[Thursday's Devotional] - Jesus

Jesus The readings in church at advent time remind us of the many prophecies concerning Jesus made years before his birth. In Luke chapter 2 we read of how Jesus was dedicated in the Temple and the prophecies spoken over him by Simeon and Anna. Simeon blessed the child and proclaimed:  "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."  Luke 2:34-35 [NIV] Apart from this account of his dedication and the account of his birth, only one other story of Jesus is recorded in any of the gospels and that is the story of Jesus at the Temple. Again, this was a story often told at Sunday School, because it was about a child, so we might have been expected to identify with the message of listening to our parents and not wandering off. You can tell from just how upset and scared Mary his mother was at his disappearance:  "your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." Luke 2:48b [NIV] I always thought that Jesus' reply smacked of arrogance:  "Why were you searching for me?. Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"  Luke 2:49 [NIV] Although we are told Mary did not understand his reply, she seems to have let the matter drop. His mother treasured up the memory of this event, suggesting that, although she regarded Jesus as an ordinary child most of the time, there were occasions when Mary was reminded of what his destiny was and she was in awe of him. Jesus had stayed behind in Jerusalem because he was thoroughly enjoying listening to the teachers of the law and asking them questions. We are told that "everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers." Luke 2:47 We are always fascinated by tales of child prodigies, such as Mozart who started writing tunes at the age of five, or the clip on the internet of the five-year-old who can speak six languages or the child from Rugby on the TV show "Child Genius". Maybe the pilgrims at the Passover saw Jesus like that. Children with abilities and skills way beyond the expected are a source of curiosity and they certainly make adults feel inadequate! We are perhaps used to thinking of children as "incomplete adults", apprentice people who need to learn skills from us before being leashed onto the world. But God can use children to speak wisdom and to give understanding. Often it is their innocence and lack of inhibitions that enable them to say things which turn out to be very wise. "Out of the mouth of babes…" Father God, thank you that you can use the words of children to speak your words of wisdom to us. Help us not to think too highly of ourselves, our experience and our intelligence to miss what you might be speaking to us through the words of children. Amen Mairi Mowbray   Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!