Advent Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"JUST LIKE US"
January 5, 2018
And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon Him.
~ Luke 2:40 (ESV)
Luke ends the story of Jesus' birth with the verse above. At first glance it isn't very exciting. Jesus grew like any child grows, and became stronger. He learned to walk, learned to talk, learned to feed Himself, and dress Himself. He played with His parents and made friends with the neighbors. He began to learn His letters and how to count.
But at second glance, this is wonderful! Because this is God Himself, going through the growing up stages that all of us have been through. He didn't take the easy way. He wasn't born knowing how to read or how to tie His sandals. He grew and learned like we do, sharing our ordinary lives. (If you have a child handy, blow their minds with this idea: at one point Jesus must have had homework.)
Jesus came to be in our lives, a part of our lives, one of us. He came to be our Savior, and that is not a job someone can do by standing safely at a distance. Instead, He embraced our human nature-He was born, He grew, He lived, worked, and suffered, He died. And then He rose from the dead.
Truly we can never say to God "You don't understand." Jesus has joined us to Himself, and He has redeemed us. Through the Holy Spirit's gift of faith we are now united with Him as His own people, His own family. And He shares His gift of everlasting life with us.
Luke writes, "And the favor (also translated grace) of God was upon Him." That same grace is upon us, too, who trust in Jesus. Thank you, Lord.
THE PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank You for becoming a human being and taking us to be Your own. You are our Savior, and we rejoice. Amen.
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Luke ends the story of Jesus' birth with...
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