Tuesday December 21, 2021

Today is Tuesday, December 21 and during this fourth week of Advent we explore what the Bible says about seeking Christ in Christmas.

As I enter a time of prayer, I pause and become still. I breathe slowly and deeply, and focus myself on the presence of God’s Holy Spirit.

Pause and Pray

God, thank you for loving me. Reveal the message you have for me this Christmas through the power of your Holy Spirit. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, born in a manger and born in my heart anew. Amen.

I seek God with my whole heart and praise him with the ancient words of Psalm 119.

Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord. Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart — they do no wrong but follow his ways. I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. Psalm 119:1-3,7,10

Pause and Pray

The Jewish Feast of the Passover was celebrated in ancient Israel for one week in the Spring. Jesus was twelve years old, an age when young boys accepted adult religious responsibility, were fit for mishnah and ready to fulfill the commandments. Mary and Joseph traveled with friends and family to Jerusalem to observe the Passover Feast. In a caravan of friends and relatives traveling back to Galilee, a young boy could easily not be missed until the end of a day’s journey. As his absence was discovered, the parents’ frenzied search seems completely appropriate. At the time of the Passover Jesus was lost for three days. Mary and Joseph frantically searched for him and found him where he is meant to be – with his Father.

After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Luke 2:43-49

This Christmas week, I focus on finding Jesus in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. I confess, I didn’t realize I lost Jesus. Like Mary and Joseph, I am unaware of Jesus’ absence and think his presence accompanies me about my busy day – shopping, cooking, wrapping, and decorating for the holiday. At first Mary and Joseph looked for Jesus among relatives and friends. That is where I begin, looking for Christ in the Christmas of my family, friends and coworkers. Mary and Joseph don’t find Jesus there, so they travel back to Jerusalem and find him in the Temple. He is in his Father’s house. Where is that for me? Where should I look for Jesus? I consider the significance of the Feast of the Passover and the journey to Jerusalem. Years later, during the same week, Jesus observed the Passover with his disciples and instituted the Lord’s Supper. He was betrayed, arrested, crucified, died and was buried. I consider the significance of the three days. The number of days Jesus is missing matches the time Jesus spent in the tomb. Why might Luke include these details in the story?

Ask: What are signs that I might have lost sight of Jesus this Christmas holiday? Where do I need to go and where should I look to find Christ this Christmas?

Pause and Pray

Blessed Lord Jesus, in the same way your parents recognized your absence and anxiously searched for you, I miss your presence and earnestly seek you. Give me a greater awareness of the void in my life when you are missing and help me prioritize finding you this Christmas. I read Luke again, listening for the message you have for me today.

After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Luke 2:43-49

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

God is speaking to me about my past, present and future. God has a message for me that is conveyed through the power of the words of scripture. I consider where I find myself in this scripture. Perhaps I am traveling in the caravan blissfully unaware that anything is missing in my life. Maybe I am frantically searching for Jesus alongside Mary and Joseph. Perhaps I am sitting near Jesus in the Temple amazed as I listen to the young boy’s words and wisdom. I consider how these images compare to the circumstances of my life. I consider how the scriptures inform my current spiritual state. Christmas is four days away. What does the Bible teach me about finding Jesus this Christmas?

Pause and Pray

Come, Holy Spirit, show me the next steps on my spiritual journey. Steps that will create a new awareness in me, steps that will lead me to seek Christ anew in my life, steps that will help me slow down and listen for his voice teaching me. Jesus, this Christmas I seek you with all my heart and soul. Amen.

If from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 4:29

As I leave this time of prayer and go throughout my day, I seek Christ in Christmas and seek opportunities to share his joy with others. Amen.