Our Scripture meditation is based on Luke 2:41–52, the Gospel reading for next week.
[41] Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. [42] And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. [43] And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, [44] but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, [45] and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. [46] After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. [47] And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. [48] And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” [49] And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” [50] And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. [51] And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. [52] And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
Mary, the mother of our Lord, set such a great example for us when she “treasured up all these things in her heart.”
All of life seems clipped today. Sound bites. Bullet point summaries. Social media posts, from Tik Tok to Reels, from Twitter/X to Facebook. Text messages. Direct messages. Short, unadorned, to the point. Often with no attention paid to grammar.
Yet Mary reminds us there are other ways to gain information. When she “treasured up all these things in her heart” she was taking time to ponder, to meditate, to reflect, on important things in life.
As we enter the New Year, I encourage you to also treasure Scripture in your heart. Read the same Scripture passage daily for a week. Study one theme in the Bible for a week. Journal on Scripture passages, coming back to your notes a few times to add more thoughts. Delve deep into the Word of God.
I’m not only encouraging you to do this; I’m joining you in pondering what God Word this year. Our church has encouraged us to use a journal called “Enduring Grace,” which gives us space to ponder the weekly Scripture readings. May our Lord bear fruit in our lives through his Word this year as we also “treasure up all these things” in our hearts.
Kevin Wilson 360 