God called all of them good. Humans are rapidly destroying them.
Christmas | First Sunday after Christmas (Year C)
1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26 (Psalm 148); Colossians 3:12-17; Luke 2:41-52
I have some sympathy for Mary and Joseph.
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.