Author: missionspaul

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 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 to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2 v 25-35)

He is righteous, he’s a good man to have around, you can count on him, dependable, walked with God, he chose wisely.

He is devout, he’s a devoted to God kind of man, someone who served God, who gave his life to Him and the work of God.

He embraced the suffering of Israel and their desperate need for a Messiah to come and strengthen the people, ‘comfort my people’ would have been his prayer.

Simeon, a good man. What else?

Oh yes!! The Holy Spirit was on him! Such beautiful words. It is all that matters. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him a promise of seeing the Messiah. He was moved by the Spirit.

Pause right there for the 3 important prayers.

Holy Spirit come on me.

Holy Spirit speak to me.

Holy Spirit lead me.

And then he took Jesus in his arms.

Have you held Him in your arms?

Are you a carrier? He will change the way you live, speak, think and act. You will walk differently, live differently, there will be an incredible change in your life as you carry Him.

Then he prays to Sovereign Lord, to God. He now fully realises God’s plan. Salvation through Jesus was not only for the Jews. Jesus was certainly for the comfort of Israel but he was far more than this. This salvation was spilling over from Israel to the whole world, to all peoples of all nations. Simeon was right. Jesus does cause offence. He will cause the falling and rising of many. And Mary will be hurt at the foot of the cross.  

And there in the Temple Luke has brought the whole Godhead together in a very ordinary yet powerful moving picture of an old man and the Trinity.

He is showing the end of a chapter and the start of a new one.

The Sovereign God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit heralding the new season. He still does.

“On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. 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 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons’.” Luke 2 v 21-24

The traditional Church have a celebration on January 1stcalled, the Feast of the Circumcision. It is a reminder of how Mary and Joseph from the beginning were determined to bring Jesus up in the way of Jehovah. They were not disobedient to the Law of Moses which clearly stated that the boy needed to be circumcised on the 8th day after his birth (Lev 12:3). He was a child of the covenant of Abraham whose blessing was for the nations. They were not disobedient either to the angel who had instructed Mary to name her son Jesus (1:31). Jesus was also for the nations, for all people, the Saviour, Christ the Lord. 

Jesus, name above all names, God incarnate, Saviour to the world … has the foreskin of his penis cut. How can this be in the same verse? How can the holy and the perfect be mentioned in such earthy practices? We are thankful that it is for it shows the humanity of Jesus.

But I want to know about the man who made the cut. Who took the blade and brought the first shedding of the blood of Jesus? In ancient times it would be the father but not by the time of Joseph, he would have taken his son with Mary to a special rabbi, to a Mohel, they still operate today. They would have paid this man to perform this important ceremony.

Mohel’s never make it into the nativity plays even though this man appeared well before the gold, frankincense and myrrh did. But who was he? Did he ever meet the man Jesus? Was he there at the shedding of the blood of Jesus on the cross?

We have to assume the following:

When Mohel cut Jesus, it was one of hundreds maybe thousands that he had done. Jesus was just one of many.

Mohel didn’t see any connection in this procedure and the baby’s death.

Mohel had no idea Jesus was special, that He was the Messiah.

As blood poured from the genital organ of Jesus and as he gave instructions to Mary how to keep it clean so that it would heal quickly and well, Mohel was blind to the sacredness of that moment.

We would not judge Mohel for his blindness. 

Mary and Joseph were not blind to the sacred? 

But there’s more.

After the birth of a child the mother became unclean according to the Jewish custom and couldn’t be permitted to worship at the Temple or even be seen in public.

If the child was a boy this would last for 40 days and for a girl it would be 80 days.

After this time the parents would have to purchase the sacrificial lamb or birds in order to be clean again. The birds were for the poor people’s offering, which Joseph and Mary at that time were.

Can you imagine what was going on in the minds of these parents knowing they could not afford the lamb? That they had to bring a poor man’s sacrifice?

Mary had given birth to the Son of God, the Christ and he deserved a better offering than they could bring.

Joseph and Mary would never have bought a pair of cheap birds for the sacrifice if they could have afforded more. 

However, I see a different picture. I see this couple walking to the temple carrying the Lamb of God in their arms. Their lamb was more superior to all the other lambs. 

You see, if you are carrying His presence then you might not have what others have, but you certainly have all that is needed.

Mary and Joseph were not blind to the sacred for they knew they were carrying the most sacred into the temple that day. And that is a beautiful picture.

“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” (Luke 2 v 13-20)

The Amplified says ‘they went with haste’ and the Message ‘they left, running’. There are times when going slow and taking your time is not an option.

The shepherds were never commanded to go, they were given the opportunity. What if they had put off till tomorrow what they could do today?

The angel of the Lord had suddenly reorganised their priorities. The sheep were their priority and it still was but now they knew what was better.

Some people would have said ‘right let’s take all the sheep with us to Bethlehem, because we have got to keep working!’

