I have some sympathy for Mary and Joseph.
Christmas | First Sunday after Christmas (Year C)
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 (Psalm 148); Colossians 3:12-17; Luke 2:41-52
The beloved song can contain God’s glory no more than the scripture it’s based on.
Jesus flips the script on his parents.
On a shelf in our church library you can find a “Reading Guide” made by a fourth grader. It lists the types of books appropriate for different age groups and advises: “Remember--Kids (8-12) when you start the Bible, go at your own pace. It's a long book!”
Which mother, I wonder, has more heartbreak. Hannah sacrifices the dailiness of raising her first-born son. Mary keeps her son with her, but as he grows she can surely see that he is heading down a dangerous path.
For sermon-prep help, I frequently look at hymns, paintings, novels, poems, etc. Also Bach cantatas. Meinen Jesus laß ich nicht, written for the first Sunday after Epiphany, has intrigued me with its interpretation of Luke 2:41-52.