"Home" alone - Rector's Rambling for January 12, 2020

Over the holiday season I had a chance to watch portions of the original Home Alone movie.  Hard to believe that the move was released nearly 30 years ago (1990).  It has spawned several sequels, and the original has most definitely stood the test of time and has become a Christmastime television staple.

Home alone comes to mind every time I hear today’s reading for the First Sunday after Epiphany.  In the movie, Kevin is left home in the chaos of a large extended family’s rush to get to the airport for a Christmas vacation, and then has to fend for himself as the house is targeted by thieves who assumed that the house would be empty over the holidays.

Extended family is most likely the excuse for Jesus being left behind in Jerusalem.  Traveling in a large pack to celebrate the Passover in the holy city, he tarries behind and his parents assume that he is among the group as they head back home.  It happens.

Of course, once Mary and Joseph realize he is not with them, they turn about and head back to find him, and they find him in the Temple.

The Bible tells us that this was a yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and we know that historically the city was swollen with pilgrims for the Passover celebration.  The city would be just as densely packed with people from surrounding cities and towns 21 years later for the Passover, when some would be proclaiming him Messiah on Palm Sunday, and others would be calling for his crucifixion on Good Friday.

The terror and chaos of a lost child is summed up in the frantic greeting of his parents in that they basically say, “where were you?  We were worried sick about you.”

Jesus, not meaning any disrespect, is a bit stupefied that his parents wouldn’t assume he would be in the Temple attending to the things concerning God.  But at 12, it wasn’t really his time for public ministry and he submitted to his parents and returned home.

This is all we hear about Jesus until the time would come at the age of 30, when he would be all about his and his Father’s business for us and our salvation