This is my date, whom I have chosen! – Family Devotion – February 28, 2022

Read: Luke 9:28-36

A voice came from the cloud saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.”
Luke 9:35

This is my date, whom I have chosen!

 

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It was a scheduling oversight. Somehow, the date of the homecoming dance had landed on the exact same day as the big volleyball tournament. That particular year, the volleyball team was very competitive. By the time the championship game was over and the bus drove them back to school, there was less than an hour for the girls to get ready for the dance!

The girls who came off the bus with messy ponytails and red faces, blotchy knees and bruised elbows were now entering under the balloon arch of the gymnasium with perfectly styled hair, applied makeup, and delicately embroidered dresses which covered up the battle scars from their volleyball games played just hours ago. Upon seeing their dates, the young men who were waiting for them opened their eyes a bit wider and straightened their color coordinated ties which matched their dates’ dresses. These couldn’t be the same girls! The transformation was breathtaking!

The transformation of Jesus was breathtaking, eye opening, and marvelous! In Luke chapter 9, we read that “As he [Jesus] was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor.” Peter and his companions went from feeling sleepy to wide awake and not wanting to leave after witnessing the transformation.

I can’t help but wonder how those high school boys would have felt seeing their dates as they got off the bus all sweaty-faced and stinky. Would they have called out above the crowd, “There she is! The girl with the bloody knee and wrist brace! That’s who I’ve chosen to take to the dance!”? Yet, that’s what God did to us. We were worse than sweaty, bloody, and stinky. We were dead in our sins! Thanks be to Jesus for transforming us from death into life. We went from the rags of sinfulness to the glorious gowns of righteousness when Jesus died and rose again, taking away every sin and inviting us to the eternal homecoming dance of heaven!

How can we ever thank him for this transformation he gave us? Listen to God’s own words, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him!”

Closing Prayer:

Dear Jesus, thank you for taking our dirty rags of sin and turning them into robes of righteousness. Help us live lives of thankfulness to you in all we do and listen to you; until the day we join you in heaven! Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• Have you ever seen a toy Transformer? It can go from being a car to a robot! How did Jesus transform you?
• How can you show other people (even strangers in the grocery store or library) that you have been transformed by Jesus’ love?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• Does your mom or dad watch any HGTV home transformation shows? Discuss an episode where they took a beat-down old house and remodeled it into a modern home. How did Jesus “remodel” your life?
• What are some ways you can show that you have been remodeled in your life?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Sooner or later, you will be invited to your first dance. Discuss what types of qualities you might look for in a date.
• Many people refer to your middle school through high school years as “transformative years.” What is meant by that term? In what ways are you transforming? (Always keep in mind that you are a transformed child of God even if you are changing in physical and mental ways—think and act like a redeemed child of God!)