God's Word for Me Today
Wednesday, December 12, 2001
Unwrapping a Christ-Centered Christmas!
A note about online study
Introduction to God's Word for Me Today
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, Your mercies are fresh every morning. As I come to You on this new day, pour out Your Spirit in my life. Release Your Spirit within me that all that I am—body, mind, will and emotions, will be completely in Your control. I pray God that as we continue to move into this Christmas season, that I may not only be grateful for the birth of Jesus, but also for His life, His sacrificial death, in which He poured out His blood that my sins could be cleansed, and His resurrection, which is the promise of my union with You forever. Grant that my life may be a faithful and obedient witness to You and Your great salvation today and always. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
God's Word for Me Today: Luke 2:21-39
21 Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived. 22 Then it was time for the purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23 The law of the Lord says, "If a woman's first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord." 24 So they offered a sacrifice according to what was required in the law of the Lord – "either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." 25 Now there was a man named Simeon who lived in Jerusalem. He was a righteous man and very devout. He was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he eagerly expected the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. 26 The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, 29 "Lord, now I can die in peace! As you promised me, 30 I have seen the Savior 31 you have given to all people. 32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!" 33 Joseph and Mary were amazed at what was being said about Jesus. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, "This child will be rejected by many in Israel, and it will be their undoing. But he will be the greatest joy to many others. 35 Thus, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul." 36 Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, and was very old. She was a widow, for her husband had died when they had been married only seven years. 37 She was now eighty-four years old. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. 38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about Jesus to everyone who had been waiting for the promised King to come and deliver Jerusalem. 39 When Jesus' parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee.
Questions for Reflection
What is the most important trip that you ever took?
Have you ever been present when someone offered a prophecy or a word of knowledge that later came true? If so, what was the result of that prophecy?
Questions for Exploration
Why did Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the Temple? (2:21-24)
What did Simeon Say about Jesus? What was the impact of this on Mary and Joseph? (2:25-33)
What did Anna say about Jesus? (2:36-38)
Questions for Understanding
What do you suppose was the overall impact of Mary and Joseph’s time in the Temple on the way they understood who Jesus was and what He was going to do?
In what ways did Simeon’s prophecy concerning Jesus come true?
Questions for Application
Mary and Joseph followed the Law of Moses in presenting Jesus at the Temple. What “ordinary” commands of God do you need to make a practice of obeying in order to be more faithful to Jesus today?
Take a ten minutes sometime today to “treasure and ponder” the amazing love and actions of God, as we talked about yesterday.
The Simple and the Amazing!
Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple to dedicate Him to the Lord as was required by the Law of Moses. This was a simple act of obedience. While they were there a righteous man, named Simeon, who had waited his whole life for the coming of the Messiah was led by the Spirit to go to the temple. When he saw Jesus, he knew that He was the Messiah. Simeon pronounced a prophesy of the great deeds Jesus would do, and how Jesus would be rejected by many, but would also be “the greatest joy” to many others. Mary and Joseph were amazed at Simeon’s message. I’m amazed at God’s timing in all of this. Simeon had waited his whole life to see the Messiah, and was nearing his death, but God had promised that he wouldn’t die until he saw the Messiah with his own eyes. God kept the promise.
Later Anna, a prophetess was also given the opportunity to see Jesus in the Temple and recognized Him as the Messiah at once. Anna was eighty-four years old, yet she received the blessing of being able not only to see the Messiah, but to let others know that Jesus was the Messiah. Simple obedience, amazing results. As we continue through this Christmas season we are called to simple obedience and to recognize God’s amazing results when they come. God may use us to lead someone to a personal relationship with Jesus during this Christmas season, or to reconcile with someone from whom we have been estranged for some time. God may simply give us a renewed sense of the awe and wonder of Christmas and what it means for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. In Jesus the simple and the amazing always come together, so be ready!
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