Twelve Year Olds

1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26; Colossians 3:12-17; Luke 2:41-52

Our Old Testament lesson and our Gospel lesson have something in common. Both of them are about parents who made it a custom to go to Jerusalem every year. In the first instance, the parents are Hannah and Elkanah, the parents of the boy, Samuel, who had been given to Eli to work in the Temple. And the scriptures are quick to point out that Hannah and Elkanah made it a strict custom to go to Jerusalem every year, without question, more than likely for the observance of Passover.

In the second instance, the parents are Mary and Joseph, the parents of our Lord Jesus. And the scriptures are clear at this point: Jesus' family made it a custom to visit the temple once a year for the celebration of Passover.

Now, in fact, if we want to know how important family customs are, all we have to do is look at the Bible. The Law of Moses was established in order to lay the foundation for family customs. And it was this foundation which identified the Jewish people to the extent that they have survived as a people even to this very day, after over 4,000 years.

You know, it is interesting to note that out of all the thousands of small nomadic ethnic groups that have existed since that time, most of them are gone now, simply because they blended into the larger society around them. Their customs, their traditions, and their mores just weren't strong enough to withstand the pressures to assimilate. For the Jewish people, however, the customs which began with the Law of Moses and were passed down from generation to generation have given that people an identity that has preserved them and given them an amazing degree of stability, even in the midst of sometimes agonizingly difficult times.

To us, however, some of the rules which the Jews live by, even today, may seem odd, even ridiculous. For instance, an Orthodox Jew will not eat meat and milk products at the same time. Thus most orthodox Jews will not eat a cheeseburger. And they won't eat pork or shrimp, for that matter. And, we may think that theirs is a somewhat useless dietary restriction. Yet, we must remember that it is this very system of customs and mores that has given the Jewish people longevity as a nation.

And, indeed, it was a tradition in Israel for good religious people to go to Jerusalem for the Passover. The boy Samuel's parents did it. And Mary, Joseph and Jesus made the trip, as well.

You know, as I experience more of this world I am getting to be more and more appreciative of the social mores, and traditional values that are sometimes ridiculed as being "old fashioned" by many people, today.	In fact, I believe it is getting to be more apparent than ever that good old fashioned values for sexual behavior, hard work, cleanliness, politeness, honesty, and so forth, are more important than we used to think. We went through a period in this nation when such things were thought to be passe. People who did these things were called squares and nurds. But, now society is just beginning to understand that it cannot pay for the consequences of even a minority of folks not believing in these things.

Let's take going to church as an example. When I was a kid we didn't ask Mom if we were going to church on Sunday, even though I'm sure there were a lot of other kids in the neighborhood who didn't know from one Sunday to the next if they were. We never even thought to ask such a question, anymore than Jesus would have asked Mary and Joseph if they were going to Jerusalem for the Passover. For we knew where we were going to be on Sunday morning. Sunday morning wasn't a time for visiting, or sleeping in, or watching television. Rather, it was a time for going to Sunday School and Church. Even when I was a little kid I sat with my brother, sister, and Mom in church. In fact, it was where all three of us kids learned how to behave ourselves in public.	We learned how to sit still. We learned how to listen, even when we thought it was boring. And it is amazing how many grown people haven't learned that lesson!

Let's think about that for a moment. I was at the high school the other day for a band concert. And I couldn't help but notice that right in the middle of the concert, while the band was playing, there were young persons all around me who were talking, out loud, as though nothing was going on. And I wondered why they were doing this. And I believe I've come up with an answer to that question. You see, more and more people just don't know how to behave during concerts, or in public, for that matter. For one thing the rock concerts that so many of our kids go to today even promote a noisy atmosphere, loud talking, and rowdy, even lurid behavior. And, perhaps it was hard for these young persons to "switch gears." After all, the concert was being performed in the gymnasium, where basket ball is usually played and talking is usually allowed. Perhaps if we had an auditorium for our young persons to perform in there wouldn't be such confusion. After all, it is difficult to play basketball in an auditorium.

But the question that keeps coming back to me is, "What is our community doing to help people be quietly respectful of one another in public?" Or to put it another way, "outside of the school classroom, what kind of opportunities do we provide and take advantage of as a community that require us to sit quietly and listen?" Certainly, church is one of the very few places where such an opportunity to learn this particular value is provided on a weekly basis. And I think that this is a very important value to learn. It involves the building of self-discipline, self control, and the development of listening skills. Show me a kid that can't sit still in a public place by the time he's 12 years old, and I'll show you a kid who probably doesn't attend church regularly, and I'll show you a kid who's got trouble.

So, at the very least, if a young person came to church and didn't understand the sermon, and didn't sing the hymns, and didn't pray the prayers: At the very least, that person would still be practicing something that most of us would have difficulty doing for months at a time if it wasn't for the church: Sitting still and politely listening in the company of others.

So, yes, it is important for parents to bring their children to church regularly, not only for the Sunday School, but for the worship service, as well. Indeed, going to church may be one of the most important things a family can do. And, who knows? Hopefully, that family may even feel the presence of God and know the friendship of Christ as a result!

In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul knew how important the custom of community worship was. In today's lesson from that book we hear Paul listing all the good things that take place as a result of Christians worshiping together. In fact, he listed such things as compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, not to forget forbearance and forgiveness, love and unity, peace, wisdom, and gratitude towards God. Where else can people get all these good things? In fact, shouldn't we feel sorry for all those who don't go to church regularly, because they miss out on so much?

But there's more. I found an article about a study that was done several years ago at Johns Hopkins University. The study concluded that going to church is actually good for your health.

The risk of fatal heart disease is almost twice as high for the non-church goer than for those who attend once a week, or more. The study also concluded that the life associated with being a regular church goer appears to be statistically related to a lower incidence of other major diseases, plus fatal automobile accidents, and suicides.

After hearing Magic Johnson's announcement about A.I.D.S., after enduring what seemed like weeks of the William Kennedy Smith trial, and after witnessing the absurdity of the Judge Thomas congressional hearings, perhaps it's time for us to seriously reconsider the old fashioned values that have preserved our people and made our nation great. Amen.