A Devotion for the Third Day of Christmas on December 27
Read Luke 2:21-24 

“When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.” Luke 2:22

Holding a newborn gives us a sense of awe and wonder. We marvel at their tiny fingers and toes. My youngest daughter was two weeks old before it was safe for me to hold her. I wondered at this tiny, tiny child who could fit in my hand. By the time I held her, I had almost given up on ever having her out of her isolette and into my arms.

Every child is a miracle. Each one a gift. Realizing that the child’s well being depends on you can stir us to deep humility. In our hands there lies one to be molded and shaped by our actions and love . . . Shaped by our values, hopes and dreams. Our children will discover what is important in this world and what is not through us. That child will look to us to build a foundation he or she can rely on. Through our nurturing our child will learn about compassion, faithfulness, integrity and love for God.

Mary must have been a remarkable people for God to trust them to be the parents  of Jesus.  Together they would teach Jesus his earliest prayers and show him the way of righteous living.  Mary and Joseph will encourage him and help him to grow into the one who would come as messiah, the Christ. But those early days, were ones to simply love their baby, cradle him in their arms, quiet his cries and give him the reassurance that he was loved.

Prayer: God of the children, Thank you for the children you have set in our lives. May we always be conscious that what they see and hear in us has an impact in their lives. May we be people who encourage, support and nurture the children. May we be faithful to the trust you have placed in us. Amen.

Additional Advent & Christmastide Devotions can be found by clicking here:   Advent & Christmastide Devotions