Disciples
Are…
Prepared
The
First
Fold
Sirach
6.32-37
Luke
2.41-52
Central
Presbyterian
Church
Lafayette,
IN
October18,
2009
Rev.
Dr.
William
M.
Smutz
Sirach
6.32-37
–
“If
you
are
willing,
my
child,
you
can
be
disciplined,
and
if
you
apply
yourself
you
will
become
clever.
If
you
love
to
listen
you
will
gain
knowledge,
and
if
you
pay
attention
you
will
become
wise.
Stand
in
the
company
of
elders.
Who
is
wise?
Attach
yourself
to
such
a
one.
Be
ready
to
listen
to
every
godly
discourse,
and
let
no
wise
proverbs
escape
you.
If
you
see
an
intelligent
person,
rise
early
to
visit
him;
let
your
foot
wear
out
his
doorstep.
Reflect
on
the
statues
of
the
Lord,
and
meditate
at
all
times
on
his
commandments.
It
is
he
who
will
give
insight
to
your
mind,
and
your
desire
for
wisdom
will
be
granted.”
(Sirach
was
authored
by
a
highly
respected
Jerusalem
scribe
about
180
BCE.
He
was
a
wisdom
teacher,
perhaps
the
founder
of
a
wisdom
school,
and
perhaps
a
temple
priest.
This
book
is
part
of
the
Apocrypha
–
Jewish
religious
literature
written
following
the
close
of
the
Hebrew
Scriptures
and
the
coming
of
Jesus.
Modern
biblical
scholars
believe
Jesus’
thought
was
greatly
influenced
by
Apocryphal
writings.
Sirach
was
also
widely
used
by
early
Christians.)
Our
Gospel
lesson
is
the
only
biblical
story
we
have
about
Jesus
that
takes
place
between
his
birth
and
his
emergence
as
a
teacher
of
faith
and
wisdom
when
he
was
around
thirty.
For
me
the
crucial
part
of
this
story
has
always
been
the
last
verse
–
Luke
2.52
which
in
some
translations
reads,
‘And
Jesus
increased
in
wisdom
and
stature,
and
in
favor
with
God
and
all
people.’
This
verse
is
important
to
me
because
of
a
man
named,
William
H.
Danforth,
a
very
creative
person,
who
among
other
things,
founded
the
Ralston
Purina
company,
that
makes
all
the
different
kinds
of
pet
foods.
He
was
the
author
of
a
book
entitled
I
Dare
You,
where
he
describes
his
four-fold
philosophy
for
life
based
on
the
example
of
Jesus
in
Luke
2:52
–
that
a
person
should
push
themselves
to
continually
grow
mentally,
physically,
socially
and
religiously
–
in
all
the
ways
that
Luke
tells
us
Jesus
grew.
Mr.
Danforth
also
helped
create
a
youth
leadership
training
foundation
and
summer
camping
program
based
on
this
four-fold
philosophy.
As
a
teenager,
I
had
the
opportunity
to
spend
several
summers
at
this
camp,
where
I
drank
deeply
from
the
four-fold
well.
So,
when
I
started
to
think
about
the
idea
of
what
it
means
for
disciples
to
be
people
who
are
prepared.
That
disciples
are
those
who
prepare
themselves
for
the
service
and
work
that
God
wants
us
to
be
about
And
that
one
of
the
ways
we
disciples
prepare
ourselves
for
doing
what
God
wants
us
to
do,
is
through
study.
But
then
there
are
questions!
What
does
this
mental
growth
look
like?;
What
are
we
suppose
to
be
learning?;
Who
offers
we
disciples
the
wisdom
that
Jesus
demonstrates
as
he
speaks
to
and
questions
those
teachers
in
the
temple?
Jesus
would
have
known
of
our
lesson
from
the
Apocryphal
book
of
Sirach.
Just
as
it
more
than
likely
pushed
him
to
be
a
learner,
to
be
mentally
prepared;
I
think
this
text
is
also
full
of
ideas
for
us.
The
child
who
wants
to
become
like
his
or
her
teacher;
the
student
or
disciple
who
wants
to
become
like
her
or
his
master,
must
be
willing
and
disciplined;
must
apply
oneself
in
order
to
become
clever;
must
listen
to
gain
knowledge;
must
pay
attention
to
become
wise;
must
follow
the
right
teachers;
must
listen
–
I
find
it
interesting
that
listening
gets
mentioned
twice;
a
disciple
must
not
waste
time;
but
must
think
about
the
expectations
of
the
Lord
all
the
time……
Throughout
the
Gospels,
Jesus
models
for
us
how
God
provides
us
what
we
need
as
he
is
frequently
in
conversation
with
God
through
prayer;
seeking
the
knowledge
that
would
help
him
serve
faithfully!
Our
Gospel
lesson
tells
us
that
when
Mary
and
Joseph
finally
found
Jesus
after
three
days
of
frantic
searching,
he
was
in
the
temple,
sitting
among
the
teachers
–those
who
knew
the
Hebrew
Scriptures
like
the
back
of
their
hand,
those
who
tried
to
understand
God’s
desires
for
humankind
based
on
the
words
of
the
scriptures.
Jesus
was
sitting
among
these
teachers,
listening
and
asking
them
questions.
In
our
culture
of
the
twenty-four
hour
news
cycle,
of
the
internet,
of
instant
personal
communication
through
emails
and
cell
phones
and
text
messages,
facebook
and
twittering…
In
the
face
of
all
this
communicating,
listening
has
sadly
become
a
lost
art.
But
according
to
the
model
that
Jesus
offers
us
for
growing
mentally
and
preparing
ourselves
to
be
wise
disciples,
thoughtful
listening
is
an
absolute
requirement
if
we
are
going
to
ask
helpful
and
insightful
questions.
For
when
Jesus
had
pondered,
had
mulled
over,
all
the
information
that
the
wise
teachers
provided
him,
he
then
asked
them
deep
questions,
challenging
questions,
in
order
to
learn
even
more.
In
our
information
age,
where
we
supposedly
know
so
much,
someone
questioning
our
knowledge
can
make
us
feel
very
insecure.
There
was
another
saying
that
I
learned
at
Mr.
Danforth’s
summer
camp
all
those
years
ago.
And
yet,
as
a
disciple
of
Jesus,
I
have
found
this
motto
to
be
too
individualistic.
It
says
that
I
really
only
have
to
worry
about
my
own
personal
growth
and
development.
But
such
individualized
thinking
doesn’t
work,
in
my
opinion,
when
it
comes
to
us
disciples.
For
Jesus
invites
disciples;
Jesus
invites
us,
to
act
as
a
group,
to
act
for
each
other.
We
disciples
prepare
ourselves
because
we
want
to
serve
God
to
the
very
best
of
our
abilities.
We
disciples
prepare
ourselves
because
we
want
to
join
Jesus
in
changing
the
world
for
the
glory
of
God.