Christian Reflection and Prayer

"The First Shed Blood"

Advent

Read Luke 2:21.
And at the end of eight days ... He was circumcised.
Luke 2:21A

Today is the eighth day of Christmas. It's the day a Jewish
boy was circumcised. This marked him as a child of the
covenant God gave Abraham. As Jesus undertook
circumcision, He assumed His place as a child of Abraham.
Being placed under the Law He would live His life fulfilling the
Law perfectly for us.

That's all fine and good, but what does Jesus' circumcision
have to do with our New Year's Day celebration today?

Well, one of our New Year's Day customs is to make
resolutions: these are bad habits we will attempt to break, or
good habits we will attempt to put into place in the coming
year. Perhaps resolution-making is one of your New Year's
Day traditions.

Broken New Year's resolutions are pretty common for us.
They are a symbol of our brokenness as sinful creatures.
They also remind us how impossible it is to save ourselves
from our sins. That is why Jesus' circumcision resolution
meant everything. If He had broken this resolution the way
we break New Year's resolutions, we would all be doomed to
God's terrible and eternal wrath. The good news is that Jesus
did not break this resolution. Rather, He kept it perfectly all
 through His life, obeying God in our place.

Jesus even kept His resolution when it hurt. He resolved to
go up to Jerusalem when He knew the Jewish leaders were
seeking His life. He showed that resolve in the Garden of
Gethsemane when He prayed, "My Father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless not as I will, but as
You will" (Matthew 26:39b). And He showed this same resolve
again when He stepped forward in the garden to meet those
who had come to arrest Him (John 18:4-11).

Because of Jesus' resolution and His perfect fulfillment of that
resolution through His suffering, death, and resurrection, our
2015 is truly new. We live under God's forgiveness and blessing
and will inherit eternal life when our earthly journey is finished.
This is true whether our Lord returns in the coming year or in
another sometime in the future.

THE PRAYER:

 Lord God, give me the resolve to honor Your Name, to study
Your Word, to gather in Your Church, and to share with others
Your amazing grace. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)