Month: January 2024

Luke 2:49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 

Three times in these two chapters in Luke Mary ponders things in her heart–when the angel Gabriel greets her to tell her she has found favor in Luke 1:29 (Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.), after the wise men came to visit baby Jesus in Luke 2:19 (But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.), and in today’s scripture, after they found 12 year old Jesus, oblivious to their panic, in His Father’s house.

Luke 2:50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

In a way, what I do each morning as I write these reflections constitutes pondering; what you do each morning as you read them is pondering. Google defines the verb ponder as “think about (something) carefully, especially before making a decision or reaching a conclusion.” And I think our intentional pondering over scripture makes our Savior very happy.

Luke 2:51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the ability to ponder, to treasure, to savor Your word. Thank You for the ability to revisit Your word again and again and walk away nourished every time. Thank You for the comfort that can only come from familiarity and the growth that can only come from pondering. Draw us closer. Always. Amen.

Luke 2:52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 2:45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.   

Today’s reading put me solidly in mind of the reflection on Anna the prophet and the idea of “a life lived in expectation.” Can you imagine finding your calling at 12 years old? That seems to be what is going on with young Jesus today.

Luke 2:46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

His parents leave Him behind, assuming that He is traveling with the group (because, where else would a 12 year old be?), but He is in the temple courts, listening, questioning, understanding, and answering–astounding answers, no less. It seems that Jesus feels the call of expectation in the temple courts and He is rising to answer.

Luke 2:47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.

Precious Savior, I know You have a plan for me. I know I, too, am living a life in expectation, both the expectation of Your presence and sovereignty in my life and the expectation of what You have for me to accomplish on earth. Help me eagerly seek to fulfill that expectation. Draw me closer. Amen.

Luke 2:48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

Have a blessed day.

Luke 2:41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover.  

It’s probably a bad thing that this passage brings me comfort. I mean, I am absolutely not a perfect parent, but I’ve never lost my kid, like literally left him behind for a full day before I realized he was missing. In the messiness of parenting, this passage helps me to see that things happen. To all of us.

Luke 2:42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom.

But this passage also reminds me that I have done my best to raise my children in the Lord, with a firm foundation. I wasn’t perfect at it, but they are both reaching an age where I have to trust that between our raising, their brains, and God’s grace, they will be ok in this world, even when I don’t know exactly where they are and what they are doing.

Luke 2:43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 

Precious Savior, I know how very much I love my children. And I know you love my children even more than I do. As they continue to grow and mature and become more independent, help them to trust You. Help me to trust them. Guide us all. Help us to shine Your light. Always. Amen.

Luke 2:44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 2:36-37 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 

Today’s reading sent me down a very short rabbit hole looking up the prophet Anna. The long and the short of what I found was that hers was “a life lived in expectation.” I like that phrasing, “a life lived in expectation,” because it describes Anna and Jesus and us.

Luke 2:38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

To me, the phrase “a life lived in expectation” can be taken in two ways. According to Google, expectation (n) means “a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future.” So if my life is one lived in expectation, that could mean that I am waiting for that thing that I believe will happen. But it can also mean that there is an expectation for my life, for what I will accomplish, and that I am waiting to fulfill that potential.

Luke 2:39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the idea of “a life lived in expectation.” Help me to embody both possibilities. Help me to live my life waiting, looking, hoping for, believing that You are with me always. And help  me to fulfill the potential and the promise, that expectation, that You have for my life. Help me to shine Your light and point others to You. Amen.

Luke 2:40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

Have a blessed day.

Luke 2:28-29 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

How old was Jesus in this section? It sounds like he was still a baby since “he took him in his arms,” so definitely still small. Can you imagine Mary, a prophet holding your infant and telling you that “a sword will pierce your own soul too” (v35)? I wonder if the magnitude of Mary’s sacrifice is just sinking in.

Luke 2:30-32 For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

I wonder if she had considered before the implications of carrying the Son of God. It’s not just that she was an unwed, pregnant teen. It’s that she is the mother of Jesus–who came to save the world by giving Himself for our sins. Her baby boy. Her little one. That transition–Savior of the world, won’t be quick or easy or painless, and a sword will pierce Mary’s soul, too.

Luke 2:33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for Mary, that she had a choice, that she chose to trust You, even though she had no idea what that truly meant at the time. Thank You that You were with her even when a sword pierced her soul, too. Thank You that You are with us, too, always. Amen.

Luke 2:34-35 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” 

Have a blessed day.

Luke 2:25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 

Verse 26 is what jumps out at me today. I want to know how it had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. How did he know that it was truly a holy message and not wishful thinking or what *he* wanted but not necessarily divine?

Luke 2:26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 

Did knowing that he would live until he saw the Lord’s Messiah change the way Simeon lived? Each day he didn’t see the Lord’s Messiah, was he angry that it still hadn’t happened? Was he hopeful that tomorrow would be the day? Did he just go about living his life the best he could without any special focus on this eventuality? Do we even have divine revelations anymore?

Luke 2:27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the realizations you place on my heart while I am studying Your word. Help me to take these lessons to heart, to apply them to my life, and to live closer to You–open to every opportunity that this day holds. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Luke 2:28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying….

Have a blessed day.

Luke 2:20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Today I have no wise revelations, no poignant insight. The shepherds saw the baby Jesus and rejoiced. Mary and Joseph circumcised the baby, named Him, and presented Him, consecrated Him to the Lord as any new Jewish parents of the time would. It’s pretty ordinary.

Luke 2:21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

But isn’t that the bulk of life? Pretty ordinary? But Jesus is right there in the middle of it. Today is my last day of break. Monday begins a new semester for students. There are things I could do, should do, and want to do. Entirely ordinary. But Jesus is right here in the middle of it, too. I tend to forget that.

Luke 222 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord:

Precious Savior, Thank You for always being there for me, in the ordinary and the extraordinary of life. Forgive me when I get so caught up in my ordinary, routine life that I forget that You are still right there with me. Help me to value each day as the gift that it is. Amen.

Luke 2:23-24 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Have a blessed day.

Luke 2:16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 

As a ponderer myself, verse 19 has always resonated with me. However, in my curious mood, I’d like to know what, specifically, Mary is treasuring and pondering. Is it all that has happened in Luke thus far? Zechariah’s muteness, Elizabeth’s pregnancy, The angel’s visit, Mary’s immaculate conception, Joseph’s continued support, the trip and census when she’s so very pregnant, the birth, the accommodations, the angels?

Luke 2:17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 

Some of these things are pretty significant hardships. The cynic in me resists the idea that she treasured the difficult things, though I know James 1:2 tells us to “Count it all joy whenever we face trials of many kinds” because those trials allow us to draw closer to God, and I know He can use all things for our good and His glory.

Luke 2:18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 

Precious Savior, You know I’m a ponderer. Help me to become a treasurer, too, valuing those times–good or bad–that allow me to draw closer to You. And while I don’t want to over-analyze, I know that pondering as I do with You each morning helps me draw closer. Help me to treasure and ponder so that I can continue to draw closer to You. Amen.

Luke 2:19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 

Have a blessed day.