To the pastor, with deep respect and fervent prayer,
The story in Luke 2 is a profound moment in the life of Jesus, containing a powerful lesson for us today. When Jesus’s parents, Mary and Joseph, left Jerusalem, they assumed he was with them among the caravan of relatives and acquaintances. It was only after a full day's journey that they realized the unthinkable: Jesus was missing. They returned to Jerusalem and, after three days of frantic searching, they finally found him in the temple, "sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions" (Luke 2:46).
In our churches today, could it be that we,
like Mary and Joseph, have journeyed on for too long without realizing that the
very gospel of Jesus Christ has been left behind? We gather in large numbers,
attend all the functions, and assume Jesus is somewhere in our midst. But are
we, like Mary and Joseph, carrying on with our routines and ministries, only to
find after a long and anxious search, that the Christ of the cross and
resurrection is absent from the core message?
Pastor, could Jesus Christ and his gospel be
missing in all your sermons?
·
Could Christ be missing when the primary focus is on
self-improvement, prosperity, and personal success? Without the transformative power of the
cross, self-help sermons can leave people to rely on their own strength, which
is a hopeless endeavor. The Apostle Paul insisted on knowing "nothing among you except Jesus Christ
and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). He also warned against
preaching "another gospel" (Galatians 1:8-9).
·
Could Christ be missing when the message is reduced to a list of
rules and moral codes? Preaching morality apart from the gospel places the burden
of salvation on human effort, leading people away from true grace. Paul
emphasizes that salvation is "not
of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works" (Ephesians 2:8-9).
We are saved for good works, not because of them.
·
Could Christ be missing when we fill our sermons with stories
and anecdotes that distract from the main thing? The early church's primary theme was
Christ and the gospel, a heritage we must not abandon for anything more "creative, beneficial, or
important". Paul reminds us that "what
we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord" (2 Corinthians
4:5).
Mary and Joseph's anxiety is a mirror for our
own spiritual hunger. The genuine, life-giving power of our faith is not in the
programs we run or the size of our crowds, but in the person of Jesus Christ.
If we leave him behind, we will inevitably search in distress until we return
to where he can be found—in his Father's house, among his word. As Hebrews 12:2
states, we are called to be "fixing
our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith".
This is not a condemnation but a loving call
to examine our priorities. It is a reminder that the true joy of the faith is
not in assuming Christ is present, but in diligently seeking him in the
Scriptures, where all of his truth resides (2 Timothy 3:16). Let us, as leaders
and as the church, commit anew to the one thing that matters: to stay focused
on Christ. Let us ensure that in all our preaching, the living Word, Jesus
Christ, is never lost from our midst.
Sincerely,
Apostle Edward Freedom
