Sons and Daughters in Our Fathers Plan

Luke 2: 41-52

41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover.

Have you ever become acutely aware how quickly the years pass? Promotion at work, business growing, family getting bigger and more expensive and you fit your career just perfectly.  Or perhaps the kids or anybody else for that matter don’t want, or see the point in the business you built for them; career seems to be being overrun by adolescents hardly old enough to be out alone and the house you have spent a lifetime building is empty now, just you, left alone, the rest have ‘flown the nest’. Oh yes, and that early retirement, the new name for losing the job you gave everything to get.  It’s not that we don’t expect these things to happen; but not now, it’s too soon. If only we had spotted it earlier we would have prepared or adjusted our expectations or gone about it all differently. Well, there is still time!

The parents of Jesus were Godly people; Jesus grew up in a family that honoured the Lord. Every year His parents went to the Passover festival. Only His dad needed to go but they both went, every year. Jesus is now twelve and as our story indicates is maturing physically, socially and mentally (52).  Jesus is now mature enough to be out and about alone, moving around crowds and participating in the festival. He is a sociable young man, speaking to those he comes across and He is confident and keen to know about the Passover as well as share His reflections on why ‘Passover night is different from all other nights’. His questions and answers were beyond His year; He’s a mature 12 year old (45-47). Somehow Jesus got separated from His parents and they were naturally anxious. But He reassures them that all is well and it’s time to take stock and evaluate how their life story is unfolding. When Jesus reminds them that His role in life is to be ‘in my father’s plan’, He is saying it’s time to start thinking out how life will unfold; that they are not victims of random chance but part of a life story that makes perfect sense. They are not ready yet to let Him go, not just yet, so He does what they ask Him. However, Mary continues to think it all through and they both watch Jesus grow in body and mind into the man they were promised He would be. There is still time for you and me to do the inventory needed and take the action required to make sure we too are not victims of random chance but full participants in the story of Jesus and live as ‘Sons and Daughters’ in our Father’s plan.