Where Is Jesus?

-- December 27th, 2009
Luke 2:41-52
Pastor John Nelson

Where is Jesus? Could you ever imagine losing God’s son? I mean, how do you think Mary and Joseph felt when they realized that the young adolescent Jesus was missing and not with their family caravan back to Nazareth. Sure there was more room but don’t you think they would have figured that out sooner than 3 days. I can just imagine their conversation. “O man, God is going to kill us. Where is he? You were supposed to be watching him. No you were, I was watching great Aunt Rebecca.” “God only knows where he could have gone?” “Absolutely, that’s the problem.”

Not a fun predicament to be in I am sure. In truth, petrifying to any parent.

But here we are only three days from Christmas, from the birth of Jesus, and he already is not where we expect him to be. Three days… interesting coincidence isn’t it, three days. Three days as Jesus is vanished, not where we left him, this time in the manger.

This scramble to find Jesus reminds me of those children’s puzzle/picture type books, “Where’s Waldo.”
If you don’t remember of never knew they were these simplistic but ingeniousness pictures of a chaotic scene and the point was to find this one guy in a red and white striped sweater and hat. This Waldo character could be, and usually was, just about anywhere. The only thing you have to key in on was that sweater and hat.

So here in this text Jesus is missing and Mary and Joseph have to figure out where they start looking. What was he wearing, where was he last, and if you were him, what would you be doing? All good questions… great questions as a matter of fact, great questions to still ask today.

Where was Jesus last, and if you were him, what would you be doing? Hmm. Let’s think. The last time we heard about Jesus he was in a humble abode, a stable type place not some swank palace, probably talking, or just cooing, to some low life shepherds. We could look for Jesus in all of those types of places.

Before that, a few weeks ago we had heard about Jesus in a marketplace, teaching these crowds of everyday people that they should not be looking for signs of great cosmic change, but look for the coming of God’s kingdom in the sprouts of new growth in our world like a fig tree leaf grows in anticipation of spring. Pointing out new life in people’s lives. We could go look for Jesus out there in the marketplace. What do you think, would we find him there?

Before that we heard of Jesus entering someone’s home to heal their sick child, so perhaps instead we should go into people’s homes. Do you think we might find Jesus there?

In all of these places Jesus was talking, teaching, and showing people who God is and who God’s message of love is for. So perhaps we might need to start looking at where Jesus has been.

We could all travel to western Turkey, to the city of Colossae, for that is the town where the Apostle Paul wrote the letter we heard part of this morning. It appears that Jesus must have been there because those citizens seem to be doing what Jesus would be doing.

(Colossians 3:12-17)
As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Where ever he went, this is what Jesus taught them. Signs, clues to look for his spirit at work in them.

Where is Jesus today? I can tell you he is more than likely not where we expect him. Today in this text Jesus is once again in Jerusalem, at the time of Passover, teaching us how much God loves us.

This time it is innocent, his parents were worried but proud that the elders were amazed at his wisdom.

Next time Jesus goes to Jerusalem, it will be scandalous, his mother will be horrified, and the crowds – though amazed at first - still won’t understand and will want to do away with him. And then three days after that he will be gone and they won’t know where to find him again.

Where is Jesus? He is not in a manger, not in a carpenters shop. Jesus is in the temple, in the marketplace, in our homes, in the world, and on a cross, still teaching us and showing us, just how much God loves us.

That’s where we can find him, we just need to know how to look.
Amen.