Christian Reflection and Prayer

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he
would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ
(Luke 2:26).        Read Luke 2:25-27.

 

We are moving further away from Christmas Day. For
most of us life is returning to normal. Back when I was a
child I would be back in school by now, or I would know
that it was only a few days away. Time passed for Jesus
too. He didn't stay a baby. Like every other child He
quickly grew. In our reading He is now more than a month
old, and Mary and Joseph take Him to Jerusalem for His
presentation.

 

At the same time they carry Him into the temple courts,
an Israelite man enters. Luke describes Simeon in much
the same way he had spoken of John the Baptist's father,
Zechariah, when he first introduced him. Both men were
righteous through their belief in God, firm in their faith,
and waiting anxiously for Him to keep His promise and
send the Savior. The Holy Spirit had given Simeon a
remarkable promise: he would not die before he had
seen the Christ. During his lifetime the Messiah would
come, and Simeon would see Him with his own eyes.

 

Simeon was a rare Israelite in his day. By the Holy
Spirit's guidance, he understood the Old Testament
promises accurately. The Christ would comfort His
people by saving them from their sins -- not by driving
out their earthly enemies, as most Jews expected.

And this very day Simeon feels a powerful urging from
the Holy Spirit to go to the temple. As he passes
through the temple courts, he is drawn to a young Boy
being carried by His mother and father.

 

THE PRAYER:

 

Heavenly Father, You revealed Your Son to Simeon.
As I read the Bible, reveal Him to me that I may know
His salvation and praise You forever in heaven. In
Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

(Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

... they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to
the Lord (Luke 2:22b).                  Read Luke 2:22-24.

 

I was really rough on toys when I was a kid. Few of the
presents I opened on Christmas day actually lasted
through the 12 days of Christmas. Sadly, I realize now
that only two of all those great toys still survive to this
day: a Tiny Tonka bulldozer and a gas-powered Cox
mini-van. The van doesn't run, and the bulldozer has a
few rust spots on it, but those two toys stand apart as
special to me because of their physical connection to
my long-gone childhood.

 

Today's devotion is about the day Jesus was set apart
as someone special. After the eighth-day circumcision,
the next big event for firstborn male children was their
presentation at the temple in Jerusalem, when they
were 40 days old.

 

The firstborn male child of each family was set apart as
holy to the Lord. And among all the Jewish boys
presented, this Son was unique. Through His miraculous
conception, Jesus was the only male Child who truly
stood apart from all His fellow Israelites, the only One
who was actually holy to the Lord, in, and of Himself.

In His presentation Jesus was officially set apart and
presented to the Lord for the unique work He would
undertake, saving all people from sin, death and hell.
Through faith in Him, God sets you and me apart from
all people, so we may serve the Lord and share Jesus'
story with those around us.

 

THE PRAYER:

 

Heavenly Father, through Your Son Jesus Christ, You
have set me apart as holy. Equip me and all your
children in Jesus to share His wonderful salvation with
those around us. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

(Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

And at the end of eight days ... He was circumcised ...
(Luke 2:21).

 

New Year's Day was always an exciting new beginning.
If the old year had brought us pain and misery, we
could rejoice that it was over, gone, behind us. And in
the dawning of a new day, there was the hope the New
Year would be so much better.

 

This day was also a new beginning for the Baby Jesus.
Jesus is eight days old, and it is now time to circumcise
Him, according to the Law of the Lord. This ceremony
made Jesus a member of God's people Israel. It also
bound Him under the Law, obligating Him to keep that
Law perfectly. As our Substitute, Jesus perfectly obeyed
God's Law, so His perfection, holiness and righteousness
might be ours, covering our failings, our flaws, and our
sins.

 

But His circumcision carries with it the reminder that
Jesus will not simply cover our sin, He will remove it from
us -- forever. On this eighth day of His young life, Jesus
first sheds His blood for us, but it will certainly not be the
last time He does this. On a dark day some 30 years into
the future, Jesus will shed His blood and die on the cross
to satisfy God's wrath against our sins.

 

The symbolism of His circumcision and our Baptism both
remind us of God's work, cutting off our sinful nature or
drowning it. In Baptism God makes us new creatures, so
we can stand before Him spotless and pure through Jesus
Christ.

 

What a way to start a New Year!

 

THE PRAYER:

 

Lord Jesus, in Your circumcision Your blood was first shed
as our Substitute. Cut the sin from our hearts, that we may
enter this New Year in Your holiness and purity. Amen.

 

(Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)