Forget Waldo Where's Jesus
Forget Waldo, Where’s Jesus?
Luke 2:41-51
McMinnville FUMC 1/20/2008
Luke 2:41-52 (NLT)
41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. 42 When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. 43 After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, 44 because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there. 46 Three days later they finally discovered him in the Temple, sitting among the religious teachers, listening to them and asking questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.” 49 “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they didn’t understand what he meant. 51 Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart. 52 Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.
Forget Waldo, Where’s Jesus?
Luke 2:41-51
McMinnville FUMC 1/20/2008
How many of you are familiar with the book series, Where's Waldo?
The first Waldo book was released back in 1987. It was the result of more than two-years of detailed work by illustrator Martin Handford. Since then there have been six Waldo books the most recent one released in 2007 titled: Where's Waldo? The Wonder Book
Waldo is a distinctively dressed man, usually wearing in a red and white striped shirt, blue pants, as he sets off on "a world-wide hike". Waldo travels to everyday places – such as the beach, the ski slops and the zoo. Somewhere amid the crowded scene is Waldo and readers are asked to scour the detailed illustrations to locate the lost traveler. Each scene is accompanied by a postcard to the reader from Waldo, who introduces the scene and comments on his travels.
Whenever I read this passage from Luke 2, I can just see Mary and Joseph going to the members of the caravan and asking, “Where’s Jesus?” When you heard this story couldn’t you just see Mary and Joseph re-entering Jerusalem and walking up and down the streets, like it was a page out of a Waldo book calling out, “Where’s Jesus?”
Do you every find yourself calling out those same words: Where’s Jesus? It was like he was here just a minute ago and then puff he seems to disappear.
Can you recall a time when you were close to God? So close, I mean, you could swear you heard the rustle of angels’ wings? Maybe there was this, this awesome feeling within, perhaps a tear at the corner of your eye?
Isaac Butterworth writes about such an occasion. He was worshiping in a church and the congregation was singing Isaac Watts’ hymn “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.” He said the organ swelled. The voices of the people swelled with it. The moment was intense. And he sensed that he was in the presence of God.
Here’s how he described it:
“I almost couldn’t sing. I couldn’t contain the joy. I wept. I wanted the moment to last forever. It didn’t.
Within thirty minutes, I was back into my routine. Out in the heavy foot traffic of hurried figures, racing along the Drag to some appointment they were, no doubt, already late for. Cars buzzing by, honking obtrusively, trucks rattling along in careless disregard for my fast-fading ecstasy. No one I saw the rest of the day had felt what I felt. I had almost touched “the hem of the garment,” if you know what I mean. I had felt God close, and now he seemed galaxies away.”
Have you been there?
Can you imagine the fear that must have been on Mary and Joseph heart?
They look for him not one day, or two days, they look for him for three days!
This is perhaps the most terrifying thing in the world.
Children…. Do not try this at home….
Sometimes we feel this way when it comes to our relationship with Jesus…..
--St. John of the Cross: The Dark night of the Soul Those dark nights of the soul go on and on…. It is a terrifying situation to be looking for Jesus and can’t seem to find him.
How does it happen?
Those of us who are parents or who work with children realize that trying to keep up with them can sometimes be frustrating.
Now lets fess up, how many of us have been left somewhere by mistake? Or How many of us as parents have actually forgotten a child?
I must confess I did once. Nathaniel…..
When something like this happens what is the reason for it occurring?
We become preoccupied. We allow ourselves to become distracted. Perhaps this is what happened to Mary and Joseph.
--Joseph….back to the shop, orders to be filled
--Mary….laundry to be done from the trip
We often feel as if we have misplaced Jesus because we have allowed other things to distract us.
--This happened to Peter one day. He became distracted.
--What are some of the things that we allow to distract us?
Notice that Mary and Joseph spent there time looking for Jesus. They were doing the right things but they could not find him. They were looking for him in all the wrong places.
I came across a poem written by Karl Eckhoff that I have sort of rewritten. It goes like this.
