Blessing

Luke 2: 25-32

There was a righteous man in Jerusalem named Simeon.  He was told he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s anointed.  He went to the temple courts when the parents of Jesus brought him to do what custom required, to make a sacrifice to the Lord.

Simeon took the child in his arms and praised God for his eyes having seen the special child who would be a revelation to the Gentiles and a glory to Israel.

When we embrace our own godchild, we cannot help but praise God for birthing his essence into our conscious awareness.  We cannot help but want to be a blessing to all around us, and a messenger from God to people of all faiths.

Presentation to God

Luke 2:22-24, 3:21-22

Mary and Joseph, at the appropriate time, according to Jewish law, took Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord and to offer the prescribed sacrifice of a pair of birds.  Scripture also tells us when Jesus had grown to be a man and witnessed his cousin John baptizing people who wanted to repent of their sins, Jesus asked to be baptized as well.

As an infant Jesus was presented to the Lord in a ritual traditional in Jewish faith culture.  And as a grown man Jesus presented himself for a ritual cleansing.

Jesus’ parents present him to the Lord in thanksgiving for his birth and in recognition that he belongs to God, that he is a child of God.  Later Jesus participates in the ritual of baptism, presenting himself to the Lord to be God’s vehicle.

No matter who and how many people enact the ritual of Mary and Joseph, praying for us and paving the way for us to know God, we must eventually take the initiative and present ourselves to be cleansed and remade in order to be God’s holy vehicle.

Marveling

Luke 2:  “The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about Jesus.”

When you birth your godchild and it begins to behave as the new you, people will talk.  They may not say to your face that they see  you talking differently, doing differently, being different, but they certainly will be talking behind your back.

People who know you, the old you, will surely see something different about you after your transformation.  You become so different that folks can’t help but notice—a different sparkle in  your eyes, a more genuine laugh, and a more relaxed personality.

The change God has wrought in you is obvious.  So let folks talk!

Come, Let us . . .

Psalm 95:6  “Come let us worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”

How best do we worship God?  How do we most show our adoration?  What can we do to properly praise our God?

What does God want most from us?  Our desire to know Him.  Our eagerness to be a part of Him, to partake of His essence.

Let us make known our desire to God.

Magi Came Searching

Matthew 2:1  Magi from the east came to Jerusalem looking for the new king.  They had a seen a sign and were sure a new king had been born.  Eventually they found him and worshipped him.

We, too, want a new ruler over our lives, someone who will make our lives all we want them to be.  We haven’t seen a sign, we’re not following a star, we’re not even sure that a new ruler for our lives is predicted.  We just know we want a new one.  One that will bring us peace.  One that knows how to rule with justice.  One that knows how to make things happen.  One that cares about his subjects.

Are we required to see a sign?  Do we need to travel somewhere?  Or is it enough to want?

Seeing for Yourself

As soon as the angels left them the shepherds decided to go to Bethlehem and see for themselves what the angels told them.  They weren’t satisfied just to hear the angels’ story.  They wanted to witness this phenomenon. After all, the angels had given them direction to the place where they would find the miracle.  Why shouldn’t they go to find the newborn?  So they went.

They found.  They saw.  And they began to spread the word, to tell the story of what had happened to them.  And all who heard were amazed.  We’re not told whether the hearers believed.  But they all were amazed.

But did they believe?  Probably they wished they had been visited by the angels.  And had seen and heard the angels sing.  And had heard and seen for themselves the miracle. 

Is it possible for us to see and hear of God’s amazing miracle in us?

Yes indeed.

Peace

Luke 2:14 “peace to all on whom God’s favor rests.”

The angel appearing to shepherds tells them God has great news for all people: “I bring good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

The heavenly host reiterates what the initial angel said.  The good news of great joy is going to take the form of peace—peace to all because the angels had already told them the joyous news was for everyone—all the people.

This idea remains large in the memory of mankind because deep in our psyche we sense there is something for us.

Peace—that nebulous, evasive quality that would be the response of nearly everyone if asked what they most want.  This is certainly true of those attempting recovery from addition, experiencing grief over the death of a loved one, or making difficult decisions, and all the rest of us dealing with life.

The heavenly host—we can imagine a whole “host” of angels filling the sky, singing in unison, praising God for His amazing essence and announcing what he has designed for all people, since all people have found favor with Him.  All are his favorites.  All are intended to know the favor of the Lord, the peace of God.