My Father’s Business

Luke 2.41-52

Wilfredo J. Baez

1/4/15

“I must be in my Father’s House . . . I must be about my Father’s business.”  In contemporary terms, “I must be one with God and I must be about God’s business.”

I remember when I first decided to become a Pastor.  One friend said “You?  Come on!”  Another said, “I could never do that.  It’s too big a change.  How can you give up everything you have?”  Marcia wasn’t so keen about the idea.   My sister wondered, “Wasn’t I Roman Catholic?”  Members of the Board of Ordained Ministry were afraid that I was too Buddhist or too Hindu.  

But I couldn’t live my life any longer apart from God’s will and going about my own business.  I needed to get with God and conduct God’s business.

Being a Pastor has changed for me over these past twenty years.  It became about overcoming racism.  It became about diversity.  It became about GLBT issues.  It became about Interfaith.  It became about Inter-spirituality.  It’s been about justice.  It’s been about inner transformation. It’s been about educating my-self and others.  And all along people were saying. “What are you doing?”

And what it all comes down to is that I must be one with God and about God’s business. 

That’s what Jesus said to his parents.  You have certain ideas about me and my future; about how I spent my time but this is where I belong  . . . in God’s house doing God’s business . . . I’m becoming a man . . . I need to listen to my heart and follow my heart . . . I need to be true to my inner self . . . I need to serve God . . .  I’ll go home with you now but ultimately I need to leave my biological, physical, material home and move into my spiritual home . . . Yes, I need to grow up and learn to live in the world but I need to find what God’s will is for me and go about doing God’s will . . . I need to find my purpose, pursue it and fulfill it.

So, what is it is for you . . . being in God’s house . . . being about God’s business?  What is God calling you to be and sending you to do?

Jesus, at 12 years age is differentiating from his earthly parents and declaring himself a son of God, a child of God, a spiritual being in the flesh who has a particular life calling, a contribution to make to the society he lives in.

Whereas before the source of Jesus’ identity was his parents and his religion, now the source of Jesus’ identity was God and the Holy Spirit.  What amazed the Temple priests and teachers was what Jesus believed, his knowledge and capability at such a young age.  He’s have to bide his time until he was ready, until he grew in stature, years, wisdom and divine favor.

We don’t grow up spiritually to men and women of God all at once.  It takes time.  We start as spiritual children and as we learn to trust and obey God we change . . . our beliefs change . . . we believe in ourselves the way God does . . . We become more capable as our beliefs in ourselves and what humans are capable of change . . . and then our behaviors change and our impact upon the world changes . . . We no longer accept the limitations we once accepted . . .  We discover that all things are possible in Christ, with God . . . We only need to believe . . . or be willing, have the intention to believe and put our faith into actions, one step at a time, not knowing how we are going to do it, only that we are going to do it.  Try it.  Choose one thing that you haven’t been willing to do that you know God wants you to do and declare your willingness and intention to do it . . . Then see how God comes alongside you and you are able to do it.  And when you do it share it with the people you love.  Victory!