Towards Sunday by Linden Showalter
We remembered the birth of Jesus on Monday. Now the angels have returned to their places in the heavens. The shepherds have returned to their flocks. Joseph and Mary and their newborn child are back in Nazareth (I think, though we’re not told in so many words.) Circumcision and naming on the eighth day – done. Back to ordinary life. Back to the grind. Oh, but there’s another little detail to carry out – the purification rites, required by the Law forty days after the birth of a firstborn son. And this requires another trip – almost identical to the earlier trip to Bethlehem for the census. Only this time, it’s to the Temple in Jerusalem.
A young family traveling the dusty roads – a dad, mom, kid, maybe a donkey again, nothing about them would draw a second glance. They enter the city probably through the Damascus Gate, and head for the Temple. Yet, something is remarkable about this family. Can anyone see it? The child is destined to be the One Anointed with a holy mission and message. Does anyone know? And if so, who? Who knows?
Who knows?
We’ve been asking another question for five weeks now – How will we know?
How will we know?
Maybe there’s a clue to answering the question “How will we know?” in this Sunday’s follow-up question “Who knows?” Or from our perspective 2000 years later, “Who knew?”
If you already know, pretend you don’t, and let the suspense build towards Sunday.
~ Linden
