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)

Advent Devotions

Read Matthew 1:18-25.
She will bear a Son, and you shall call His Name Jesus, for
He will save His people from their sins. Matthew 1:21

Today we jump back a few weeks before Mary and Joseph
brought Jesus to the temple for His presentation. We look at
Jesus' eighth day when He was circumcised and named. We
will speak of the significance of His circumcision in tomorrow's
devotion, but today we speak of the importance of His Name.
Does a name mean much to you? To the people of Israel and
to God a name was extremely important. Each name carried
its own meaning and became an integral part of that child's life,
often describing the character of that child. An Israelite boy's
name was very significant, and it was usually given on the
eighth day when he was circumcised.

So on the eighth day when the Christ Child was circumcised,
He was given the name Jesus, just as the angel had instructed
Joseph and Mary.

What a deep and profound Name! Jesus means "The LORD
saves." It describes the purpose for which He descended from
heaven and became human. As the angel told Joseph, Jesus
would save His people from their sins. His Name perfectly fits
who He was and that which He had come to do for us all. As
we close out the year 2014, it is fitting to look back on the last
365 days and take account of our lives. What great things has
God done for you or through you in this year? Give Him praise.

On the other hand, what regrets do you have? What problems
in your life are the still strong echoes of sinful and foolish
choices you have made? At the beginning of this coming New
Year we all want to wipe the slate clean and start 2015 with a
fresh start. But neither regret nor resolution can wipe our slate
clean. Only Jesus can do that.

This is why many churches open their doors this night to hold
New Year's Eve services -- often with Holy Communion. As we
receive the very same body and blood which Jesus took on
Himself at His conception, the same body which was laid in the
manger at His birth, the same blood which was poured out for us
on the cross, our sins are taken away, our slate is washed clean,
and we are at peace with God our Father. That peace is not only
for day one of 2015, but for every day that remains in this life and
for all eternity.

THE PRAYER:

 Lord God, thank You for a clean slate, washed clean by the
blood of Jesus Christ. Renew us this New Year's Eve so that we
may dedicate the coming year to living for Your glory and sharing
the Name of Jesus throughout the world. We pray in His holy
Name. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)

"The Widow of Christmas"

 Advent Devotions

Read Luke 3:36-38.
Coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God
and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption
of Jerusalem. Luke 2:38

We have reached the sixth day of Christmas, and my wise
men are half way there. Today we will take one last look at
Jesus' presentation at the temple. Now that Simeon has
completed his words Anna steps forward. Luke tells us she is
an extremely old woman. She has lived 84 years, but it is
unclear whether Luke means she's 84 years old, or if she's lived
84 years since she became a widow. (If that's the case, she is
well over 100 years old!) Either way, she spends all her time in
the courtyards of the temple, fasting and praying.

At the very hour Simeon is speaking, Anna comes up to Mary,
Joseph, and Jesus, thanks God for His Son, and begins to speak
of Jesus to all those who have been waiting for the Christ. And
undoubtedly she will keep speaking about Him until the Lord
brings her home.

The Lord's choice to include Anna among those who saw the
young child Jesus is fascinating. Here is an elderly woman who
is widowed. Like many elderly widowed men and women of faith,
she could easily have asked, "Why am I still here? What is left for
me to do?" Anna shows us. We are never too old to share the news
about Jesus, never too old to make a lasting impact in our world.

In the later years of our life we can make a difference, even if we are
weak, sick, or confined to a bed in a nursing home. And as is true
all through your life, your attitude and your behavior will make all the
difference. If you are kind and grateful to those who help you, then
your words will carry great weight with those who attend and care for
you. But if you are bitter, short-tempered, impatient, and crabby,
your words -- and your faith -- will mean very little to them.

God has chosen each of us. He has washed away our sins in Jesus'
blood through Baptism, made us part of His family of faith, and
gathered us together to celebrate His great salvation. Each of us
finds ourselves at different points along our journey to our heavenly
home, surrounded with a unique circle of friends and acquaintances.
Like Anna, may God guide us to joyfully share the story of Jesus with
everyone we meet along the way.

THE PRAYER:

 Heavenly Father, thank You for choosing me among the multitudes
who have heard of Your Son and put their faith in Him. Strengthen me
to continue sharing His Name that many more may come to a saving
faith by Your Holy Spirit. I pray this in Jesus' Name. Amen.

(Lutheran Hour Ministries)