Daily Scripture: Luke 2:21 On the eighth day, when it was time for his b’rit-milah, he was given the name Yeshua, which is what the angel had called him before his conception.
22 When the time came for their purification according to the Torah of Moshe, they took him up to Yerushalayim to present him to Adonai 23 (as it is written in the Torah of Adonai, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to Adonai”[Luke 2:23 Exodus 13:2, 12, 15]) 24 and also to offer a sacrifice of a pair of doves or two young pigeons,[Luke 2:24 Leviticus 12:8] as required by the Torah of Adonai.
Reflection Questions:
Mary and Joseph were devout Jews, and they followed the Jewish laws with regard to their newborn son Jesus (cf. Exodus 13:2, 12; Leviticus 12:8). We get a clue to the parents’ poverty in this story. Leviticus 12:8 said the reason for offering “two turtledoves or two pigeons” was “if the mother cannot afford a sheep.” It seems clear that they couldn’t.- Jesus’ parents took him to be circumcised eight days after birth, like other Hebrew boys. It was a sign that even as an infant he was one of God’s people. That model is one big reason Resurrection baptizes infants—it’s a sign that the child is part of God’s family. Were you baptized when very young, at a later point in your life, or never? (If never, give it some thought. You can learn more atwww.cor.org/baptism.) How does belonging to God shape the way you live your life?
- God had sent Gabriel directly to Mary and Joseph with divine messages, saying their son was God’s promised Savior. Yet they came to the Temple like ordinary worshippers to offer their sacrifice. Are there any traditions or tasks at your church that you’re tempted to feel “above” or “beyond”? How might our individualistic culture blind us to the value of honoring practices that grow from the history of God at work in the family of faith?
Lord God, sometimes I serve you in my own personal way. Sometimes I worship and act because this is the way your people have done things for centuries. Fill both kinds of service with power and meaning for me. Amen.
---------------------Insights from Roberta Lyle
Roberta Lyle has been on the Resurrection staff since 2006. She oversees the Collection Ministry, coordinating the donations of clothing, beds, food, furnishings, cars and computers and re-purposing them through our ministry partners to provide to those in need in our community.My husband and I have spent quite a bit of time over the past few months researching our family’s genealogy. One of the key ways we have found important information about our family’s roots has been through German baptismal records. Finding this information revealed to me how important faith traditions were to my ancestors who made sure their precious babies were baptized within days of their birth. Unexpectedly, these records gave me a feeling of connection to family members I never had the chance to know here on earth.
Singing hymns brings a similar feeling of connectedness with Christians through the ages. I feel united in worship with those who sang the same words across the centuries and am reminded of the many who have received strength and comfort through the messages contained in sacred music.
We have just spent a season of advent singing many special Christmas carols and taking part in other traditions that remind us of the “reason for the season.” While we enjoy special times with family and friends we also make a special effort to remember those in need, whether by dropping funds into a red bucket, filling a bag with ready-to-eat food for families living in motels or purchasing toiletries and thermal underwear for the homeless.
A serving experience I had on Christmas involved joining a team of volunteers in transporting food prepared by many members and delivered early in the morning to the church parking lot. The food was transported to the Healing House dining hall where another team from Resurrection heated and served it to the residents as they returned from a morning spent ministering to those living on the streets. As I visited with one of the reside
Singing hymns brings a similar feeling of connectedness with Christians through the ages. I feel united in worship with those who sang the same words across the centuries and am reminded of the many who have received strength and comfort through the messages contained in sacred music.
We have just spent a season of advent singing many special Christmas carols and taking part in other traditions that remind us of the “reason for the season.” While we enjoy special times with family and friends we also make a special effort to remember those in need, whether by dropping funds into a red bucket, filling a bag with ready-to-eat food for families living in motels or purchasing toiletries and thermal underwear for the homeless.
A serving experience I had on Christmas involved joining a team of volunteers in transporting food prepared by many members and delivered early in the morning to the church parking lot. The food was transported to the Healing House dining hall where another team from Resurrection heated and served it to the residents as they returned from a morning spent ministering to those living on the streets. As I visited with one of the reside
nts, he told me I had to see a nearby “field of crosses.” He took me next door to the dining hall to show me about 20 crosses erected on the empty lot next door. On these crosses Bobbie Jo and the residents had placed new winter coats and other outerwear for anyone who needed them. There were no strings attached, no requests to be made. Anyone who walked or drove by was welcome to take what was needed. What an amazing and tangible reminder of the incarnate Christ who came to show us how to love and honor the forgotten and downtrodden!
I was humbled by the thoughtful, caring way that Healing House residents remembered the Lord they serve and who they belong to through their tremendous love for their neighbors next door and across the urban core.
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Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
913.897.0120
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I was humbled by the thoughtful, caring way that Healing House residents remembered the Lord they serve and who they belong to through their tremendous love for their neighbors next door and across the urban core.
---------------------
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120---------------------
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