Lent.

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49)

In my red-letter edition of my NIV Bible, these are the first recorded words of Jesus. It is also the first mention of Jesus’ awareness that he was God’s Son. We might imagine what Jesus, as a twelve-year-old, was doing on the journey to and from Jerusalem—perhaps hanging out with friends, playing simple games, or possibly getting into mischief. Nowadays with helicopter Moms, phone tracking devices and such, parents want to know where their kids are even at age twelve, or maybe more so at age twelve.

With perhaps a few hundred travelers making their way to and from Jerusalem for Passover, it could be hard to keep track of a twelve-year old. Once Mary and Joseph became aware that he was not with them, they began to frantically search for him. They finally found him with teachers after days of searching.

I recall hearing of my Mother becoming hysterical when I wandered away from home and her rejoicing when a farm hired man brought me back to her in his horse and cart.

Even though Jesus was becoming aware of his real Father, he did not reject his earthly parents. He went back to Nazareth with them and lived under their authority for another eighteen years. Verse 52 says, “He grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” We, like Jesus, need to continue to grow in wisdom through study, prayer taking advantage of resources and opportunities available to us.

Let us pray:

Lord, help us continue to grow in wisdom and in favor with you, following the example of Jesus. Amen.

Today’s devotional was written by Emmit Rawls, and read by Donn King.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.