"OFF TO A GOOD START"
Dec. 29, 2018
And at the end of eight days, when He was circumcised, He was called Jesus, the Name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."
~ Luke 2:21-24 (ESV)
It was a strange feeling, the day after I gave birth to our son, when the nurse brought in the official paperwork. "This is for his birth certificate," she said. "Fill it out. He will also get a Social Security number that will be sent to you very soon." It felt odd to know that my brand-new baby already had a legal identity of his own as a citizen—had paperwork—was already under the law of the United States.
Jesus' family went through something similar with Him, though even more important. On the eighth day He was circumcised, His official entry into the people of God living under the laws of Moses. Then, when He was 40 days old, came the trip to the temple in Jerusalem to fulfill the rules of Leviticus 12 and Exodus 13. Jesus would be presented to the Lord as every firstborn boy had to be. Then Jesus would be "redeemed," bought back from the Lord (Numbers 18), so He could go home and grow up in His family like any child.
For the next thirty-some years of His life, Jesus would go on living under the law of Moses, keeping its commandments perfectly. That was absolutely necessary if He was going to make Himself an offering for our sin on the cross. Even as a baby, Jesus was already getting ready for the cross. Does that surprise you?
Even as a baby, Jesus had His own legal identity already— "Savior of the world." From the very beginning He would do whatever it took to save us, the people God loves. And because He loves us, He had no time to waste. He got started right away. See how much He loves you!
THE PRAYER: Father, thank You for giving us Your Son to be our Savior and sin offering. Keep us close to Him. Amen.
The Coming King REFLECTION QUESTIONS!
- If you have children, do you remember doing their first legal paperwork? How did that experience feel?
- What similarities and differences do you see between citizenship in your country and citizenship in the kingdom of God?
- You are a citizen of God's kingdom. What do you see as the best part about your citizenship?
Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo. Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
If you have children, do you remember doing their first legal paperwork? How did that experience feel?
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