Doing My Father's Work
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
41 Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for Passover. 42 And when Jesus was twelve years old, they all went there as usual for the celebration. 43 After Passover his parents left, but they did not know that Jesus had stayed on in the city. 44 They thought he was traveling with some other people, and they went a whole day before they started looking for him. 45 When they could not find him with their relatives and friends, they went back to Jerusalem and started looking for him there. 46 Three days later they found Jesus sitting in the temple, listening to the teachers and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was surprised at how much he knew and at the answers he gave. 48 When his parents found him, they were amazed. His mother said, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been very worried, and we have been searching for you!” 49 Jesus answered, “Why did you have to look for me? Didn't you know that I would be in my Father's house?” 50 But they did not understand what he meant. 51 Jesus went back to Nazareth with his parents and obeyed them. His mother kept on thinking about all that had happened. 52 Jesus became wise, and he grew strong. God was pleased with him and so were the people.
Luke 2:41-52
10 God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. This is why he sent Christ to make us what we are.
Ephesians 2:10
Memory Verse
Luke 2:49
49 Jesus answered, “Why did you have to look for me? Didn't you know that I would be in my Father's house?”
What was Jesus like as a kid? How do you picture him? Was he preparing for God’s special plans for him? How much was the boy Jesus like you?
We have one story about Jesus when he was just a twelve-year-old boy. Jesus traveled with his family to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. After the festival was over, Jesus’ family began the journey home, but Jesus wasn’t with them. They couldn’t find him anywhere.
After three days, they found Jesus in the temple courts listening to the teachers, asking them questions, and sharing amazing answers. His worried mother said, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been very worried, and we have been searching for you!”
Jesus asked them why they were searching for him and then said, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” It can be also translated as “doing my Father’s work.” Jesus told his parents that he was God’s Son and that God had a special purpose for him. The rest of the story shows how the young Jesus did his Father’s work: he lived obediently with his parents, and he grew up blessed by both God and people.
So how is the boy Jesus like us? We are also God’s children, and God has some important plans for each of us. As we wonder about and work on God’s call, we too are equipped and blessed by other people and by God. So let’s move forward and do our Father’s work that he has “prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).
Prayer
Thank you, Jesus, for coming to earth and being a kid like me. You came to do your Father’s work, and I thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Help me to see how I can also do the work that God has planned for me. Thank you, God, for all the gifts you’ve given me to do that work. Amen.Related Resources
Ron VandenBurg
Senior Producer of Children’s Ministry at ReFrame Ministries
Ron VandenBurg joined the ReFrame Ministries team in 2014. He plans and develops projects specifically for the spiritual formation of children. Before coming to ReFrame, Ron taught middle-school for 27 years. Ron completed a M. Ed. degree in Teaching, Learning and Development at Brock University. Ron and Rachel have three fantastic adult children and one grandchild and reside in Ontario.