Remember Who You Are
Scripture References
1 Kings 3:4-15
Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom
4 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” 6 And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” 10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. 14 And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” 15 And Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.
Ephesians 1:3-14
Bible Server Section Heading
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Luke 2:40-51
The Boy Jesus in the Temple
40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43 And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44 but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49 And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50 And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature[9] and in favor with God and man.
Sermon Script
A New Year Reflection
God’s richest blessings to you as we move into 2026…. Now as we look forward with hope together on this First Sunday of a New Year, we can’t help but remain inspired by Christ’s enduring light from the manger… thus drawn into reflection.
For some… reflection might be directed to a recent family gathering… where meals, stories, laughter, or tears were shared. I don’t know about you, but our family gathering reminded me that… for better or for worse… “that apple didn’t fall far from the tree.” For the most part, it was enjoyable to see things such as attitudes, physical traits, or traditions that I have played a part in passing down… even to the grandchildren. Some of which were passed along to me from my ancestors.
It seems, you don’t have to look very far to see a resemblance in one way or another as family’s are shaped in ways both seen and unseen. This underscores the powerful impact of family on personal identity, reminding us at the dawn of a New Year to celebrate who we are and what has molded us into what we have become, forging hope through family for generations to come.
Identity
As we gather on this Second Sunday after Christmas, we are invited to pause and consider the foundations of our faith and identity… how we perceive ourselves in relation to God and to one another.
Let’s take a look how this identity is relevant in the readings given to us on this day… In the Old Testament lesson in 1 Kings, Solomon’s identity is revealed when he asked for wisdom. Not for his own gain, but to faithfully serve his people as God’s chosen leader… Paul’s words to the Ephesians remind us that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Chosen and adopted as God’s beloved children… And in Luke’s Gospel, the young Jesus demonstrates both His deep connection to God and His obedience to His earthly family, growing in wisdom and stature… We will come back to this lesson in a moment.
But first I want to point out that each of these readings shared with you a few moments ago, call for us to remember who we are, grounded in God’s love and purpose for our lives. Rooted in a spiritual family value where… “The apple, they say… never rolls so far that it does not make known where it belongs…” In ways great and small, this applies to us all.
God’s Family
Today, inspired by new resolutions and fresh starts, let’s focus on our sense of belonging and identity as members of God’s family. Through baptism, Christians enter into this family, nurtured, and enriched with all spiritual gifts in Christ. These blessings are given to us by grace, received through faith.
What we do with these gifts shape who we are, in both seen and unseen ways, influencing our actions, attitudes, and relationships. That’s why it becomes important to remember who you are… Resting in the truth that Jesus is God’s Son and that we are His children.
But to fully understand what it means to be a child of God… as Christians we still must consider these questions… What sort of DNA has God passed on to me as His child? What spiritual traits or traditions come from being united in God’s family? How should having God as my Father shape my life?
Remember Who You Are
I read a book not long ago that was written by a research group who asked hundreds of young adults between the ages of 18-26, referred to as Gen Z’s, how they perceive Christianity. In a nutshell, what they found was, when these young adults interact with people that identify as Christians, it soon turns to… hypocrisy, judgmentalism, insensitivity, or divisiveness… Could this be true? In many instances they are not wrong. So, when they see these traits attached to Christian identity, they don’t want to be part of that family.
To make matters worse, the Gen Zs are exposed to music artists who wear gold cross’s yet sing of drugs and murder and a world that says “Merry Christmas” yet does not know what that means. They yearn to identify a Christian with a genetic makeup of someone that doesn’t swear or have any of the attributes I mentioned earlier. Doesn’t work on the sabbath and overwhelms his neighbor with good works.
Did I just describe the DNA of a Christian…? Or your LDS neighbor down the street? From this perspective, it is crucial to express identity from the inside out… That is why it becomes important as we begin this new year… to “Remember who you are.”
In this world today, I have even seen those who claim to be Christians… want forgiveness without repentance, communion without confession, and grace without the cross. Dietrich Bonhoeffer describes this attitude by saying, “they want all the benefits of Christendom, without the cost involved.” Thus, the DNA of a Christian must come with intentional obedience to God and loving service to neighbor.
You can begin to see why a large percentage of the younger generation, or anyone else for that matter, has trouble identifying what a true Christian family member is supposed to look like. There is a good reason why Solomon asked for an understanding heart, to discern between right and wrong…
Christian Identity
Let’s go back now and look at Christian identity from the perspective of today’s Gospel lesson. Here Luke documents Jesus’s only recorded activity when He was a youth, highlighting His transition from birth to His later mission which included His journey to the cross. Martin Luther noted this in one of his Christmas sermons, where he stated, “The crib and the cross are not very far apart.” And that is so true… Thus, the account of 12-year-old Jesus in the temple serves as a bridge from the crib to the cross.
