REMINDER: Today is the fifth day in our journey through the 12 days of Christmas (December 25 – January 5). Today is also Christmas Sunday which might seems strange to some, but while the world was fully engaged in Christmas during the first four weeks of December, the church was in Advent. It is interesting how the church is no longer that institution defining its own holiday.
Scripture: Luke 2:22-24
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they [Mary and Joseph] brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
Thought for the Day: Doing what is customary or doing what is written in scripture is a good thing. This has, at different times in history, become viewed in a negative light as people started thinking that doing what was customary or doing what was written in scripture was the only way of earning God’s love. We participate in rituals and traditions because of their meaning, not their ability to justify our righteousness. In fact, Mary and Joseph chose the offering that poor folks would choose. It not only reminds us of this couple’s economic status, but it also shows us how the faith provided a way for everyone to participate. It wasn’t that God needed a certain type of offering to tip the scales toward humanity. These practices reminded Mary and Joseph who they were as beloved children of God, and their participation in these rituals became a visible sign of their basic belief — that the God who loved them would also love their child. As we journey with the Wise Men toward Bethlehem, let us be reminded of God’s unconditional love that invites us into the divine presence. The rituals and traditions do not begin the flow of this love, but acknowledge it, celebrate it, and allow it to more fully reside within us.
Prayer: Thank you, Father God, for all the ways you provide a doorway into a stronger relationship with you. Amen.
TODAY
NEXT SUNDAY
