard for Frank Hinnant. Many years ago, Frank’s eighteen-month-old son, David, had died. Christmas was such a special time for children, so it always brought back painful memories of the Hinnant’s loss.

One December morning on his way to work, Frank passed by a nativity scene in a department store window. He tried not to notice the shining smiles on Mary’s and Joseph’s faces as they gazed down at baby Jesus. Next, Frank passed the Holy Innocents orphanage. Frank started thinking. Holy Innocents–wasn’t that the title given to all the babies who were murdered by King Herod’s men around the time of Jesus’ birth?

Suddenly, Frank realized that the Christmas story doesn’t end with the words “And they lived happily ever after.” It is a story of death and the lust for power and unjust social systems and innocence sacrificed. Frank visited the orphanage that afternoon, and it changed his life.

He described to his wife a dreary place full of sad children who were desperate for attention from a caring adult. That day, Frank donated a large amount of money to the Holy Innocents orphanage, and the directors planned to build on a new wing and name it in honor of David Hinnant, Frank’s deceased son. Frank’s wife marveled at the change in her husband. It was the first time in 22 years that he had mentioned his son’s name. (5)

Life is hard. The story of Herod is a stark reminder of that truth. This is a scary world in many ways. But evil does not have the last word.

Dr. Karen Westerfeld Tucker reminds us of that truth. She tells about an especially meaningful Christmas pageant that took place at her church. It began as a traditional pageant, with children dressed as shepherds and angels and donkeys and such. The congregation sang hymns. Miniature versions of Mary and Joseph walked solemnly up the aisle and knelt by the manger. But then something totally unexpected happened. Little Mary pulled back the blanket swaddling her baby Jesus to reveal that it was really a wooden cross. She lifted up that cross and held it over the manger, reminding the whole congregation of the real meaning of Christmas. (6)

The babe was born to die. This can be a cruel world. But beyond the cross is the empty tomb. And after the slaughter of the innocents, Mary and Joseph, and their son Jesus returned to Nazareth to build new lives– lives that would change human existence as we know it. Yes, there are Herods in this world. But they cannot defeat God. How long? Not long, because “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.”

Ortberg, John, The Life You’ve Always Wanted (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), pp. 77-82). 2. Scott Hoezee, http://www.calvincrc.org/sermons/2005/matt2Innocents.html.
3. David E. Cobb, http://www.cccrichardson.org/sermons/b_epiphany.htm.
4. Mark Dunn, http://www.pilgrimuca.org.au/Sermon%2025%20Dec%202002.htm.
Dina Donohue, “When Christmas Came Again,” The Guideposts Christmas Treasury, Guideposts, Carmel, New York, 1972, pp. 42-44. Cited by Pastor David Layman, http://www.firstpresbyterianrichmondindiana.com/sermon010806.htm.
Pulpit Resource, December 27, 1998.

Some years ago, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article by Dr. Paul Ruskin on the “Stages of Aging.” In the article, Dr. Ruskin described a case study he had presented to his students when teaching a class in medical school. He described the case study patient under his care like this:

“The patient neither speaks nor comprehends the spoken word. Sometimes she babbles incoherently for hours on end. She is disoriented about person, place, and time. She does, however, respond to her name… I have worked with her for the past six months, but she still shows complete disregard for her physical appearance and makes no effort to assist her own care. She must be fed, bathed, and clothed by others.

“Because she has no teeth, her food must be pureed. Her shirt is usually soiled from almost incessant drooling. She does not walk. Her sleep pattern is erratic. Often she wakes in the middle of the night and her screaming awakens others. Most of the time she is friendly and happy, but several times a day she gets quite agitated without apparent cause. Then she wails until someone comes to comfort her.”

After presenting the class with this challenging case, Dr. Ruskin then asked his students if any of them would like to volunteer to take care of this person. No one volunteered. Then Dr. Ruskin said, “I’m surprised that none of you offered to help, because actually she is my favorite patient. I get immense pleasure from taking care of her… and I am learning so much from her. She has taught me a depth of gratitude I never knew before. She has taught me the spirit of unwavering trust. And she has taught me the power of unconditional love.” Then Dr. Ruskin said, “Let me show you her picture.” He pulled out the picture and passed it around. It was the photo of his six-month-old baby daughter.

Now, I like that story for several reasons. For one thing, it shows us the importance of perspective. And it shows us how essential it is to have all the facts before we make a decision. It reminds us too, that our children have so much to teach us… if we will tune in and pay attention. But also, it reminds me of this dramatic scene in the Gospel of Luke where Jesus lingers behind as a 12-year-old boy and gets separated from His family for three days. Eventually they find Him in the Temple discussing theology with the rabbis.