What do you need to stop doing so that you can become more effective? What do you have to delegate?

The shepherds searched for Jesus. And in the Amplifies it says ‘by searching found’ v16.

Are you still a pilgrim? Do you still pant like a deer for the water?

What could stop you? It could be distraction, discouragement and disappointment.

Don’t think they ran into Bethlehem with an A-Z map and all they had to do was find Manger Street.

May be they tried every cowshed in Bethlehem before they found the one with a baby in it, for that is the meaning of the word ‘search’.

What has tried to stop you this week?

What is it going to take for you to seek God until you find Him?

v17 “When they had seen him …” The Message says “Seeing was believing”

There was more pomp and circumstance in the fields of the hill outside Bethlehem than on the Saviour Christ the Lord in the manger.

There was no gold, frankincense and myrrh. That would not happen till later.

There was no message. There was no music.

There were signs of poverty.

The baby was just a baby. He didn’t wink or give the thumbs up sign.

But Zechariah says we should not despise the day of small things.

God’s work is done “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit”.

A frightening thought this might be, but you and I may have been one of those who went and said “That’s not God.” We may have been a tad disappointed.

Can you believe that what you see in your church are the hallmarks of God?

Maybe in your church there isn’t a lot of powerful demonstrations of the heavenlies as on that Bethlehem hillside, maybe it is just ‘normal’ and maybe your faith in God is just normal. Perhaps you see yourself as a plodder!

But don’t turn away from what you describe as normal because God could well be there, hidden and humble, meek and mild but ready …!

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2 v 8-12)

These shepherds did not know (until they were told) how near they were to the place God had for them.

There are people waking today saying, “I was just so close. I was nearly there, but I missed out!” There can be no greater frustration, no greater regret than being so close, so near to all God has for you and knowing it.

What did it take for these shepherds to move from nearby to a place where they would be envied for generations?

More importantly what is it going to take for us to get to where we could be in God?

What good is nearby?

Nearby is for commentators, for people who know the theory, who can talk a good talk, but nearby is not ‘there’.

Nearby can be caring for sacrificial animals which all point to a coming Messiah and yet isn’t close enough to be with the Lamb who had been born.

What good is nearby?

What good is it for a Church to be doing well? What does ‘doing well’ mean? Is it numbers? Finances? Ministries? Buildings filled at events? It is possible to ‘do well’ and not have seen Christ the Lord.

These are never arrival points. These are signs of the Spirit, we are nearby, but there is still some distance between us and the presence of Christ the Lord.

Let’s make nearby our enemy. Nearby is not nearly enough.

Mary laid him in a manger.

Then we come back to Joseph, “And he gave him the name Jesus.” (Matthew 1 v 25)

Saviour. Why? Because he will save his people from their sins.

Every time you use the name Jesus either in prayer or song you are calling on the one who saves you from sin.

It was the most common name at the time, there were many with that name. Their parents all hoping their son would be the true Messiah perhaps.

It is incredible that God would choose such an ordinary name or a name that had been used by the many.

The truth was no one could save the people from Roman oppression.
No one could save the people from burdensome religious laws and duties.
Not one person could save.
Except Jesus. This Jesus. The Incarnated, virgin-born, Jesus.
It would be difficult perhaps to look at the Christ-child and see a Saviour. A baby does offer hope and a future but no one knows its true potential.
People still struggle to see the Saviour in this season.
How can this Jesus save me?
But just as in that first Christmas in order to see a Saviour one had to bow down and worship, in surrender and by faith to say, “I need a Saviour, I believe you are the Saviour, you are my Saviour” nothing has changed. We still need to come that way.
The Saviour is here. And we bow down.

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2 v 6-7)

Look at what you have. See what can be created from what is in front of you. Use imagination. The manger was a feed box for domesticated animals.

Many are leaving their dreams out in the cold to die because they lack initiative. They see a manger they don’t see a cradle.

Nothing is too unclean or worthless. Jesus is ready to be placed into your shame.

“Grace makes beauty out of ugly things. Grace finds beauty in everything. Grace finds goodness in everything” (U2)

Initiative needs grace.

In our world of hatred, pain and division, the answer is initiative and that means grace.

To see God in a fallen yet created world.

To see God in a manger.

To see God on a cross.

These are the starting points of finding and stepping into grace.

Whatever happens today from the moment you rise it is all because of His grace to look upon you, bless you, love you, favour you and He does that through every single thing around you. You may be the manger, imperfect in many ways. But the Spirit of Christ is placed within you.

The more you understand that every part of your physical world is both the place where God is revealing who He is and where He also hides to be searched for, then you will begin to understand the initiative of God to move with grace to you.

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register. 4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. (Luke 2 v 1-5)

At a time when world leaders were flexing their muscles, Jesus came.

