Don't Just Assume Jesus Is With You

In one paragraph

On the Sunday after Christmas, with a small but hardy crowd gathered in person and more watching online, the pastor walked through the one story Scripture gives us from Jesus' boyhood, Luke 2:41-52. He stayed close to the text, letting the narrative carry the weight, and the morning ended with an open conversation where people asked questions and pushed back in ways that kept the teaching going...

Read together

1. Luke 1 Mary's song quoted at the opening of the service
2. Luke 2 Simeon's words about seeing God's salvation quoted during the offering
3. Luke 2:41-52 the main sermon text, the boy Jesus in the temple
4. Galatians 5:25 quoted as the benediction about walking by the spirit and keeping pace with him

Talk about it

1. The pastor pointed out that Mary and Joseph simply assumed Jesus was somewhere in the caravan without checking. When have you caught yourself assuming Jesus was with you in something, only to realize later you had moved ahead without him?
2. The sermon described Jesus in the temple as sitting in the middle of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. What does it look like practically to bring that same posture of listening and questioning into your own faith and relationships?
3. When Mary finally found Jesus, her first reaction was not wonder but frustration. Have you ever been frustrated or caught off guard when God was clearly at work, but not in the way you expected? What happened?
4. The pastor noted that even after Jesus explained himself, Mary and Joseph still did not understand what he had said. Why do you think it can be so hard to recognize what God is doing even when He makes it plain, and what has helped you in those moments?
5. The closing benediction from Galatians 5:25 was put this way: if we say we walk by the Spirit, we need to keep pace with him, not get ahead and not fall behind. What does keeping pace with the Spirit look like in your life right now, and where do you tend to drift?