I can remember wondering why there were so few stories of Jesus' childhood in the Bible. Except for a couple in the book of Luke, there is nothing said of the little boy, Jesus. The story moves so quickly, from his birth to his preaching and healing and calling of disciples.
We are experiencing that now. Yesterday's observance of Transfiguration Sunday means that Lent is just around the corner. The events are about to get serious as we are making our way to Jerusalem and the events which will unfold there. Christmas isn't that far behind, on our calendars, but it is fading fast in our liturgical life.
I wonder if the desire to know more of Jesus' childhood may arise from a mistaken confusion of him as some sort of a hero. Part of the process of lifting someone up as a hero involves looking at the events of their past to see what it is that made them great. We want to identify the things which contributed to their being strong and courageous. If we mistake Jesus for a hero, we might try to do the same with his life - look for that which made him turn out as he did.
But Jesus is no hero - he is Messiah. What makes him great are not the events of his childhood. What makes him great is God's anointing of him. He is who he is because of how it is that God sees him. He is who he is as a result of his relationship with God.
The same can be said for us. Regardless of the events of our past, no matter what opportunities might have been denied us, we are who we are as a result of the way God sees us. Who we are is determined by our relationship with God.
We spend so much time looking for "heroes." What we ought to be doing is living our lives in appreciation for the new name given to us by our God.
Pastor Chris
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