Christmas 2 + Be Surprised! + 1.4.26

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M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Jeremiah 31:7-14; Psalm 84 or 84:1-8; Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a; Luke 2:41-52)

 

Today, we hear the only gospel passage that speaks about Jesus as an adolescent, making it especially fitting as we mark our first Sunday and youth-themed service.
Es muy apropiado que este evangelio, el único que describe a Jesús como un adolescente, caiga en el primer domingo, el que incluimos más a nuestros jóvenes.

Jesús, un joven, está en el templo y nuestros jóvenes también; así debe ser. Jesus, a youth, is in the temple, as are our youth, who we always say are not the future but the present of the church. Jesus also shows in this passage from Luke that he was learning and growing as an adolescent. El tiempo adolescente, aunque difícil porque también es un tiempo de luchas interiores y exteriores, es sumamente importante para el desarrollo espiritual. We know that we do not skip to faith as adults from childhood, but that adolescence, with all its rollercoaster of emotions, can be fertile ground for our faith development. Por ello, nuestros adolescentes son el presente de la iglesia, al igual que cualquier niño o adulto.

But before Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the temple, he is lost! I can only imagine their panic. When our daughter, Monica, then known as Genesis, moved into our home, she was only twelve years old, but she also had an independent streak. One time, early on, we visited my parents in Pasadena and were having trouble finding a parking spot. We let her out, giving her instructions for how to find the restaurant, as she was tired of being in the car. She has always had a fantastic sense of direction, so we trusted she would find her way to the restaurant, and we would park and meet her there. But when we arrived, she was nowhere to be seen. My parents had not seen her. We began to panic! Our then foster kid was somewhere wandering the streets of Pasadena! We had already failed as parents. We walked down the main street and continued walking until we finally found her, about half a mile or more up the road. Apparently, she was too distracted to hear our instructions to turn right on a particular street and was heading north towards Altadena, crossing the freeway overhead.
Perdimos a Mónica cuando era joven, a la misma edad que Jesús aquí, cuando le dimos indicaciones a un restaurante en Pasadena y fuimos a estacionar. Cuando llegamos y no estaba, ¡tuvimos que caminar media milla al norte para encontrarla, caminando con propósito hacia otra ciudad!

She was safe and sound, but I will never forget the panic and then the joy at reuniting. It was one of the moments when I realized just how much I loved her. En ese momento de pánico y de encuentro gozoso sentí todo el amor que yo tenía por ella. Even though I didn’t give birth to her, she was and is a part of my heart.

Así que puedo imaginar cómo se sentían María y José. I can imagine a Little of how Mary and Joseph felt here. I have read that the Greek translation describes them as being in a state of utter panic, and that sounds about right.[1] Suena correcto que estuvieran con mucho miedo. 
However, as they reunite, they discover their son. They must have been filled with love, as well as admiration. Maybe it was only later that Mary realized it was three days until they found him, presaging the three days before his resurrection- good one, Luke!
Tal vez más tarde María se dio cuenta de que lo encontraron a Jesús después de tres días—un poco como el tiempo que precedió a su resurrección.

I love this moment where Mary again treasures these things in her heart. It is moments like this that will get you thinking. Es en momentos así cuando nos ponemos a pensar y María no es una excepción. Mary is no exception. I bet that Jesus surprised her here. She knew, of course, that he was special, but this Epiphany or revelation of his being- a little preview of the feast we celebrate on Tuesday- this was big. It reminded her that Jesus had his own journey and his own mission.
Tal vez en este momento recordó a María que Jesús iba a tener su propia misión y su propio camino, tal vez peligroso, pero muy importante, no solo para ella, sino para el mundo entero.

It may not be as marked as having a son who is the Savior, but our youth are here to be their own people, too. Even as we embrace them at church, let us look for ways to let them express themselves individually and learn about God’s call on their lives, which may be different than the call God has on our lives.
Tal vez no sea lo mismo que tener un hijo que es el Salvador, pero nuestros jóvenes también vienen aquí, no solo para repetir la fe de sus padres, sino también para expresarse y aprender de su fe individual. Tal vez Dios tiene un llamado en sus vidas o un propósito que no sabemos, pero podemos apoyarlos mientras crecen.

As such, as I continue to visit the youth group this year, my hope will not only be to prepare those for confirmation who need it, but to help each youth see where they are already living out their faith and how God may be calling them to be faithful in a different way this year and in the future.
Por esto, cuando yo visite a los jóvenes este año, no solo los voy a preparar para la confirmación, si la desean, sino que mi propósito será ayudarlos a ver cómo Dios quiere actuar en sus vidas y, tal vez, cómo está actuando ahora.

For those who do not have adolescents in their lives, this scripture is still a reminder that Jesus will surprise you. How can you be open to a new Epiphany this year? Some new way of being in a relationship with God? Can you be open to sitting beside the adolescent Jesus as he learns from and teaches the elders?
Para quienes no tienen adolescentes en sus vidas, esta escritura todavía puede recordarles que Jesús siempre puede sorprendernos. Anticipando la estación de Epifanía que empieza esta semana, ¿cómo estarán abiertos a un nuevo entendimiento de su relación con Dios en este año? ¿Se pueden sentar al lado del joven Jesús para escucharle y aprender de él, como los sabios del templo? ¿Cómo puede sorprenderles Dios en este Año Nuevo? How can God surprise you in this New Year?

Amen.

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