Pastor Mary Peterson presided at today's sermon and her peaceful presence together with her gentle message were communicated throughout today's hybrid worship.
This felt fitting on a snowy, first Sunday after Christmas morning. The gospel text was Luke's account of Jesus, sitting at the temple with the teachers, listening and asking questions.
Pastor Mary's sermon mirrored the tone of Luke's simple, yet profound verses describing one of the few moments where Jesus appears in scripture as a child. Luke's powerful portrayal of Jesus reports that he was listening to the teachers and asking them questions. Pastor Mary pointed out that he responds to his parent's question and statement with questions. If wondering whether Jesus could amaze those who heard him with the questions he asked, his response to his parents is a perfect example.
The sermon moved then into the Christmas story that is half-echoed in this Luke passage pointing out the treasuring and leaving us to complete the pondering that hovers in the air from last night . Mary treasures and ponders things in her heart, and Jesus does as well. Pastor Mary made this plain when she quotes the verse in her reaction to the Festival of Choirs she listened to as she prepared this sermon. The Gospel is meant to be treasured and pondered.
Pastor Mary spent yesterday with a man who she considered to be an amazing man. When she thinks of him she thinks about the words blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God, He said several times that he was soon to see his maker. He also told her he knew God loved him. She shared Christmas music with him yesterday and he was still singing even after the music stopped, making Pastor Mary ponder these words from Silent Night, Holy Night "Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace".
By responding to his parent's anxiety with questions Jesus disarmed their anxiety. He did not fix the anxiety but he spoke the truth.with his questions. When she thought about what pondering means Pastor Mary thought pondering meant to trust even when we don't understand. To treasure, as she defined it, is to practice wisdom.
She closed her sermon by inviting us to treasure and ponder all that is in our hearts. I will certainly continue to treasure and ponder these words today.
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