Be Still and Know Daily Bible Devotion

Luke 2:28-31 [Simeon] took the child in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people.” Simeon was clearly an old man and had spent years waiting for this moment. When he saw baby Jesus, he recognised that this was the one who had been the focus of his prayers for all that time. The Messiah had finally come. Simeon had lived a good life. Luke described him as “righteous and devout” (v25), and that tells us that he had lived in the right way towards the people around him and had been committed to God. Now, as his life ebbed away, he found fulfilment in holding Jesus in his arms and bringing his praises to God. Simeon’s prayer is known by its Latin name as the [itals]Nunc Dimittis[end itals] and is used by many churches as part of evening worship. It is also often used in funeral services, and that’s easy to understand – here was a man who came to the end of his days at peace because of the Lord. In Jesus, he knew he was seeing the Saviour of the World, and that meant everything to him. There is no greater blessing than to know the peace that Christ gives. That is true at any moment in life, but as we slip from this world, we must all desire to know the peace that was Simeon’s experience. As a minister, I have often been with people as they have passed from this life. There is no greater privilege than to be with someone in those moments and to commit them into the hands of the Prince of Peace. I pray that you know his peace right now and will know it throughout your life until that moment when the Lord takes you to be with him. Question In what ways do Simeon’s words encourage and challenge you? Prayer Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of your peace in this moment and throughout my life. Amen

Luke 2:21 Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived. Three ceremonies took place after the birth of Jesus, just as they did for every Jewish baby boy. Firstly, he was circumcised. This practice dates right back to the time of Abraham and was a sign of the covenant between God and his people. It was absolutely essential for every little Jewish boy to be circumcised. A failure to do so was believed to lead to the extinction of the soul and the denial of a share in the life to come. It was such an important ceremony that it could take place on any day of the week, including the Sabbath. The Jews believed that every firstborn male, whether human or cattle, was sacred to God. They belonged to him, so they needed to be bought back from God. This was done for the cost of five shekels and could not be paid sooner than 31 days after the birth of the child. The third ceremony was the purification of the mother. In Jewish law, a woman who had given birth to a boy was ritually unclean for 40 days, and if she gave birth to a girl, she was unclean for 80 days. At the end of that time, the mother needed to present an offering to the Lord in the form of a lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon for a sin offering. That was reasonably expensive, so if the parents had limited means, they were able to bring two pigeons, and that was known as The Offering of the Poor. That was the offering that Mary brought and is a very clear indication of the poverty that Jesus experienced as a child. These ceremonies may seem very strange to us, but they underline the fact that children are a precious gift from God. The responsibility to care for a child is an awesome privilege and one which needs God’s constant strength and guidance. Question Why do you think it was necessary for Jesus, the Son of God, to go through these ceremonies? Prayer Lord God, I thank you for the gift of children. I pray today for all parents, asking that they will reach out to you and find your strength. Amen

Luke 2:21 Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived. My wife Sue and I have three children, and I well recall the long conversations about names which took place before they were born. We talked about names that had been important in the family, biblical names and others that we simply liked. The naming of Jesus was a very different matter. This was the name Gabriel had given to Mary when she had first been informed of her miraculous pregnancy. Jesus was actually a very popular boy’s name at the time and was a shortened form of the name Joshua, which means “the Lord saves”. Because most people at the time only had one name, they were often known by the place from which they came or the name of their father, so Jesus was variously known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus, the son of Joseph. There would probably have been many children around in Nazareth with the name Jesus, but only one who had come to bring salvation. In Jesus, the name was completely fulfilled. Because Jesus is both fully man and fully God, he was able to open up the way into God’s presence. The sacrificial system of the Old Testament was no longer necessary. Simply through trusting Jesus, we are able, in the words of the writer of Hebrews, to “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:16). Jesus spoke wise and wonderful words and told gripping stories. He healed people and performed amazing miracles, but we miss the point of his coming if we don’t recognise that he came to bring salvation. He came to open up the possibility of us being forgiven and made whole, and that incredible offer is as real today as it was when he first came. Many people, then as now, rejected Jesus and his offer of salvation, but to all who believe in him and accept him, he gives the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Question How has Jesus’ offer of salvation affected your life? Prayer Lord Jesus, thank you that you want to be my saviour. I confess my sins, and ask you to set me free from them and give me a new life. Amen

Luke 2:18-19 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. People greeted the birth of Jesus in very different ways. The shepherds were thrilled that they had been given front row seats for this wonderful occasion. It was the last thing that they would ever have believed would happen to them. Having seen the baby just as the angel had promised, they rushed back to their village with the news. The people were astonished. Then there was Mary. Her reaction was very different. She’d had nine months to prepare for this remarkable moment, but even so, she had a lot of adjusting to do. Not only was her way of life completely changed, just as it is for any mother after the birth of her firstborn child, but she also needed to reflect on the awesome implications of bringing up the Saviour of the World. She had a lot to reflect upon, and it’s no wonder that, in Luke’s thoughtful words, “she kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often”. People still respond to the good news of Jesus in a remarkable variety of ways. For some people, it transforms their life in a moment. When they learn that Jesus can forgive their sins and set them free to live a completely new life, nothing looks the same again. I remember one woman telling me that the change was so great that it was as if she had only ever seen life in black and white. Having met Christ, it was now in colour! For many others, finding new life in Christ is a slow and gradual process. No fireworks, no moments of astonishment – just a slow, gradual change of life and outlook. None of this should surprise us. We are all very different from one another, and God meets us not as a job lot but as individuals with very different backgrounds, temperaments and outlooks. Question How did you respond when you first heard the good news about Jesus? Prayer Loving God, thank you for the fact that you come to us as individuals, and that you meet our own particular needs. Amen

Luke 2:10-11 “Don’t be afraid!” [the angel] said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Saviour – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” The news of Jesus’ birth would have been a shock to the shepherds for many reasons. We know these accounts so well that there isn’t any surprise for us, but we need to remember that although the prophet Isaiah had spoken clearly about the coming of a Messiah, that was more than 700 years ago for the shepherds. Over the past 400 years, there hadn’t been a prophet in the land. There was nothing that would have led them to believe that this would be the moment of the Messiah’s birth. Additionally, they were shepherds. They were not seen as responsible members of the community and were generally excluded from religious life. They were outsiders, and would hardly have expected to be the first people to receive news of Jesus’ birth. It was also the middle of the night, and you needn’t be surprised that the sudden arrival of an angelic choir gave them an enormous shock! They were understandably terrified. The news that the angels brought to the shepherds was one of great joy, and that note of joy rings out throughout the Gospel of Luke. Whenever anyone grasps the good news of Jesus, the result is joy. We see that supremely in the three parables of the lost in chapter 15. Firstly, and significantly, there is joy over the discovery of the lost sheep. Although the shepherd had 99 other sheep, he was so joyful at finding this one sheep that he called in his friends and neighbours to share the celebration. Then, when a woman lost one of her ten silver coins in her headdress, she conducted a meticulous search of her house. When the coin was found, she couldn’t keep it to herself and welcomed others to share her joy. Finally, Jesus told the story of the agonising loss of a son. The father longed for the moment when the wayward son might return, even though the son had terribly abused him. When he returned, the father held a banquet to celebrate the moment because he was so full of joy. Joy was at the heart of the good news of Jesus and is the experience of everyone who welcomes him into their lives today. Question In what way have you experienced the joy which Jesus brings? Prayer Loving God, thank you for sending Jesus into the world, and for the joy which he still brings to those who place their trust in him.