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.
Ann Glover O'Dell 