Text: Luke 2:40–52
Theme: Still searching?
Other Lessons: 1 Kings 3:4–15; Psalm 119:97–104; Ephesians 1:3–14
(A) In the Name of the Father…Amen. (B) The Epistle and Gospel readings serve as our sermon texts for this evening. (C) Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God the heavenly Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (D) Memory verse! Luke 2:48 (NASB95) 48 When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” (E) Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us pray: LSB 523:1-2 O Word of God Incarnate O Word of God incarnate, O Wisdom from on high, O Truth unchanged, unchanging, O Light of our dark sky: We praise You for the radiance That from the hallowed page, A lantern to our footsteps, Shines on from age to age. The Church from You, dear Master, Received the gift divine; And still that light is lifted O’er all the earth to shine. It is the chart and compass That, all life’s voyage through, Mid mists and rocks and quicksands Still guides, O Christ, to You. Introduction
(A) We have all been there and done it more than once. (1) You set your keys down on the table with your wallet or purse. (2) Next thing you know, you go to retrieve them and they are gone! (3) What is the rule of thumb in order to find them? (a) Go back to where you saw them last. (b) You do that and you still can’t find them! (c) Now what? (d) You go back even farther. (1) By now the panic has set in. (2) The anxiety level has jumped up considerably. (4) The resolution of the matter: (a) you finally find what you were looking for, although not where you expected. (B) This is something that has happened to all of us a time or two. (1) This is what happened to Mary and Joseph in the Gospel lesson for this morning. (2) They are on their way to Jerusalem to attend the annual Feast of the Passover. (3) Jesus and family are all together. (4) On their way back to Nazareth, one person comes up missing: Jesus! (5) Mary and Joseph go searching for Him, expecting Him to be with one of the family members. (6) Guess what? He wasn’t! (7) Now what? (8) They go back to where they last saw Him, that is, in the Temple! (I) Continual searching brings distress and anguish. (A) Celebrating the New Year is good. (1) There is something therapeutic about flipping the calendar to a new year. (2) Many people make resolutions: (a) they search out for routines or practices to answer the difficulties of the past year. (3) The regular pattern we’ve been following hasn’t seemed to work, because every year it’s the same thing. (4) There’s a constant search: (a) for answers to problems, (b) looking for meaning in life, (c) ongoing struggle for avoiding stress, anguish, shame, and sin. (B) Life seems to be an continuous attempt at searching. (1) Though you know the answer to your sin and anguish is Christ, you still search for solutions to life’s problems. (a) Isn’t that true? (2) Though you come here: (a) to worship and hear that Jesus is the one who died for sin (b) and rose again to grant certain peace and resolution to death, (c) aren’t you, like the rest of the world, still searching for resolution to your anguish and distress? (3) A new year should bring hope and promise. (a) But if Jesus is missing, you can search all day long and never find resolution that you are seeking. (b) Continual searching brings distress and anguish. (c) You can be just like Mary and Joseph, who were in anguish over losing Jesus. (II) Unless family and friends give you Jesus, you will not find resolution from them. Luke 2:43 (NASB95) 43 and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, (A) We should give Mary and Joseph a break here. (1) It is perfectly reasonable that Jesus would be among friends of His own as they made the walk from Nazareth to Jerusalem; (2) they went with a trusted group. (3) The problem is this: Luke 2:44–45 (NASB95) 44 but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day’s journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. (B) The more Mary and Joseph did not find Jesus, the more stress and anguish they felt. (1) Only finding Jesus would resolve their pain, but they could not find resolution among family and friends. (C) Many people look for solutions among family and friends. (1) There can be great joy in talking with them about what bothers you. (2) But family and friends are not the answers to your distress and anguish. (3) If Jesus is not in your conversations, then all you have is sinners seeking answers among fellow sinners. (4) Without the presence of Jesus, the search continues without resolution. (5) Unless your family and friends know Him who has promised to be your peace and salvation, you will not find resolution; (a) you will not find Jesus. (b) Unless family and friends give you Jesus, you will not find resolution from them. (III) Unless a special place gives you Jesus, you will not find resolution there either. (A) When Mary and Joseph did not find Jesus, they returned to Jerusalem and continued their diligent search for him. (1) The answers to our searching, we may think, must lie in a special place. (2) But for Mary and Joseph, after three days of searching, they come up empty again. (B) Searching for answers in special places is a common mistake. (1) Some take a hike in the woods to clear their mind, think over things, or marvel at God’s creation. (a) The thought process is that they do not need to be in church to get the answers they are looking for. (2) Some like to sit in a boat in the middle of a lake and ponder the movement of the currents. (3) Still others think a shopping spree will solve their problems. (4) Some feel hitting a little ball with a club out on a green field will make all things better. (5) All