Now, can you imagine the state of panic His parents must have been in by then? But, He says to them, “Didn’t you know that I would be here doing my Father’s work?” This is our first clue that Jesus is growing up and becoming a man… a man with a sacred and special mission.

Joseph and Mary and Jesus, and a caravan of family and friends, had come to Jerusalem for the mandatory festival call Passover. In those days, a Jewish boy became a man when he was 12 years old. Up to that point the boy could ride spiritually on his parents’ coattails. But, at 12 years of age, a Jewish boy was considered a son of the law and had to take the obligations of the law upon himself. So at 12, Jesus for the first time came to Passover and participated as a man. When His parents started the trek back home, 12-year-old Jesus stayed behind caught up in the theological discussions for the first time.

Why didn’t Mary and Joseph miss Him? It was not through carelessness. What probably happened was this: Usually the women in the caravan would start out earlier because they traveled more slowly… and also so they could begin the evening meal. Remember it was a patriarchal society back then. The men would come later to the campsite. It was Jesus’ first Passover, so obviously Joseph thought He was with Mary… and Mary thought He was with Joseph. Not until the evening camp (a full day’s journey away from Jerusalem) did they miss Him. They rushed back (worried sick, I’m sure) and found Him three days later in the Temple.

He thought they would know that He would be doing exactly what they had taught Him… to be a person of deep faith. Of course, the story is also a foreshadowing. It is here to remind us that Jesus has come into this world to be the Savior of the world.

Now, we can imagine that as Jesus was growing up, His parents taught Him many good lessons about life and faith… but imagine, too, the powerful lessons they must have learned from Him. Our children have so much to teach us. With that in mind, let’s think together for a few moments about the great lessons our children are teaching us. There are many of course. Let me mention three of them.

First of all, there is GRATITUDE

Some years ago in a Midwestern town a little boy was born blind. His mother and father were heartsick, but they struggled with his blindness the best they could. Like all such parents, they prayed and hoped for some miracle. They wanted so much for their son to be able to see. Then one day when the little boy was 5 years old, the community doctor told them that he had heard about a surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital who was specializing in a new surgical procedure that might just work for their son… that might just give their little boy his eyesight.

The parents became excited at the prospect, but when they investigated further and discovered the cost of the surgery and the travel and the hospital expense involved, they became deflated because they were not people of means at all. In fact, some would call them poor. But word got out in the community and their church rallied to help them. In a short period of time, the money was raised to send them to Boston for the surgery.

On the morning they were to leave for Boston, the little boy gathered his things together including his tattered little teddy bear. It had an ear chewed off, was missing an eye, and was bursting at the seams. His mother said, “Son, why don’t you leave that old teddy bear at home? He’s about worn out. Maybe we can buy you a new one in Boston or when we get back.” But he said, “No, I need it.”

So off to Boston they went. He held tightly to that teddy bear all the way. The surgeon sensed how important the teddy bear was to the little boy, so he allowed the boy to keep the bear with him throughout all the many examinations prior to surgery. On the morning of the surgery, the hospital staff brought in two surgical gowns – one for the little boy and a smaller version for the teddy bear – and off to the operating room they went… a little blind boy on a stretcher holding on dearly to his beloved teddy bear.

The surgery went well. The doctor felt good about what they were able to accomplish. “I think he will be able to see,” said the surgeon, “but we won’t know for sure until we remove the bandages in a few days.”

Finally the day came for the doctor to remove the bandages. The nurses and interns stood with the parents as the surgeon slowly unwound the gauze from the boy’s eyes. Miracle of miracles! The little boy could see! For the first time in his life… he saw his mother’s face, he saw his dad and his doctor, he saw flowers and candy and balloons and the people who had cared for him. For the first time in his life, he saw his teddy bear. It was a joyous celebration!

When it came time for the boy to leave the hospital, his surgeon came into the room. The doctor had grown so attached to the little boy that he had to busy himself with those insignificant gestures that we use when we are trying to surmount a great wall of emotion. They said their good-byes with tears of joy all around and then the doctor turned to leave. The little boy called him back.

“Doctor,” the little boy said. “I want you to have this.” He was holding out the teddy bear! The doctor tried to refuse, but the little boy insisted. “Doctor, I don’t have any money. So I want to give you my teddy bear to pay you for helping me so see. I want you to have it. It’s my way of saying, ‘Thanks.’” The doctor took the teddy bear and shook the little boy’s hand and wished him well.

