+ In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
One of the highlights for me of the many services that we
have had over the last few weeks (and this may surprise a few of you) was the Christingle
Service on Christmas Eve. Unlike many of those who came it was my first time!
This church was literally packed full with more than 500 children, parents,
grandparents, relatives and friends. Every seat out there was taken, most of
the seats in the balcony were taken, and there were even some sitting at the
very top, way back in the “fisherman’s gallery”!
I remember asking Fr Andrew where on earth all these people
had come from while we were sat in the office listening to the growing, and
expectant crowd just beyond the door. Families travel from within the parish
and beyond every year to come to the Christingle Service. For them it is very
much a vital part of their Christmas celebrations. In a way I suppose it is
almost like making an annual pilgrimage. It may be the only time that many of
them come to church, but for that one brief hour or so they come, not out of a
sense of duty, but because they want to be here and hear something of the
Christmas story.
After the service I asked one young lad, probably about 11 or
12 if he had enjoyed the service, and he replied “It was great, we come every year”!
In today’s gospel reading we hear of another 12 year old who
has travelled with his family to take part in a great annual community and
religious festival. Jesus has made the pilgrimage with his parents to Jerusalem.
It was quite probably something they did every year!
Having celebrated the Passover the family and their group
begin to make their way home, and it takes them a whole day for them to realise
that someone is missing, yes; Jesus has somehow been left behind! I’m sure
parents and grandparents in particular here can understand what would have been
going through the minds of Mary and Joseph as they realised that Jesus was
missing. Today in a world of 24 hour news and Twitter, search parties would be
sent out, the authorities would be informed and Jesus’s face would probably be
beamed into our front rooms on the TV.
Mary and Joseph of course had none of the advantages of
today’s technology. Probably going frantic with worry they return to Jerusalem
and it takes them a further three days before they finally track down their
runaway son. I’m sure some of you whether recently or in years gone by have had
experience of stroppy and rebellious teenagers or pre-teenagers. And I’m sure also
that many of us here in our time were stroppy headstrong teenagers ourselves!
And the response of Jesus when his parents finally find him? “Why were you searching for me? Did you not
know that I must be in my Father’s house?” He doesn’t seem to be at all
concerned about the stress and worry that he has just put his parents through,
perhaps a typical 12 year old trait, again, one that I’m sure some here might
understand!
And they find him, not running about the streets or causing
trouble, but sat in the Temple, listening and learning from the teachers there.
Given that it took them so long to track him down, it probably wasn’t the first
place they expected to find him!
There is something extraordinary about the certainty and
“matter of fact-ness” of Jesus in his response, as though it all made complete
sense to him and he couldn’t see what the problem was. There was something
within him which drew him to that place and nothing would prevent him from
being there!
And it got me thinking about that 12 year old lad who keeps
coming every year to Christingle as well as the 500 other people, children and
adults who filled this place to the rafters last Monday afternoon. A few hours
later of course we celebrated Midnight Mass to another full church, certainly
downstairs. And it’s tempting perhaps on occasions like this to think, “Well, where are they the rest of the year?”
Yet, even if it is only for that one day of the year there is something that
draws them into St George’s and makes them very much a part of our community.
Maybe what draws people in is on the surface, the external
things, the orange’s, the sweets, the story of the crib. And at Midnight people
come for the music or the atmosphere. But on a deeper level there is surely a prompting of the Spirit
that somehow resonates inside them. It isn’t easy always to put into words what
it is that causes people to come to church, yet the doors are open as we
welcome our wider community to join with us in our great celebration.
May we offer a welcome to, and have open hearts and doors to
all who come to this place, as like Jesus they enter into the “Father’s House”.
AMEN
