Sunday, January 5, 2025

Theme

For much of their history, the Temple in Jerusalem was the center of worship for the Hebrew people. In the stories of their history, it began as a Tabernacle or ‘tent of meeting’ where Moses, Aaron, and their descendants could meet with God’s presence. It used imagery from the garden of Eden, where humanity was created to be in right relationship with God and therefore one another and all creation. The Tabernacle was created to be a movable mountain to go wherever the nomadic Hebrews went.

When they settled in the land of Canaan, the Tabernacle was moved to various places throughout the land. However, when King David united the tribes under his rule and established a new capital in Jerusalem, he brought the Tabernacle there as well. David’s son, Solomon built a permanent Temple in Jerusalem, but the kingdom split after his death. The Jerusalem Temple remained central to worship in the southern kingdom of Judah (though historical evidence suggests that other temples to Adonai existed outside of Jerusalem). The northern country of Israel had their own temples at Bethel and Dan, but these were destroyed when the land was conquered by the Assyrian empire. The Jerusalem Temple was destroyed by the Babylonian empire, but rebuilt when the Hebrew people were allowed to return. After the second Temple was defiled by Greek invaders, the Jewish family called the Maccabees reclaimed and purified it (an event recently celebrated at Chanukah). The Jerusalem Temple was later restored to its earlier glory by Harrod the Great.

This week we hear one of the very few canonical stories of Jesus’ youth in which he visits the Temple for the celebration of Passover. When his family starts to return to their hometown of Nazareth, the young Jesus remains in the Temple to talk with the rabbis. His parents discover that he is missing, and return to look for him. When they finally find him, he simply replies, “Did you not know I must be in my Father’s house?” This question brings up several others, the main one of this section of Luke’s Gospel is, ‘who is this man?’

Jerusalem and its Temple play an interesting role in the Gospel according to Luke. In the Gospel according to John, Jesus goes to Jerusalem and the Temple several times in his ministry. In the narrative of Luke’s gospel, however, the next time that Jesus will be in the Temple will be in the last week of his life (and will have a decidedly different take its leaders).

Questions

– Have you ever lost a child or loved one, how did it make you feel?

– What are some of the special places where you have encountered the presence of God?

– How can your perspective on such places and institutions change?

Reflections:

Second Sunday after Christmas

Introit: There are two hymns which claim our scripture reading as reference. One of those is really a song about the birth of Jesus, the other hymn is about the Triune God, with the fourth verse referencing different stages of Jesus’ life, among them a reference to the story of Jesus in the temple.

Opening Hymn: For the Second Sunday after Christmas, we are going to take one more opportunity to sing a Christmas carol: “Angels From the Realms of Glory”. As we ruminate on the ‘House of God’, I thought the refrain of ‘Come and worship’ was a good fit.

Transition Hymn: For the month of January, “I Love You, Lord”.

Communion Hymn: For 2025, we are returning to a communion hymn we haven’t done in quite a while: “We Gather Here (Come, Share the Lord”. The 3 verses, in succession, recall Christ’s post-resurrection meal with the disciples, remind of God’s presence where two or more are gathered, and foreshadow the heavenly feast to come.

Sending Hymn: To respond to the theme of  ‘Our Father’s House’, we sing “Let Us Build a House”.

Benediction: Our benediction for the month of January is the first verse of “God Be With You Till We Meet Again”.