For a long time after that… on the 10th floor of the White Building of Massachusetts General Hospital, there was on display… a teddy bear, bursting at the seams with a chewed-off ear and one eye. And there was a sign under it written in the hand of that surgeon. It read: “This is the highest fee I have ever received for professional services rendered.” (Thanks to Leonard Sweet, Sweet’s Soul Café, Feb. 1995, p. 6).

That little boy was so thrilled that he now could see. So, in response, he gave away his most prized possession. There’s a name for that… it’s called thanks-giving. Now of course, that kind of appreciation has to be learned, but when our children learn it and express it so beautifully, it touches us and teaches us… the beauty, the power, the importance, and the necessity of gratitude.

Second, there is LOVE

It was a cold Christmas Eve a few years ago. Will Willimon, Dean of the Chapel at Duke University, was rushing his family to get in the car. They were running late for the communion service. “Where are the sermon notes? Where is the pulpit robe? Don’t forget to turn off the lights. Everybody get in the car and be quiet!”

On the way to the church… rushing through the traffic, their 5-year-old- daughter, Harriet, got sick at her stomach and she up-chucked all over the car. “Great!” Will Willimon thought, “If people only knew what preachers go through.” He wheeled into the church parking lot and jumped out of the car, leaving his wife, Patsy, to clean up the car and get the kids into the church… and he thought, “If people only knew what preachers’ spouses go through.”

His wife, Patsy, led a still unsteady and pale Harriet into the church. They sat on the back pew in the darkness… just in case Harriet got sick again. Their son, William, age seven, ran down to the front of the church to sit with his grandparents. Will Willimon threw on his robe, took a deep breath, and joined the choir for the processional. He made it through the first part of the service… and the sermon. Then came Holy Communion. Will Willimon’s wife, Patsy, came down to the altar to receive the sacrament, but she left 5 year old Harriet on the back pew. Harriet was still so pale and so weak and so sick. But then something beautiful happened. Seven-year-old William got up and came back to the communion rail. “What on earth is he doing?” wondered his parents. “He’s already received communion once. What is he up to?” They watched him race to the back of the church and scoot down the pew toward his sister. He opened his hands… revealing a small piece of bread. “Harriet,” he said, “This is the body of Christ given for you.” Without hesitation, little Harriet picked the bread out of her brother’s hands and plopped it into her mouth and said, “Amen.” And in that moment Holy Communion had never been more holy. Then 7-year-old William patted his 5-year-old sister Harriet on the head. He smiled. She smiled. And then he turned and ran back down to the front of the church to re-join his grandparents. (The Christian Ministry, July-August 1989, p. 47)

Think of that. Her 7-year-old brother William thought to include her. Either because she wasn’t being included or he thought it might help her feel better he reached out to his sister with what really mattered—the body of Christ in the form of communion. There’s a name for that… it’s called LOVE! What a beautiful thing it is when our children rise to the occasion and teach us once again the power of love, the wonder of love, the miracle of love.

III. Third and finally, there is FAITH

What is faith? It’s trusting God, come what may.” It’s committing your life to Him and trusting Him in every circumstance.

My brother Bob, who is also a minister, recently shared with me a moving story that makes the point. A little girl had somehow received a bad cut in the soft flesh of her eyelid. The doctor knew that some stitches were needed, but he also knew that because of the location of the cut, he should not use an anesthetic. He talked with the little girl and he told her what he must do… and asked her if she thought she could stand the touch of the needle without jumping. She thought for a moment, and then said simply, “I think I can… if Daddy will hold me while you do it.” So the father took his little girl in his lap, steadied her head against his shoulder, and held her tightly in his arms. The surgeon then quickly did his work… and sewed up the cut in her eye-lid… and the little girl did not flinch. She just held on tight to her Father.

That’s a parable for us in our spiritual lives and a graphic reminder that whatever we have to face, we can hold on tight to our Father… and He will see us through. There’s a word for that… it’s called TRUST or FAITH. It’s surely what Jesus had in mind when he said, “Unless you become like a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

It’s surely what Paul had in mind when he said; “I’m ready for anything for Christ is my strength.” The quality of faith, the commitment to trust in God, come what may!

The spirit of childlikeness is so important… and our children have so much to teach us. How great it is when they teach us the powerful lessons of GRATITUDE and LOVE and FAITH!

ChristianGlobe Network, Collected Sermons, by James W. Moore