How dear to me is your dwelling, O God! Psalm 84:1a
Christmas 2 - Year A
Jesus his family, clan, and friends observed Passover in Jerusalem. They worshipped and studied in the temple during the days and ate Passover meals at their campsite during the evenings. By the time Jesus was 12 he had a measure of independence. Twelve year old males in that era were considered young adults. His parents, therefore, trusted Jesus to attend temple services and teaching sessions on his own or with friends. They allowed him to travel in the caravan from Nazareth to Jerusalem with extended family members or friends. When Passover ended the family, clan, and friends began the return trip to Nazareth. Mary and Joseph, assuming Jesus was with friends, aunts, uncles or cousins, traveled a full day’s journey before realizing Jesus was not in the group.
Mary and Joseph left the caravan with their clan. They returned to Jerusalem. They would have setup camp in the same location they used during Passover to make it easy for Jesus to find them and began searching for Jesus. I suspect some women remain at the campsite with the young children and to keep an eye out for Jesus while everyone else spread out across the city to look for Jesus. The clan gathered at the campsite each night, reported on where they looked, determined where to search the next day, ate, and tried to sleep. On the third day of the search Jesus was found in the temple. He was sitting with the teachers, listening to them, responding to their inquiries, and asking them questions. The Gospel of Luke says people observing the conversation between the 12 year old Jesus and teachers were amazed, but Mary and Joseph were astonished. Their astonishment contained a large measure of anger mingled with relief and a pinch of amazement.
Mary and Joseph were only slightly amazed because they were all too familiar with Jesus’ behavior. According to the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, before the age of 12 Jesus had performed a variety of extraordinary deeds. Some deeds were wonderful, others dangerous, but all were beyond what an ordinary human child could perform. Jesus turned muddy rain water into clean drinking water and created dams to pool the clean water. When a boy in the neighborhood found these pools he smacked the dams with a stick causing the clean water to become muddy again. Jesus yelled at the boy. Thomas 2:1-2a
You are impious and lawless! What harm did the pools do to you? And why did you empty them? You shall no longer go your way, and you shall dry up like the stick you are holding. Thomas 2:2b
The boy stepped away from Jesus, fell to the ground, and stopped breathing. Thomas 2:3a. In another incident, a young Jesus played with clay on the Sabbath. He worked and molded the clay into 12 sparrows. When a grownup saw this Jesus was accused of violating the Sabbath. Thomas 3:1 Did Jesus sense hypocrisy or legalism of this adult? Jesus, wit was no match for this adult. Jesus responded to the accusation by turning the clay sparrows into living birds, knowing that work that saved or preserved life was allowed on the Sabbath.
Mary, upon finding Jesus in the temple, gave voice to her anger. Mary did what parents often do but should not do, she yelled at Jesus in front of strangers. Jesus, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously looking for you. Luke 1:48
Jesus replied in the manner of the Psalmist, “How dear to me is your dwelling, O God!” Psalm 84:1a. He asked his parents,
Why were you searching for me? Did you know that I must be in the temple (my Father’s house) attending to his interests?
If I had been in Mary and Joseph’s shoes, I would have had a hard time containing my anger at Jesus’ sassy mouth and inconsiderate behavior. Frustration and anger would have kept me from seeing two important things.
First: Jesus was safe.
Second: dwelling in God’s house, attending to God’s word, and discerning God’s will should be priorities for people of faith.
My question for you: what prevents you from making prayer, reading the Bible, and discovering God’s direction priorities? Being in God’s house, for worship, is a simple and accessible way to keep prayer, Bible reading, and discerning God’s will priorities. The Psalmist says,
How dear to me is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God. ...Happy are they who dwell in your house! they will always be praising you. Happy are the people whose strength is in you! whose hearts are set on the pilgrims' way. Psalm 84:1, 3-4
It is challenging to set aside time for private prayer. There are so many distractions and so many tasks that require our attention. Attending Communion services at Christ Church on Saturdays or Sundays or joining the 15 minutes Compline service on Thursdays over Zoom creates a sacred time and space for prayer. Saying prayers with others, recited what priests and people across this and other countries have said for years and years connects our worship with a great cloud of witnesses.
Reading the Bible alone is confounding and frustrating. Making time to read the lessons the week before worship, rereading the passages during the prelude, listening the Word read aloud during service, and hearing it explained in the sermon brings the Bible to life. Sanctuaries are designed to aid discernment. The structure and furnishings are made to help us know God and learn what God’s expects. The widow over the baptismal font is a pictorial account of today’s Gospel reading: it beckons us to be with Jesus in God’s house. The widow over the altar is a pictorial account of Jesus at the seaside calling fisherman to be disciples. This window invites us to become fishers of people. This sanctuary, like many churches, orients the pews to face east: toward the rising sun. This means when you stand to profess your faith, kneel to confess your sin, and face the altar as the Holy Spirit transforms bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood you are looking toward the Son of Righteousness. Psalm 84 declares being in God’s house cultivates a trust. Trust and confidence in God who allows us to “...go through the desolate valley and find in it a place of springs.” Psalm 84:5
How dear to us is your dwelling, O God! Our soul have a desire and longing for your courts; where our hearts and flesh may rejoice in the living God. Psalm 84:1
