School Chapel 8 January 2019

Stained-Glass from Trinity
Episcopal Church, Galveston

January 8, 2019
Tuesday Chapel, Trinity Episcopal School, Galveston
Luke 2:41-52

I’m grateful to head of school Mark Ravelli for inviting me to give the homily at school Chapel on this day. The reading from Luke’s Gospel, one of my favorites, is depicted in the stained-glass of this church building. (It’s the 3rd window from the back on the South side….visual learners should definitely check it out.) If you look in the very back of the scene, you can see Jesus’ parents coming into the Temple where Jesus is shown conversing with the teachers….the parents do not look pleased. As I put my head around this scene, in my imagination, I create some of the back story. One possibility is that Jesus became separated from his parents in the crowd and mix of people at this huge festival of Passover….only his parents did not realize it before they left on the caravan journey back to their hometown, Nazareth. If so, Jesus did the right thing to seek out the authorities in the temple, the teachers...then he got into discussions with these teachers and showed them that he had a real knack for the stories of the Bible and how to mine them for meaning and application to life. The teachers were amazed at how a boy of 12 years could ask such good questions and speak so lucidly about their traditions. Perhaps, Jesus too experienced a passion for this work and found himself in the “zone,” so to speak... that place where one loses track of time because of being so "in" to what one is doing. If he didn’t know already, he discovered at the Temple that he had a gift for discussing and teaching about God.

So here are three things I want to point out about today’s reading.

1st, I am reminded that young people should be prepared regarding what to do if they ever get lost from their family or group when in a crowd. I remember when my oldest child, James, got separated from his friend’s family at the Tennessee State Fair. He stayed calm enough to seek out “the helpers.” He looked for uniformed people and eventually presented himself to Fair personnel at a ticket counter. Don’t just cry out to any stranger but seek out the people who are designated helpers...that’s what I think Jesus did by finding the teachers in “his Father’s house.”

2nd, I am reminded that some stories in the Gospels point out Jesus’ divine nature while others point out his humanity. For me, today’s story definitely points toward his humanity. This story is the only one we have from when Jesus was a boy….a time when he was discovering his gifts and talents while also needing the love, protection, and guidance of his parents. Theologians note that Jesus was fully God and fully human being...the fully human being part means that Jesus was vulnerable, and he could be hurt just like anyone. Jesus’ parents were upset with him...they were worried imagining all the terrible things that could have befallen a 12-year-old by himself in “the big city.” Jesus thought that Mary and Joseph should have known to look in the Temple but he knew from the scriptures that he should be obedient to his parents and listen to them. He returned home with them, and Mary added this to the list of things that she pondered in her heart.

3rd, and finally, I am reminded that, as a boy, Jesus became really good at reading and discussing the stories of the Bible. That is part of his human nature too. Childhood is for all of us a time to discover that there are some things we enjoy more than others. Sometimes, students at a young age will be fortunate enough to discover an activity that fascinates them...some area in which they feel energy to work hard by their own choice...some area in which they become expert enough to compare with much older students and even adults. These are things we are passionate about...in my own life since the time I was in high school I have been passionate about church, teaching, and photography….now that I’m retired I still enjoy dabbling in these three. I trust that all of you will one day find work to do….but please know it is a real blessing to work in an area that is also a passion.

I was inspired in the most recent edition of Coast Magazine to see one of the students I remember from Trinity in a feature describing her passion for Irish dance. She became fascinated by this activity while on a family vacation to Ireland….she works hard at it and is able in competition to exceed the performance of students already well into high school. And, she is just 10 years old! Finding a passion at such a young age is a blessing...but it doesn’t always happen that early. Some of you will be more like me and what you are passionate about may not come into focus until high school or later. Just know this...every person has gifts, so be on the lookout! Be open to different activities, ask adults in your families what they are passionate about and how they learned about those things. Be ready to be fascinated in the days and years to come. AMEN.