Sunday we’re going to look at Luke 2:41-52, the account when Jesus’ parents left him at church.

Some background by  D. Bock:
The events leading to Jesus’ exchange with his parents begin with their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The parents of Jesus were devout Jews. The Old Testament commanded such a trip for three festivals a year (Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles; Ex 23:14-17; 34:22-23; Deut 16:16). But by the first century, God-fearing Jews made only one journey a year because of the distances involved (Josephus on Passover–Life 345-54; Antiquities 17.9.3 213-14; Jewish Wars 2.1.3 10-12; 2.14.3 280; Brown 1977:472). The Passover was the major feast celebrated at the beginning of the Jewish year, Nisan 15, which falls in our month of March or April (Fitzmyer 1981:339-40). Only men were required to make the journey, so Mary’s presence shows her commitment (Preisker 1964:373). Jerusalem was eighty miles from Nazareth, so the trip would take three days. Though some have argued that women and children traveled separately from the men as a way to explain how Jesus got lost, there is no ancient text that describes this practice.

One of our global gospel partners wrote this week.  In the midst of a wonderful report on how God is active in his life and ministry, our friend asked for prayer for better sleep.  I’m sending him this old prayer and thought others might benefit from it as well.

Blessed Creator,

Thou has promised thy beloved sleep;
Give me
restoring rest needful for tomorrow’s toil.
If dreams be mine,
let them
not be tinged with evil.
Let thy Spirit make my time of repose
a blessed
temple of his holy presence.
May my frequent lying down make me familiar with
death,
the bed I approach remind my of the grave,
the eyes I now close
picture to me their final closing.
Keep me always ready, waiting for
admittance
to thy presence.
Weaken my attachment to earthly
things.
May I hold life loosely in my hand,
knowing that I receive it on condition of its surrender.
As pain and suffering betoken transitory
health,
may I not shrink from a death that introduces me
to the freshness
of eternal youth.
I retire this night in full assurance of one
day
awakening with thee.
All glory for this blessed hope,
for the
gospel of grace,
for thine unspeakable gift of Jesus,
for the fellowship
of the Trinity.
Withhold not thy mercies in the night season;
thy hand
never wearies,
thy power needs no repose,
thine eye never
sleeps.

Help me when I helpless lie,
when my conscience accuses me of
sin,
when my mind is harassed by foreboding thoughts,
when my eyes are
held awake by personal anxieties.

Show thyself to me as the God of all
grace, love and power;
thou hast a balm for every wound,
a solace for all
anguish,
a remedy for every pain,
a peace for all disquietude.
Permit
me to commit myself to thee
awake or sleep.

Amen.

Guys, you can register from this website. This will be a great time together in Christ. Sign up today.

GraceCon 2012: “Faith that Works”

Overview
Join the men of Christ Community Church for the second annual Grace Conference (GraceCon). Enjoy time in small groups of guys and unpack several short talks from speakers outside of our church. We will be focusing on the book of James, as it reveals evidence of true grace in a man’s life.

We will gather for powerful worship, food and messages from Brandon Lauranzon (Seven Rivers, Citrus County) and Mike Osborne (University Presbyterian, Orlando).

Schedule + Location
Friday, February 10th | 7pm to 9:30pm @ Christ Community Church
Saturday, February 11th | 8am to 1pm @ Christ Community Church