Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Dr. James H. Ritchie, Jr., a clergy member of the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference. A native of Pittsburgh, PA Jim received his B.A. from Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio; his M.Div. from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio; and his Ed.D. in religious education from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Jim is a consultant and is called upon regularly to lead inter-generational experiences and to teach in various settings on the subjects of children and worship, music and education, curriculum and human sexuality education for children.

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Created by God Student Book

Abingdon Press

Contents

Introduction......................................................6Chapter 1 Changes Happening.......................................11Chapter 2 Fantastic Female and Marvelous Male.....................21Chapter 3 Making Our Way Through Puberty..........................40Chapter 4 Created by God for Intimacy.............................69Chapter 5 Creating With God.......................................82Chapter 6 The Question Box........................................99Glossary..........................................................137

Chapter One

Jesus as a Teenager? First Century Family Travel Constant Change Name That Change Growing in Wisdom Families Change as You Change Belonging to God's Family

Jesus as a Teenager?—of course

Have you ever wondered what it was like for Jesus as a tween? Do you think he ever spent time daydreaming? What do you think he looked forward to when he was "all grown up"? What were the signals that helped him know he was maturing as a human being and as God's child?

We find insights about Jesus' childhood only in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, verses 41-52. Here we see the story of Jesus, with his family, traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. Each spring they would worship in the Temple there, joining friends and family in a meal that used special words, foods, and actions to remember how—many centuries earlier—God had delivered the people of Israel from Egyptian slavery.

But this year was different, one that had been anticipated by Jesus and his parents since he was born, twelve years before. According to Jewish tradition, young males at twelve were received into "adulthood" in the eyes of the worshiping community through a ceremony called a bar mitzvah (MITS-veh), which means "son of command" or "son of godly living." As such, Jesus would have new privileges such as worshiping with the men and new responsibilities for helping to keep the faith alive. He would also be expected to make wise choices. In many ways, this visit to Jerusalem and to the Temple would celebrate his growing up.

First Century Family Travel

No minivans with roof racks piled high and traveling in caravan for the families from Nazareth! More likely, the Jewish families going to Jerusalem from the tiny town about 65 miles to the north, walked with perhaps a donkey or two to carry a few possessions. And chances are they didn't walk in individual family groups. You can probably visualize the men walking and talking together, the women with the youngest children, and the older children running along between the two groups, playing games and shouting as they go. And no motels along the way! Travel to Jerusalem involved several nights of camping as they walked through the valleys and over the hills and mountains.

Finally, they arrive! Jerusalem is bustling with thousands of Passover pilgrims. Every day Jesus visits the Temple, listening eagerly as the teachers read and explain the meaning of Torah (God's Word or law for the people). He sees the sacrifices offered to God and participates in the bar mitzvah ceremony granting him the privileges and responsibilities of a Jewish adult.

But then the week is over, and the pilgrims begin leaving for their remote villages. Mary and Joseph gather their belongings, join the Nazareth group, and begin the long walk. Mary may wonder why Jesus isn't there to help pack up, but then likely thinks that since the bar mitzvah, Jesus is with his father and the other men. Maybe she smiles at the thought of her special son. And Joseph, with the other men, likely assumes that Jesus is traveling with his mother, just as he has always done. He may realize that despite the ceremony, Jesus is still a child in many ways and may be with the other children.

Evening comes, and at the campsite Mary and Joseph realize that Jesus is not with either of them. They check throughout the entire caravan and realize with panic that their son is not with the group. Of course, they start the day's journey back to Jerusalem at the first light. Imagine your parents' reaction if this had happened to them!

For another three days they search the city. Jesus has now been missing as many as five days. The last remaining place to look is the Temple. Stunned, Mary and Joseph find him sitting at the feet of the teachers, listening carefully to all they had to say. So much to absorb!

How would he ever take it in? Faces full of amazement, the teachers listen to the questions and answers Jesus offers. And what relief for Mary and Joseph! Then those feelings may have turned to bewilderment and even a bit of anger. Why would Jesus do such a thing? Jesus must have seen the worry and fear, because he asks, "Didn't you know that I had to be in my Father's house?" sounding surprised that his parents didn't know where he would be.

The story ends with these words: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years" (getting wise and older), "and in divine and human favor" (growing in his relationships with God and with others) (Luke 2:52).

As Jesus traveled with his family to Jerusalem and back, he was also in the midst of his journey of adolescence (a-doh-LES-sens), the period of growth between childhood and adulthood. Like you, he was growing, wondering, testing, and discovering what it meant to be an adult. His body was changing in many ways—with new feelings and sensations. New muscles and new coordination were likely evident. Surely his interests began to change from those of a child. And while his family remained very important to him, he was also developing relationships outside his family. All this was very normal then, and it's normal for you now.

Constant Change

You may be twelve, or maybe you are nine, ten, eleven, or thirteen as you read this book. Think about how you have grown and changed in the past few years—in obvious ways that have caused others to comment and in minor ways that only you have noticed. Have you wondered, Am I supposed to be growing this fast? Should I be growing faster? How long is this going to continue? Why can't I look like everyone else? Do other kids feel as awkward as I do? Am I weird? Is this normal?

Normal is change. And normal change is specific to YOU. What we mean is that there is no exact timetable for change that all adolescents follow. As a pre-adolescent or an adolescent, you will be experiencing dramatic growth and change over the next several years—the noticeable and the unnoticeable. All that is perfectly normal, predictable, and even desirable. And it will be on your own timetable.

Stop and think: have you noticed changes in your energy level—one moment you're ready to run a marathon with energy to spare, and the next you're so tired you could fall asleep on your feet? What about sudden shifts in your emotions—you're laughing happily with your best friends when, without warning, you find yourself angry at them as though they were your worst enemies? Do you seem to have suddenly outgrown your clothes? And do you ask yourself, What are these changes in my body?

NOTE: The words you see printed in this kind of type are ones you can find in the glossary located in the back of the book. The words you might have difficulty pronouncing are...