Tag! Jesus is it! – June 5, 2024

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
Colossians 2:13-17

Tag! Jesus is it!

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

It was the day of the biggest tag game in the neighborhood. Kids came from every home in the area for a chance to be crowned the king or queen of tag! After 45 minutes of non-stop running around, a smiling third grader named Tina was the champion. When asked, “What is your secret to being crowned the queen of tag?” Tina replied, “Oh, that’s easy! I just hide around corners, and when I see a person’s shadow, I get ready to jump out because I know someone is coming. Then I yell, ‘Tag, you’re it!’”

In today’s Bible reading, God wasn’t interested in crowning his people as tag champions of the world. God was focused on crowning his people with salvation. Just as a shadow can show you that someone is coming, God commanded his people to worship on special days to teach and remind them that his Savior was right around the corner.

Every Sabbath day or every Saturday, Old Testament believers were to rest their bodies by doing no work. They also rested their hearts and minds in God’s promises. The Sabbath day was like a shadow—it was a way that God pointed to a special someone who was right around the corner.

It would have been silly if Tina, the tag champion, jumped out and tagged a shadow because a shadow isn’t a real person! The Sabbath day couldn’t give real and lasting rest, but the special worship day did point to Jesus, who could and did bring real rest from a problem no one was able to solve. Here’s the problem: Spiritually, all of us are born dead! That means we are born without believing in Jesus and with no love for God. Just like a dead frog can’t hop or ribbit, a spiritually dead person can’t hop into action and start believing in or loving God by himself.

God, however, is living and active! He decided Jesus would do all the work and obey all the rules and regulations for us. Not only did Jesus obey them perfectly for us, but he took all sins to the cross when he died for the world. You are not saved because of what you can do but because of what Jesus has done for you!

Do you want true peace and rest? Tag! Jesus is it!

Closing Prayer:

(CW 560:1 – Your Works, Not Mine, O Christ)
Your works, not mine, O Christ,
speak gladness to this heart;
they tell me all is done,
they bid my fear depart. 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

• Why will you go to heaven someday?
• Why will you go to heaven someday?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• What must you do to be saved?
• What does it mean that God gives you spiritual rest?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• Go back to today’s Bible reading. What else did Jesus nail to the cross besides sins?
• Consider something that is casting a shadow over your heart. What did you hear from todays’ devotion that puts you at peace?