these solutions to the problem is only temporary. (6) God’s creation is a gift to provide all your daily needs, but the gift of God’s creation has been unsettled and corrupted by man’s sin. (7) Why would we expect Jesus to be found in a place that’s been overrun with covetousness and pollution? (8) These places are not bad in and of themselves, but searching for resolution to sin without Christ’s Word and promise: (a) in your ears, (b) on your heart, (c) and upon your lips (d) special places are corrupted places that groan under the weight of sin. (e) Unless a special place gives you Jesus, you will not find resolution there. (9) The question is: will your search ever end? (a) The answer is no. (IV) Searching ends when one looks for Jesus where He has promised to be. Luke 2:46–47 (NASB95) 46 Then, after three days [Mary and Joseph] found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. (A) Repent from looking high, low, and everywhere for answers to your distress! (1) Find Jesus Where He Has Promised to Be, and Have Your Anxious Searching Be Resolved! (B) At Mary’s word, Jesus responds to her: Luke 2:49 (NASB95) 49 And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” (C) Searching ends when you are found alongside Jesus, hearing him in the Word of God, which resolves your agonizing search. (1) Your search ends when you hear that: (a) He suffered for you, (b) rose again, (c) and forgives your sins of misguided searching. (D) It is necessary for Jesus to be in the things of His Father, which are His promises being resolved in the Son. (1) It is necessary for you to be in these things as well. (a) The search for the answer to your sin and anguish can only be resolved in the Word that proclaims Jesus. (b) As with the Emmaus disciples–remember why they were sad? 1) They were sad because they thought they’d lost Jesus, but their anguish was overcome as Jesus gave understanding to the necessity of the Christ’s suffering, dying, and rising again. 2) Their eyes were opened as they recognized the risen Jesus in the breaking of the bread. 3) The apostles, likewise, were given intelligence and understanding of the Scriptures as Jesus opened their minds to know the necessity of Christ crucified and risen to bring an end to man’s endless search for answers to sin. (2) Be certain for yourselves that from this pulpit you hear the necessity of Christ, who brings an end to your search for what is missing in your life. (a) He brings resolution to your search for comfort. (b) He forgives you of your sins of endless, agonizing searching. (c) You don’t have to keep looking, because Christ has told you where He is found.
Conclusion
(A) Having had children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc., you know there is nothing good about a child that has gone missing. (1) The family is in anguish, so the community rallies around them. (2) The search begins with the last known place, a friend’s house, or maybe a favorite hideout. (3) The people of the neighborhood band together: (a) forming search parties, (b) establishing phone chains, (c) updating everyone through social media in order to keep everyone informed on the progress. (d) As distress is overwhelming, the support and compassion of family and community is surely appreciated. (e) For days, the progress may be the same: the child is still missing. (f) Sometimes, unfortunately, the final word is tragic. (g) Sometimes there is finally a deep joy and relief, like what happened to Mary and Joseph when Jesus was finally found (Lk 2:41–46). (B) Some of us may have children—or other loved ones and friends—who are lost, that is, distant from their heavenly Father and they do not know it or they do not care. (1) But He who holds the whole world in His hands and tailors all things toward His good and gracious will is searching with us. (a) Set your distress into the hands of Him who suffered for all sin and rose again so that none would be lost but would be found and forgiven. (b) In Jesus, you have the Trinity on your side: (1) God the Father, (2) Christ as Savior and Brother, (3) and the Holy Spirit, who gathers the community of saints. (c) Together with all the faithful, take a moment to pray to Him who bought us with His blood. (d) Pray for the lost, especially your dear lost one, for you at one time were also lost but were found, called, and sanctified by the Spirit in the Word of the Gospel. (C) What is the lesson to be learned from what happened to Mary and Joseph? (1) End your search where Jesus promised to be: (a) in His church, where His Word is taught purely and His sacraments are distributed rightly. (2) End your search for answers to sin, shame, and anguish by hearing that He: (a) took your sin, (b) exposed Himself to shame, (c) and felt your anguish on the cross. (3) Rising again, He is the resolution to all your problems, because He comes to you in the gifts He gives to the church. (a) Find Jesus in God’s Word and Sacraments. (b) Be certain: You did not find Him first, He found you. (c) Amen. (D) Let us pray: LSB 523:3 O Word of God Incarnate O make Your Church, dear Savior, A lamp of burnished gold To bear before the nations Your true light as of old! O teach Your wand’ring pilgrims By this their path to trace Till, clouds and darkness ended, They see You face to face! Text: Public domain (E) Philippians 4:7 (NASB95) 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen. (F) Come Lord Jesus, come quickly. All of us are waiting and none of us will be disappointed. The Lord continue to bless us, shine His face on us, be gracious to us, that He lift His countenance upon us, and give us His peace. (G) In the Name of the Father…Amen.
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