Today’s scripture and devotional are especially thought-provoking.
I recall reading that the author of Luke placed Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem to highlight the fulfillment of prophesy and to place Jesus in the lineage of King David. This birthplace setting and the story of how the Holy Family got to Bethlehem must have had special meaning for those who looked to the City of David for their salvation.
Pondering that led me to wonder: what do we look for today to convince us to follow Jesus? I, myself, put less importance on the circumstances of Jesus’ birth, although I do appreciate our Christmas rituals and myths. I guess the message of love, service and peace is what resonates with me more.
A recurrent theme keeps coming to my mind throughout these devotional entries, and your comment really brings that to light, Amy. Beyond the details of the narratives, our traditions, and the connections to our modern lives is the steadfastness of God. After I react to the details, I often find myself stepping back, taking a deep breath to relieve any tension, and just leaning into the vast love of God. While I can easily get lost in the details, I find a sense of peace in the "big picture." When you mentioned what resonates more for you, I thought of that "big picture" theme of our steadfast God.
Don’t we all just love the nativity story from Luke? It’s my favorite version! Even though I’m very familiar with it, this devotional entry drew my focus to a detail that I’ve not focused on before: the edict from the emperor.
What an idiotic way to take a census! Why didn’t Caesar Augustus just survey who was living where in the current day? Making people travel back to their ancestral cities for a head count made no sense whatsoever! When it was time for taxes to be paid, those people would no longer be there, anyway. And what a hardship this edict would have placed on all the citizens who no longer lived in their ancestral cities! (I guess this was the beginning of travel crowds during the holiday season.)
I have to admit that the word “idiotic” has come to my mind multiple times in reference to decisions from our nation’s leaders in this century. Some decisions seem to make no sense, and some also bring hardship to the citizens. I’m saddened to think humanity has not progressed further in this area.
Yet, God is with us. Despite whatever our flawed human leaders do, despite all of our own human failings, God stays with us through all the mess we create. He was there at the beginning. He made promises to be with people in the Old Testament. He sent us Jesus. He sent us the Holy Spirit. He remains with us and promises to continue to do so. That is cause for celebration!
My heart is bursting with praise and gratitude! Will you sing with me?
Today’s scripture and devotional are especially thought-provoking.
I recall reading that the author of Luke placed Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem to highlight the fulfillment of prophesy and to place Jesus in the lineage of King David. This birthplace setting and the story of how the Holy Family got to Bethlehem must have had special meaning for those who looked to the City of David for their salvation.
Pondering that led me to wonder: what do we look for today to convince us to follow Jesus? I, myself, put less importance on the circumstances of Jesus’ birth, although I do appreciate our Christmas rituals and myths. I guess the message of love, service and peace is what resonates with me more.
Don’t we all just love the nativity story from Luke? It’s my favorite version! Even though I’m very familiar with it, this devotional entry drew my focus to a detail that I’ve not focused on before: the edict from the emperor.
What an idiotic way to take a census! Why didn’t Caesar Augustus just survey who was living where in the current day? Making people travel back to their ancestral cities for a head count made no sense whatsoever! When it was time for taxes to be paid, those people would no longer be there, anyway. And what a hardship this edict would have placed on all the citizens who no longer lived in their ancestral cities! (I guess this was the beginning of travel crowds during the holiday season.)
I have to admit that the word “idiotic” has come to my mind multiple times in reference to decisions from our nation’s leaders in this century. Some decisions seem to make no sense, and some also bring hardship to the citizens. I’m saddened to think humanity has not progressed further in this area.
Yet, God is with us. Despite whatever our flawed human leaders do, despite all of our own human failings, God stays with us through all the mess we create. He was there at the beginning. He made promises to be with people in the Old Testament. He sent us Jesus. He sent us the Holy Spirit. He remains with us and promises to continue to do so. That is cause for celebration!
My heart is bursting with praise and gratitude! Will you sing with me?