At a time of Empires and World powers such as Syria, Jesus came.

At a time when people were being forced to comply to rules of control, Jesus came.

At a time of mass movements of people, Jesus came.

At a time of personal, hidden and difficult life-stories, Jesus came and was the centre of one of them.

It could have been 2023. It could still be!

The world is noisy and God quietly moves in.

The world is distracted and God slips in unnoticed.

There is nothing that can stop Him.

No walls that He can’t break down or mountains He can’t take down.

To come to us.

Unto us a child is born.

⁶⁷ His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

⁶⁸ “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
⁶⁹ He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David
⁷⁰ (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
⁷¹ salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us—
⁷² to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant,
⁷³     the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
⁷⁴ to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear
⁷⁵     in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

⁷⁶ And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
⁷⁷ to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
⁷⁹ to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

⁸⁰ And the child grew and became strong in spirit and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. (Luke 1 v 67-80)

As with the Magnificat of Mary this outburst son of Zechariah is filled with beauty, wonder and truth.

Here is the centrepiece (underlined) as Zechariah turns his attention to his own son, John, in v76. He came second to Jesus in his song and Zechariah is clear on what his role would be in life.

The prominent One is Jesus.

John was an answer to prayer, he was a miracle child for sure, but he was not the prominent One.

It is the Lord.

The Bible tells us who He is. My prayer is that as you are reminded of these descriptions and titles of Him that your heart is stirred in worship and you are greatly encouraged.

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He is Almighty One (Rev 1:8); Alpha and Omega (Rev. 22:13); Advocate (1 John 2:1); Author and Perfecter of Our Faith (Heb. 12:2) and Authority (Matt. 28:18).

Are you understanding? It is Jesus.

He is the Bread of Life (John 6:35) and the Bridegroom (Matt. 9:15)

He is the Chief Cornerstone (Ps. 118:22)

He is the Deliverer (1 Thess.1:10)

He is the Faithful and True (Rev.19:11)

He is the Good Shepherd (John 10:1) and the Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14)

Who is most important? It is Jesus.

He is the Head of the Church (Eph. 1:22) and the Holy Servant (Acts 4:29-30)

He is the I Am (John 8:58); Immanuel (Is. 7:14) and the Indescribable Gift (2 Cor. 9:15)

He is the Judge (Acts 10:42)

He is the King of Kings (Rev. 17:14)

Who is the most prominent one? It is Jesus.

He is the Lamb of God (John 1:29); Light of the World (John 8:12); Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5); Lord of All (Phil. 2:9-11) and the Loved Son of God (Matt. 3:17)

He is the Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5); Messiah (John 1:41) and the Mighty One (Is. 60:16)

He is the One Who Sets Free (John 8:36) and Our Hope (1 Tim. 1:1)

He is Peace (Eph. 2:14) and Prophet (Mark 6:4)

He is the Redeemer (Job 19:25); Risen Lord (1 Cor. 15:3-4) and the Rock (1 Cor. 10:4).

He is the Sacrifice for Our Sins (1 John 4:10); Saviour (Luke 2:11); Son of Man (Luke 19:10); Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32) and the Supreme Creator over All (1 Cor. 1:16-17).

He is the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25).

He is The Door (John 10:9); The Way (John 14:6); The Word  (John 1:1); The True Vine (John 15:1) and the Truth (John 8:32);

He is the Victorious One (Rev. 3:21)

Have you got it yet? It is Jesus.

He is the Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Is. 9:6)!!!

So the world doesn’t revolve around you nor does it revolve around your hero or bully. Jesus is the centre of it all.

When Jesus is Lord then you can survive any kind of wilderness (v80) that you may enter.

^“When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸ Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. ⁵⁹ On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, ⁶⁰ but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” ⁶¹ They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” ⁶² Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. ⁶³ He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” ⁶⁴ Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. ⁶⁵ All the neighbours were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. ⁶⁶ Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.” (Luke 1 v 57-66)

For 9 months Zechariah had not been able to speak. Gabriel had silenced him and probably made him deaf because the people had to make signs to communicate to him.

Imagine with me, God placing you into a silent world for 9 months.

It is easy to just see this silence as a punishment from Gabriel to Zechariah for his questioning unbelief. But I think it is so much more than that.

Imagine with me 9 months of no noise, of another world, probably one where he is aware it is just him and God now. A season where there was time to meditate on who God is and what He has done. Realising that God is a covenant keeping God.

Imagine God filling the silence with His presence.

Imagine God filling his unbelief with faith.

Imagine the intimate moments of prayer and worship of his heart towards God. This was a productive silence and I know that because of what would come out of his mouth as soon as his voice came back and his ears were opened. Out of Zechariah came the name of his son, which was given to him by Gabriel and then an amazing song of praise.

The verse in Isaiah 30:15 was certainly true for Zechariah, “in quietness and trust is your strength.”

