Luke 2:41-52
In my first few years of ministry, I reached a point in my spiritual walk where I felt like Jesus wasn’t with me. I’ve felt this way a number of times in my spiritual life and it is quite disorienting. At the time, I visited a monastery once a year for a week and was meeting with a monk named Brother Vince. He walked with me for a time on my spiritual journey and often gave me guidance for questions I had. I reached a point where I simply felt like Jesus wasn’t with me and I sought guidance. There were a few things that were remarkable about my exchange with Vince. When I shared with him my frustration and struggle in my spiritual walk, he walked away from me. He left my presence to seek God’s presence on my behalf. In a way, he sought Jesus for me. When he came back 24 hours later, he spoke a simple truth to me that Jesus had kept walking and I went my own way. Sometimes Jesus walks and sometimes Jesus stays. We want the movement of God to be predictable, but we often find Jesus being about his father’s business while we go about our own. Today’s advent text reminds us of this hard truth. Sometimes we carry on in life for a time without realizing we’ve paid no attention to Jesus. We go to look for him in all the wrong place.
God, Father in heaven, give us eyes to see where you are working so that we might be about your business.