Blow the trump and ring the bell;
Dress it up and make it sell;
Fill it with the rich and well;
And count the heads.
We’re doing well!
But where’s the faith? Where’s Jesus?
Read the creed and get it right;
Hold it fast with all your might;
Close the door and bolt it tight;
We’ve no need for further light!
But where’s the faith? Where’s Jesus?
Build the church and make it grow,
Cushioned pews in classic row;
Made for comfort we love so.
Come in, relax, enjoy the show!
But where’s the faith? Where’s Jesus?
Like James in the Bible said, that’s a whole lot of religious activity, but it’s not saving relationship of faith with our Lord Jesus Christ. But…
In the sickroom on the bed –
Invalid, helpless, but not dead
Hear her praying through the pain,
"May my suffering be your gain."
There’s the faith. There’s Jesus!
Here a loving mother gives,
With all the reason that she lives,
To strive against unnumbered odds
And bring her children to know God.
There’s the faith. There’s Jesus!
’Surprising, isn’t it, where the faith is found;
Not where reigns the world renown,
But in the din of work and strife,
Where the Cross meets daily life.
There’s the faith. There’s Jesus!
Are we looking for Jesus in the wrong places? It’s not about numbers, or size, or us. It’s all about Jesus.
When Mary and Joseph finally found Jesus he was in the temple discussing the scriptures with the religious leaders. His parents ask him why had he done this, that they had been looking for him and could not find him.
Jesus responded, “Didn’t you know I must be about my father’s business?”
Was Jesus being disrespectful?
--I don’t think so
--This episode sort of highlighted what so many of his family and follows have done.
We spend time looking for Jesus in all the wrong places instead of in the obvious places.
We frantically look for him when it is right in front of our faces…
--Three days they looked for him….
--How could you miss the temple? It was the dominating
structure of the area.
--Drive to Downtown Nashville what will be the first thing you see? Bell South building
--Sort of like spending 3 days driving around Nashville and not noticing the Bell South building.
What was Jesus saying? If you are looking for me all you have to do is look where God is already working and join him.
--I want to work with Jesus…. Go to where he is
--Where’s Jesus?” Where ever God is at work.
One of my favorite stories is Tolstoy tale about the old shoe cobbler who dreamed one Christmas Eve that Jesus would come to visit him the next day. The dream was so real that he was convinced it would come true.
So the next morning he got up & went out & cut green boughs & decorated his little cobbler shop & got all ready for Jesus to come & visit. He was so sure that Jesus was going to come that he just sat down & waited for Him.
The hours passed & Jesus didn’t come. But an old man came. He came inside for a moment to get warm out of the winter cold. As the cobbler talked with him he noticed the holes in the old man’s shoes, so he reached up on the shelf & got him a new pair of shoes. He made sure they fit & that his socks were dry & sent him on his way.
Still he waited. But Jesus didn’t come. An old woman came. A woman who hadn’t had a decent meal in two days. They sat & visited for a while, & then he prepared some food for her to eat. He gave her a nourishing meal & sent her on her way.
Then he sat down again to wait for Jesus. But Jesus still didn’t come.
Then he heard a little boy crying out in front of his shop. He went out & talked with the boy, & discovered that the boy had been separated from his parents & didn’t know how to get home. So he put on his coat, took the boy by the hand & led him home.
When he came back to his little shoe shop it was almost dark & the streets were emptied of people. And then in a moment of despair he lifted his voice to heaven & said, "Oh Lord Jesus, why didn’t you come?"
And then in a moment of silence he seemed to hear a voice saying, "Oh shoe cobbler, lift up your heart. I kept my word. Three times I knocked at your friendly door. Three times my shadow fell across your floor. I was the man with the bruised feet. I was the woman you gave to eat. I was the boy on the homeless street."
Jesus had come. The cobbler just didn’t realize it.
Where’s Jesus? He is any place someone is giving a cool drink of water, or doing anything in his name!