We are approaching now this fun-filled, loud, festive noise of songs, cheers and anything but silence!! Activity has increased, our minds are flooded with ‘to do’ lists, we have been shopping, planning, discussing, creating and at the same time we are getting more and more fraught, anxious and restless.

But it doesn’t change. We will then go into a new year and we will be doing the same. Our lives are filled with anything but silence. And for us Pentecostals well, silence can appear a dangerous thing, so we fill the gap with a song, a superlative or a story anything but silence!

Maybe someone needs to hear today that they are facing a huge decision, a game-changer for their life, they don’t know what to do but a decision will have to be made and yet the one decision that is of utmost importance is to be silent.

For in the trust of silence there is strength.

Maybe the silence of Zechariah is not a punishment but an invitation. It certainly can be for you and me today. There are things God can only do in the silence. Enter it today.

Mary is immediately welcomed and blessed and prophesied over. It is overwhelming. Out of the depths of her heart come a song. It is a song of God coming to His people. A song of hope and power. A song of courage to believe that His presence is everything. It is often known as the Magnificat which is the Latin translation of the first word ‘magnifies’.

Magnificat anima mea Dominum

Luke 1: 46-55

Forgive this longer than usual devotion but the Magnificat is beautiful and it needs meditation. So choose whichever verse you want or if you have the time the whole and let God speak to you.

⁴⁶ And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord

My soul magnifies the Lord! With all my heart I praise the Lord! My soul exalts the Lord! My soul is ecstatic, overflowing with praises to God! Yes, my soul magnifies the Lord! My enemies may be pressing in, my body may be weak, my mind may be anxious, my circumstances may be impossible, but MY SOUL MAGNIFIES THE LORD!

⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,

Mary knew she would be known as a law-breaker. She had become a sinner. Mary would be accused of being an adulterer. Hers was a ‘dirty’ miracle. Her divorce was looming even before it had culminated in the marriage ceremony. Mary doesn’t rejoice in God, but God her Saviour! He is not a Saviour, but hers! He is my Saviour. Your Saviour today. He is a saving God!

⁴⁸ for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,

Mary from now on steps into her blessing and it will be the next 3 decades that remind her constantly of what that blessing means entails.

⁴⁹  for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.

Mary doesn’t announce her planned strategy for what is now coming through her. Rather she acknowledges what God has already done in her life. She looks back. The God who had always been there for her, watching over her, will continue to make a way.

His holiness calls to any apathy and duty and to return to the significant and all-consuming influence of His presence.

⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

This song bursting out of young Mary’s soul now moves from what God has done for her to what He will do for the world to come. She has understood and probably knew that when God moves it is not only for now but for the future.

Mary says in the next generation to come and the ones beyond there must be fear.

⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

Who were the proud that Mary was thinking of? Was it the neighbourhood gossiping about Elizabeth? Was it the Gentiles? Was it those in power? The Pharisees? Caesar? Herod? Even if it was, would they be concerned of a little unknown girl prophesying from a backwater of Judea?

Who has He strengthened? Mary herself? Elizabeth? The poor all around? I think all those and more.

⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.

Here is a young teenage girl who may not have been educated but knows her Scripture enough so that when she is pouring out her soul to God she is able to use it to form her own prayers.

Job 5:11 “The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.”

⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

Mary lived at a time when the Herodians taxed the Jews heavily for the building of their own lavish palaces and homes for the gentry, hunger was very familiar to most.

But Mary also lived during a time when the Jews were hungry for God to once again step in and end the suffering of His people which historically was seen to have been caused by their wandering from Him.

Psalm 107: 4-9 “Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”

Was Mary in fact quoting this Psalm? Probably.

⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful

Mary had already been told that her son was more than just a child. That it was God coming to the world for a throne, to reign and to build a kingdom. She understands that He is firstly coming to her nation and she chooses descriptive words that are used by the earlier prophets: “But you, Israel, my servant … from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; … I will strengthen you and help you.” (Isaiah 41:8-10)

He is coming to help in remembrance of His mercy.

Mercy is more than sympathy, pity and forgiveness. It is that but it rushes past and out of those expressions. Mercy needs an act for it to be mercy.

Those who show mercy look weaker in our aggressive culture. Mary knew this is what was inside her. She was hosting His presence and this was mercy. This was the help coming to Israel and to the world.

⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”

After 400 years of no prophets bringing any messages from God, all they had were fading promises and many would have forgotten them completely.

Mary says, “These are the days of the Abrahamic promises coming to fulfilment.”

She will later see (and suffer) that God who spared Abraham’s Isaac will not spare her own son – His Son. But what does it mean if everything is fulfilled, all the Law and the Prophets is found in Christ? If all the Abrahamic promises are now in Jesus do we just study them? No.

We live like the Mary generation, but even better.

The Magnificat, how has it blessed you today?