Vineyard Church Peninsula (Archives)

Imagine God voluntarily becoming human, leaving aside heaven's indescribable perfection and submitting to the limitations and awkwardnesses involved in passing from infancy, through childhood, adolescence, and finally, getting to rejoin his parents on their way out of Jerusalem after the festival.  Imagine the shock of the teachers of the law as this 'unschooled child of poor parents' authoritatively opened their understanding of Scripture as He did a direct God 'translation.'  Imagine the troubling images that His words conjured up for Joseph and Mary, who'd made every effort to move on from those painful early episodes and who were trying to live happy, under-the-radar lives with this special child.