Meet the newborn Jesus, your Savior – January 5, 2024

Read: Luke 2:22-40

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. Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.

Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God.

There was also a prophet, Anna… She was very old… 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.
Luke 2:22,25-28,36,38

Meet the newborn Jesus, your Savior

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

When babies are born, we love to show them off. We’re so happy to be blessed with a child that we want everyone to see it. Maybe we post pictures online. We have friends and families over to visit. We take the child out to meet people.

When Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took him out, too. They took him to the temple to show him to God. There was a law in the Old Testament that when a baby was born, his parents needed to offer a “sacrifice of purification.” It was a way of saying “thank you” to God for the baby, and a way of showing that God’s love washed away that baby’s sin and made him part of God’s family. Since we’re all born in sin, God commanded that every parent do this for their child. Maybe it seems like a “little detail” that Mary and Joseph did this for Jesus, but it’s not. Jesus came to save us from our sins by obeying God’s laws perfectly (since you and I haven’t!), and by suffering the punishment that sins earn by suffering hell in our place (so that you and I don’t need to). From the very beginning of his life as his parents brought him to the temple, Jesus obeyed God’s law perfectly. How God must have rejoiced to see that!

While Mary and Joseph were at the temple, God made sure to show Jesus to other people. This wasn’t just showing off a beautiful new baby. This was showing the world its savior. Two people at the temple—a believer named Simeon and an old prophet named Anna—were so happy to see Jesus, too. The Holy Spirit let them know that this was the Savior at the very beginning of his work. They praised God for the peace he brought to them, and they told other people about the wonderful gift God had given the world.

At Christmas, we got to “meet baby Jesus” and be amazed all over again. We are so happy to see our Savior who came to bring us peace. Now let’s take our happiness and share this Savior with others!

Closing Prayer:

Dear Jesus, from the time you were a little baby, you were keeping God’s law in my place. That brought joy to your Father in heaven and joy to people who saw you. Help me remember that no matter how I’ve broken God’s law, you’ve kept it in my place to forgive my sins. Give me peace like Simeon had and joy in sharing your good news like Anna. 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

• Where did Mary and Joseph take Jesus when he was a baby?
• How did Simeon and Anna respond when they saw him?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• The Bible doesn’t tell us anything about Simeon’s age, but people often assume he was a very old man. Why do you think they assume that?
• After Anna saw Jesus and gave thanks to God, what did she do next?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Simeon said something strange to Mary, that “a sword” would “pierce” Mary’s soul, because of Jesus. When do you think that happened?
• From the very beginning of his life, Jesus was following all of God’s law. Why was it so important he kept God’s law perfectly?