Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1935-04-11
JESUS OF NAZARETH

Rev. H. c. Strandskov. who has
retired and is living with his fam
lily in their property at As'kOv.
gives some of his thoughts on the
old, old story of the IL year old
boy, Jesus of Nazareth. Rev.
Strandskov's letter follows:
We have as our text today the story
of the IL year old boy Jesus, who
went up to Jerusalem to the Passover
Festival with his parents and was
this year so deeply and intensively
stirred and moved by His Passover
Festivity experiences in Gods Temple
that He did not for one moment seem
to have been disturbed or distressed
by the fact that He did not for five
days happen to meet His parents.
We hear how this IL year old boy
day after day for five days took His
chance to go to the Temple Courts,
where the teachers of the Temple as
sembled, and seat Himself among
them and listen to their conversations
and addresses and ask them questions.
And we also hear, how the teachers
were astounded at His intelligence
and at the answers he could give to
their questions. And, most certainly,
it is astounding and wonderful to hear
of twelve year old boy to be so
deeply and sincerely stirred and
moved by purely intellectual and
spiritual matters, that His mind for
five days could be so entirely alb
sorbed in this that He forgot all about
His parents and all about being alone
in the big city among strangers far
away from His country home.
If we nowadays heard about any
thing like it we too would certainly
be astounded and wondering. We may
also in our time meet IL year old
boys who are wide awake, actively
interested. full of aspirations, eager
to listen, ready to ask questions, but
very very seldom is it intellectual and
spiritual matters that fills and con-
trolls the minds of our ~ year boys,
not even the most gifted and brilliant
among them.
A Normal Boy.
And yet, Jesus, the - year old
Jesus of Nazareth, was real, normal
boy. He lived real, normal boys
life. His thoughts, life, His feeling,
His will power were such as can be
developed and educated up in real
and normal ~ year old boy His in
tellectuality and spirituality was that
of boy, He was not yet youth and
far less full grown man.
Yes, when the IL year old Jesus of
Nazareth made that never-to-b e-for-
gotten trip to the Passover Festivals
in Jerusalem with His parents and
astounded the preachers and teachers
of the Temple with His intellectually
and His answers and questions con-
corning the real meaning and nature
of the Passover Festivities of His
people, He was a real boy, and lived
real boys life.
His example in this case goes to
show us, that if our boys were natural
and normal boys and received a nat
ural and normal boy-training and ed
ucation by their parents, by their
home life, by their school life, by
their church life and by the many
influences of their daily surroundings
they would and could be equally re-
ligiously stirred and moved and in
terested.
There is nothing unnatural and alb
normal in a IL year old boy being
deeply and sincerely interested and
concerned about the church life of his
parents, his home and church. On
the contrary, it is utterly unnatural
and abnormal when ~ year old boys
show no interest for religion and have
no concern for the kingdom of God
The heart and soul and spirit in every
healthy and vigorous boy yearns and
aspires for the eternal, the super
natural; yearns and aspires after
communion with the living God. Ev-
cry IL year old boy would become
more of a real good and noble and
active boy the more he lives In real
| life's communion with God.