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<DIV><FONT color=#000000><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=4><FONT color=#000000>God, in the words of the
Irish Dominican poet, Paul Murray, loves us so much that if we should cease to
exist, he would die of sadness. The Christmas stories reveal to us that God
loved Her human children so much that He took on human form so that he could
show us how to live and how to die, even walking</FONT> <FONT color=#000000>with
us down to the valley of death itself.
</FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><A
href="http://www.agreeley.com/hom09/dec27.htmm"><FONT size=4
face="Times New Roman">http://www.agreeley.com/hom09/dec27.htm</FONT></A></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=4>Andrew M.
Greeley,</FONT> <FONT size=4>2009</FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt">- - - -
-</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=4><FONT color=#000000>In a culture that calls
for clarity and conclusive ways of understanding</FONT> <FONT
color=#000000>God's good news in Christ, we offer a text this day that ends in
pondering and lack of understanding. The conclusion of the story does not
nail</FONT> <FONT color=#000000>things down.
</FONT></FONT></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
size=4><A
href="http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?lect_date=12/27/2009"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?lect_date=12/27/2009</FONT></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman">#</FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman">Ginger Barfield</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman">- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT color=#000000
size=4 face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=3 face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=4>This is the only
passage in the Bible that tells of Jesus’ boyhood.</FONT> </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT color=#000000
size=4 face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT color=#000000
size=4 face="Times New Roman"><A
href="http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/cxms1m.shtml">http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/cxms1m.shtml</A></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=4>Chris Haslam</FONT>
</FONT></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
size=4>- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
size=4></FONT></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT color=#000000
size=4 face="Times New Roman">While 1 Samuel </FONT><FONT size=4
face="Times New Roman">3</FONT><FONT color=#000000 size=4
face="Times New Roman"> does not tell us the age at which Samuel began to
prophesy, </FONT><FONT size=4 face="Times New Roman">Josephus</FONT><FONT
color=#000000 size=3 face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=4> says that it was at
age 12.</FONT> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4><></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=4><FONT color=#000000><EM>Verse
49</EM>: “must”: The Greek word is <EM>dei</EM>. <EM>Dei</EM> is used 18 times
in Luke and 22 times in Acts. </FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=4><FONT color=#000000><EM>Verse
49</EM>: “be in my Father’s house”: The Greek is difficult. Other possible
translations are <EM>be involved in my Father’s affairs</EM> and <EM>be among
those belonging to my Father</EM>.</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><A
href="http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/cxms1l.shtml"><FONT size=4
face="Times New Roman">http://montreal.anglican.org/comments/archive/cxms1l.shtml</FONT></A></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT color=#000000
size=4 face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman">
<DIV><FONT size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=4>Chris Haslam</FONT>
</FONT></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
size=4>- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT size=4><FONT
color=#000000 face="Times New Roman"> </DIV>
<DIV>It is also worth noting that Luke gives a central role to temple
authorities as teachers, reflecting his view of the centrality of the temple and
its importance. Just as 2:39 repeats that Mary and Joseph were obeying biblical
Law, so now Jesus engages in learning in the context of biblical Law. Jesus has
not come, according to Luke, to demolish the tradition, but to uphold it and
expand it.</DIV>
<DIV></FONT></FONT></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT size=4><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><A
href="http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/LkChristmas1.htm">http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/LkChristmas1.htm</A></FONT></FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=4><FONT color=#000000><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=4><FONT color=#000000 size=4
face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman">William
Loader</FONT></SPAN></DIV><FONT color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman">
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
size=4 face="Times New Roman">- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT size=4
face="Times New Roman"><FONT color=#000000></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000>It was the Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran, in The Prophet,
who first alerted me to the fact that, <EM>“Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They came through
you but not from you and though they are with you yet they belong not to
you.”</EM></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000>Over the past twenty five years I have learnt the truth
of this saying as I have not tried to be my sons’, controller, dictator,
policeman, moralist, publicist nor garbage disposal unit.<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000>In fact learning to be, not the perfect parent, just
the Good Enough Parent, is what taught me so much about God’s
parenting.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#000000></FONT></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
size=4 face="Times New Roman"><A
href="http://thelisteninghermit.wordpress.com/2009/12/23/learning-from-our-children-christmas-1c/">http://thelisteninghermit.wordpress.com/2009/12/23/learning-from-our-children-christmas-1c/</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman">Peter
Woods, 2009</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman">- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
size=4 face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman">I’ll be focusing on the importance
of the Incarnation, and of Jesus’ own <SPAN
style="TEXT-DECORATION: line-through">blindness to</SPAN> lack of comprehension
of his own divinity. And the struggle that his parents and those around
him had with his burgeoning role as messiah.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><A
href="http://blog.tonyj.net/2009/12/young-jesus-in-the-temple/"><FONT
size=4>http://blog.tonyj.net/2009/12/young-jesus-in-the-temple/</FONT></A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT color=#000000></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT color=#000000 size=4>Tony
Jones, 2009</FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT color=#000000 size=4>- - - -
-</FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=4><FONT color=#000000><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"></SPAN></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman">For a while, as our faith is still
in its infancy or childhood, we may hold on to Jesus and treasure him in our
hearts.<BR>But as our faith in Jesus grows, we are be willing to “lose” him and
release him to the world and let the world find the “lost”
Jesus.<BR></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman">As he was born in our hearts, we
should let him “go” so that he might be born in other people’s hearts as well,
for although he belongs to us, he also belongs to the world.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman"><A
href="http://www.saintsinsincity.org/?p=2334">http://www.saintsinsincity.org/?p=2334</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman">Edward
Granadosin</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4 face="Times New Roman">- - - - -</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR: #663300; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"><FONT
color=#000000 size=4
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