Luther was underlining the purpose of Jesus’s incarnation beginning with the angel’s message, “unto you is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord.” And continuing with Luke’s statement, “And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.” At a very young age Jesus was beginning to reveal who He is.
As we begin to make the connection of the divinity in this young boy, we start to see a blueprint of what it truly means to be adopted into His divine family through faith. It starts here… You see, in this passage, the twelve-year-old Jesus is found in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening, asking questions, and astonishing everyone with His understanding.
Even as a youth, Jesus reveals His unique identity… grounded in relationship with God the Father and lived out through wisdom, obedience, and purpose. When his parents find Him, He gently reminds them, “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Signifying His awareness of His divine Sonship and calling.
Jesus is our Identity
Years later, this is the very same question that would be asked of those women who came out to Jesus’ tomb early on that Easter morning when they go to anoint His body. For when they arrive, the stone is rolled away, Jesus is not there, and the angel says to them… “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen.’”
You know… it wasn’t until Jesus’ death and resurrection… it wasn’t until He opened the Scriptures to them…
it wasn’t until after the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost… that Mary and the disciples, would fully understand what Jesus’ DNA was all about.
It wasn’t until then that they fully understood what the angel meant when he announced to the shepherds on that Christmas day, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord…” When they were able to look back to that night in Bethlehem, it was then that they understood what the angels were really singing about in that first Christmas carol, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good-will toward men…”
That little babe in a manger grew up to be a Savior from sin and death, a Savior who Himself would die as the payment price for the sins of the entire world, a Savior who would bring peace, forgiveness, and an eternal promise from the One Holy God to sinners like you and like me. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, are connected to Christian identity. And no one can take that from us…
The Crib And The Cross
We begin to see that today in a 12-year-old boy who spent three days in the temple… even though His hour had not yet come. And so, Jesus humbly returns from Jerusalem to Nazareth with Mary and Joseph and is submissive to them… “increasing in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”
Yet we all know, and I say again, the time did come. He would return to Jerusalem as the Passover Lamb, as the Prophet and Teacher, and… yes… the Savior, Christ the Lord. For that is Jesus’ identity… that is the reason why He was born in Bethlehem’s manger… that is the reason why He came into this world… Remember, that same Jesus… is who we belong too.
I think the answers to the questions I posed earlier about our identity in Christ are found… because… the crib and the cross are not very far apart. Jesus’ identity from a newborn King to our risen savior, is part of our spiritual DNA. With this truth, our family traditions will reflect His presence in everything we do. That special gift my fellow Christians, will be a trait that will be easily identifiable, even to the Gen Z’s.
Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians, that our Lord and Savior, “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” We are chosen, redeemed, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. Our identity is not defined by the shifting tides of society, but by God’s eternal love and purpose for us. In Him, we will be blessed with purpose, belonging, forgiveness, and hope…. Because of this assurance, we will be able to stand out in a crowd and be identified as a child of God.
Remember Who You Are
And so, today God calls gently and winsomely to His people. We are the children of God, we have His name on us, and we must act that way. We will reflect our Father’s character when we forgive, love, serve, care, teach others, and continue learning, demonstrating His wisdom through our actions.
Now that a new year has begun, it gives us great opportunity to show our spiritual DNA in this family. To share our belief and who we belong to… To show the world that being rooted in our Father’s house cultivates compassion, humility, and a seeking heart… as demonstrated by 12-year-old Jesus as He revealed who He is.
Because we are chosen by God… His character will be visible in our lives, setting us apart from the world. Then pay it forward as the Gen Z’s are looking to us to show them what that looks like… it is God’s calling for us to point them to His truth.
Brothers and sisters in Christ… we are a Christian family… That is who we are… and hold fast to the truth that our spiritual journey is linked to Christ’s story. Let His example inspire you to embrace purpose, courage, and compassion in this New Year.
So, as we begin 2026, remember we are “the apple of our Fathers eye.” As children of God, we reflect our Father’s character and love. Make this your New Years resolution… Invite His wisdom and blessing to guide your way. Step forward with faith, purpose, and gratitude, knowing your identity in Christ will sustain and empower you. And rejoice that you will not fall far from that tree, whose roots and branches stretch into eternity.
Amen