Mary Remembers

Early in the Service, because I like these thoughts and they don't fit with the sermon :) 

Story: What Do We Expect?

A ten year old girl went with a group of family and friends to see the Christmas lights at various locations in her town. At one church they stopped and got out to look at a beautiful nativity scene. "Isn't that beautiful?" said the little girl's grandmother. "Look at all the animals, Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus." "Yes, Grandma," replied the granddaughter. “It's really nice. But there's one thing that bothers me. Isn't baby Jesus ever going to grow up....he's the same size he was last year!"

http://seedstuff.blogspot.com.au/

What is our expectation of Jesus?

Time and time again in our scriptures, Jesus is found in unexpected places… having unexpected conversations.

Where do we expect to find Jesus? 

In the articles I read this week, one commentator noted:

“We are not ready to accept that Jesus did not come to fulfil our expectations. He is not to be found in sentiment for the way things used to be or the way we wish things could be. Jesus is about the future. Jesus was born and lived and died and rose to be about God’s business of putting an end to our searching by making plain the way to God, even if that means shattering our expectations.
Our searching will come to an end in new life, meaningful life, the life God intends, but not the life we expect.”

https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1524

........

Monologue 

People ask all the time, what was he like as a boy, your Jesus? They hear what he is up to, and they wonder if I knew he would be different?  And I guess you want to hear the story as well.

 To tell the truth, he was bit of a surprise package at times.

Like, before he was born, when there was the message from God that this child would be special.  I guess lots of parents think their child is going to be special; but this was different somehow.

And then when I travelled to visit my cousin Elizabeth, she said her child leapt within her, I wondered if she was exaggerating about how special the child within me was going to be.

I mean, even being pregnant was unexpected.

At least Joseph stood by me, and the baby.

Then there was the census, of all the timing!

So we travelled to Bethlehem, Joseph and me. That is like walking from here to Nelsons Bay, try that at nine months pregnant and see how long it takes.  After little Jesus was born, we waited for the eighth day, and went for the naming ceremony in the Temple at Jerusalem, only a half day’s walk from Bethlehem. [Ettalong to Patonga] A few weeks later we were back in the temple for the purification offering, two pigeons. We couldn't afford anything more than that.   

Ahhhh… another thing happened that day, there were these two people in the Temple, what were their names … ah, yes, Simeon and Anna.  Simeon scared me, just walked up and took Jesus out of my arms – I didn't know what was happening.  Not knowing what is going to happen next seems to happen around Jesus.

  

Seemed God had told Simeon he wouldn't die until he saw the messiah, the one who would save the people of God. It was all a bit unreal, this old man talking about God speaking to him, and how he could die in peace because he had seen this child. He talked about salvation and light and how wonderful God is. The he said something really strange…  I remember it like it was yesterday: “And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will break your own heart.”

I didn't know what he was talking about at the time, how could this special child break my heart?

Then the old lady, Anna, came and sang songs of praise and talked about Jesus, not just to us, but to everyone in the Temple area.  

Jesus was just over a month old, and people were making a fuss, telling us he was special.

I know as a mother I wanted the best for him, I wanted him to grow into a good man, a godly man like my Joseph.  

You see, Joseph and I raised him according to our faith and our culture, he knows the stories of how God has been with our people, he knows about Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, about Moses and the freeing of the slaves from Egypt.  He knows about the exodus and the exile, the great King David and the wise King Solomon, the prophets and priests. He knows all that.

We are a devout family

Each year we travelled to Jerusalem for Passover. They were great trips with family and friends, and a good way for Jesus to get to know his cousins and the people we travelled with.  A way for him to be steeped in the story of who we are as a people.

Though, there was this one year, when he was twelve…

We were on the way home, we thought he was with his cousins, and they thought he was with us.  

Anyway, when we set up camp after the first days travel, we couldn't find him.

Talk about Panic!

Joseph and I were beside ourselves,

We asked everyone in the group we were travelling with.

No-one had seen him.

So we went back to Jerusalem to start searching.

Hoping,

Praying,

that our boy, our eldest son was safe.

Eventually, after 3 days, we found him.

In the temple

With the Rabbis

He was still a child, he wasn't yet 13.

Well part of us was pleased, we had found him, and he was safe, and alive!

But part of me wanted to ……..

He told us we should have expected to find him in the Temple.

I expected to find him with the group!

Anyway, he never did it again. Mostly he was good boy, but sometimes, there were the unexpected moments.

And now, he has left home,

He tells us he is doing what he came to do.

We see him sometimes, and I worry about him.

He behaves in ways some people don’t expect.

And I think of the words of Simeon….

(we are singing a song based on the words of Simeon)