KNOWING WHO I AM, IS KNOWING WHAT MAKES ME TICK

KNOWING WHO I AM, IS KNOWING WHAT MAKES ME TICK

In the final year of my three-year teacher-training programme, we were all sent out to different schools in rural Jamaica to do
our Practice Teaching before graduation. There were six of us in my group. It was not by accident that the six of us who also shared the same dormitory, were sent to the same school. We were all good friends. Part of our assignment was to conduct the whole service at one of the local churches. So, it was for us to decide who would do the different duties. Someone from the group volunteered to play the church organ and to select the hymns. Two others agreed to read the Scripture lessons, one to do the prayers and one to be the worship leader. Since I was not at that meeting, the last position, preaching, was handed to me, and even though I protested, it was five against one. So, I did it, and it was my first time in the raised pulpit, to preach, to give a sermon. The surprising thing was that at the end of the service, one of the teachers from the said school menacingly asked,’ So where did you learn to preach?’ I did not answer her directly, but I thought of the question, and how I might have answered.
The answer is very simple, I learn to preach through the process of Osmosis. Something rubbed off on me. My father was a shoemaker
by trade, he was very religious and often preached at his church. He also sang, played his guitar, and contributed wholeheartedly to a Christian household. On some late Saturday nights, I would see him with his Bible preparing his sermon. He did not write his sermons, he did not research from other books, his Bible was his guide. I listened to his sermons and marvelled at the number of passages he could quote to support his point-of-view. Also, his shoemaking shop served as a meeting place for his church friends and others who from time to time gathered to argue, debate, disagree and agree on subjects based on the Scriptures, Politics and currents events. It was a marvelous outlet for them as they prayed and sang together. As a boy those men and at times women allowed me to listen in and to participate. They did not push me away as being a child interfering in adult stuff. They shared their knowledge, and I learnt from them by just being there.

WHAT IS THE QUESTION?

As Christians we have just celebrated the first coming of Christ, Baby Jesus born of the virgin Mary. It was a real festival of a welcome.
Christmas Sunday was all about this birth, but what is strange, after this welcome there was a long period of absolutely no news of this infant. Almost thirty years before some information was reported about this Jesus, His Baptism, and the start of His Ministry. Where was He and what was He doing during His childhood, Adolescence and young adult periods? It seems that there was some conspiracy not to talk or write about these years. Luke in his Gospel briefly broke the spell and volunteered a glimpse of Jesus at age twelve. This is Biblical. There might be some non-Biblical accounts, but their credibility is questioned. However, a popular Christmas Hymn written by Cecil Alexander contains a stanza which says: Jesus is our childhood pattern, Day by day like us He grew.
He was little, weak and helpless, tears and smiles like us He knew,
Thus, He feels for all our sadness, and he shares in all our gladness.
Alexander, in this stanza assured us, that Jesus had a normal childhood life prior to His mission call.
To most Christians the theological purpose for recalling Jesus’ growth is twofold, (1) to assure His followers that Jesus fully understands the depth and height of human experience, and (2) to use Jesus’ growth as a model for Christian education, as well as rearing us children at home. Luke’s story of Jesus in the temple (Luke 2: 41-52) at the age of twelve, is the only incident in the Gospels about the life of Jesus between infancy and the beginning of His ministry. It is hard to accept this omission, because ancient writers, when recounting the lives of great people, would mention the unusual birth and childhood, suggesting that God must have had a hand in this event or events.
Luke’s purpose was also to show that God had a major role in guiding the birth and growing up of Jesus, and that He was also great. Are not these events surrounding Jesus’ birth unusual? The shepherds, guiding star, born in a stable, no room at the inn, and born of a virgin.
When one reads Luke’s report, it is easy to be appalled that Mary and Joseph lost track of Jesus. Luke is not pointing to bad parenting, but is merely setting the stage for Jesus to state clearly and for us to hear it clearly also that He has His own understanding of His relationship with God who is His father and not Joseph, and that He must first serve His heavenly father. He was however very obedient and mannerly to His earthly parents. At this early age Jesus established His identity, who He really is. This was a good model for us and our children as in this multicultural society identity is at times hard to develop. This may impact negatively on our children’s behavior. Like Mary and Joseph, parents should be role models. Let the good rub off onto their children.