31 Days of Prayer: DAY 25

FOCUS VERSES: When he was 12 years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to their custom. After the festival was over, they were returning home, but the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t know it. —Luke 2:42-43

PRAYER OF PRESENCE: 

God, whose love does not let us go,
In the stillness, we open our hearts to Your presence.
Draw near and center us in Your love and grace.
May You gentle light guide our thoughts,
Your peace calm our souls,
And Your Spirit move within us,
That we may reflect experience your peace and grace.
Amen.

SCRIPTURE: Luke 2:39-52

HYMN FOR REFLECTION:
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyGC-Wz1C6M 

Come, Holy Ghost, All-Quickening Fire
Charles Wesley, 1707–1788

1. Come, Holy Ghost, all-quickening fire,
   Come, and my hallowed heart inspire,
   Sprinkled with the atoning blood;
   Now to my soul Thyself reveal,
   Thy mighty working let me feel,
   And know that I am one with God.
2. Thy witness with my spirit bear,
   That God, my God, inhabits there;
   Thou, with the Father, and the Son,
   Eternal Light’s coeval Beam,
   Be Christ in me, and I in Him,
   Till perfect we are made in one.
3. When wilt Thou my whole heart subdue?
   Come, Lord, and form my soul anew;
   Emptied of pride, and self, and hell:
   Less than the least of all Thy store
   Of mercies, I myself abhor;
   All, all my vileness may I feel.
4. Humble, and teachable, and mild,
   O may I, as a little child,
   My lowly Master’s steps pursue!
   Be anger to my soul unknown;
   Hate, envy, jealousy, be gone;
   In love create Thou all things new.
5. Let earth no more my heart divide;
   With Christ may I be crucified;
   To Thee with my whole soul aspire;
   Dead to the world and all its toys,
   Its idle pomp, and fading joys,
   Be Thou alone my one desire.
6. Be Thou my joy, be Thou my dread;
   In my heart’s inmost spirit spread;
   Thy love my heart’s perfection prove;
   Come, Holy Ghost, for Thee I call;
   Spirit of grace, my all in all,
   My God, and my eternal love!

REFLECTION

When Linda and I became new parents, an surprising experience transformed my understanding of responsibility and awareness. At the time, I worked as a technical supervisor for an internet company. My team’s shift started early, from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Linda and I decided to stagger our leave so our new baby could spend as much time as possible at home. During my time off, I took on all the duties of a new parent—bathing, feeding, diaper changing (a lot of diaper changing!), and caring for the precious new life we had ushered into the world.

After several days at home, I decided to head to my favorite restaurant for lunch. It was a familiar and normal routine: grab clothes, shoes, wallet, keys, and go. But as I drove, something felt… off. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something—more appropriately, someone. I stopped the car and looked at the back seat, noticing an empty space where the car seat should have been. To my terror and surprise, I had forgotten my brand-new child at home.

As I think back on that moment now, I can’t help but draw a connection to the story in Luke 2:39-52, where Mary and Joseph, traveling home from the festival in Jerusalem, realize that Jesus is missing. In their case, they hadn’t forgotten him—he had stayed behind—but the panic and worry they must have felt resonates deeply with me as a parent. When they found Jesus, he was in the temple, completely calm, sitting among the teachers and astonishing them with his understanding. Mary and Joseph’s relief was met with Jesus’ surprising response: “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

This moment in Scripture reminds us of the mystery of Jesus’ identity—fully human and fully divine. For Mary and Joseph, this must have been a profound realization: their little boy wasn’t just their child but also the Son of God, with a mission and purpose far beyond their understanding.

Part of me wants to believe this realization brought Mary and Joseph great joy. But another part recalls the words of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35), who told Mary that her child was “destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed...” Knowing their son was the long-awaited Messiah must have been an unimaginable blessing, but also a reminder that his path—and theirs—would be fraught with difficulty and sacrifice.

As people called to journey with others, we often feel a sense of responsibility for the lives entrusted to us. We want to protect, guide, and nurture them. Yet, there comes a time when we are reminded that others—whether our children, students, or loved ones—do not ultimately belong to us. They belong to God. Mary and Joseph’s story invites us to consider what it means to release our own plans and expectations, trusting instead in the greater purposes God has for those we love.

As part of a people of prayer and song, I find myself drawn to the words of Charles Wesley and other hymn writers who help us articulate the grammar of faith. In his hymn “Come, Holy Ghost, All-Quickening Fire,” Wesley captures the beauty of the Spirit’s renewing work. He writes of a Spirit that “subdues our pride” and “forms our souls anew.” The hymn calls us to surrender control and trust that God’s plans—though often beyond our comprehension—are always good and redemptive.

As we reflect on Jesus’ time in the temple and his response to his parents, we too are called to seek the Father’s house. Whether we are parents, mentors, or simply followers of Christ, this story reminds us to trust in God’s purpose and timing. And when we feel the panic and worry that Mary and Joseph must have felt, may we take comfort in knowing that the One who calls us to His house also journeys with us every step of the way.

CLOSING PRAYER:

Fire of the Spirit, life of the lives of creatures,
spiral of sanctity, bond of all natures,
glow of charity, lights of clarity,
taste of sweetness to sinners—
be with us and hear us.

Composer of all things, light of all the risen,
key of salvation, release from the dark prison,
hope of all unions, scope of all chastities,
joy in the glory, strong honor—
be with us and hear us. Amen.

—Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)

WEEKLY PRACTICE: Jan 19 - 25 (Sun - Sat)

Petition: Asking For Needs and Desires in Prayer

Each day this week take time to ask God for something from your heart and mind as you focus on seeking to engage life with the mind of Christ. It can sometimes be hard to focus on self and even feel selfish to ask for anything while knowing the breadth of challenges people are facing around the world and right next door. Yet, God chooses us and love us and so it is good to ask freely and without hesitation. By faith, God not only hears and feals with you, but will answer with the passion of love and grace which also abides in you. 

May you be filled with passion for whatever your heart desires and may that passion be fueled and inspired by God’s dabiding love. Amen.