”Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch anything holy, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying are completed. “And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering,“
Leviticus 12:4, 6 ESV
”Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”“
Luke 2:22-24 NKJV
The fortieth day after Jesus’ birth had arrived. Mary had not been able to go to the Temple to worship until now. Now she was able to move on. Enjoy community.
I assume by now most of us have also moved on from Christmas. Decorations are put away, house is back to normal, and glitter has been cleaned to the best of our ability. I always get a little melancholy after the first of the year. January’s grayness seeps into my soul somehow. This year I have started the year in a reflective mood however. Not so much looking backwards, but looking upwards, and considering the goodness and loving kindness of our God. He loved the world so much He sent His One and Only Son into the world so the Jesus might give eternal for all who believe. That is the gift of Christmas and it is the gift that carries us through the gray days of winter, the windy days of spring, the heat of summer, and the harvest of fall.
As we begin 2024,
”But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.“
Ephesians 4:20-24 NKJV
God is calling each of us to a new person. When God says to put off our old self, it is not that we forget the past we just don’t have to let the mistake of the past define us. We cannot escape the lessons the past gave us. We carry those with us. The past can propel us in the abundant life God has for us this year. The past may shape us but it must not enslave us.
So we cross over from 2023 to 2024. We move on. As Mary climbed those Temple steps with the infant Jesus, we climb to God’s higher calling for each of us with Jesus in our hearts.
On this 40th day of Jesus’ life Joseph and Mary obeyed Levitical law. They would have wrapped THE BABY and would have traveled from Bethlehem up to Jerusalem. It was time to get on with life. As I said, Mary had been excluded from church life and worship for forty days now. It was time to put one foot in front of the other, carry the Son of God up those Temple steps and engage in worship again.
So they offered the purification offering of the poor, two turtle doves. She could now present her Son. The Author of the Law was presented before THE ONE WHO WROTE THE LAW IN STONE, His Father. Oh the irony of this day. He who had given Israel the purification instruction was now being carried in the arms of the one who needed to be purified. The Son of God was now being presented up to God Most High. The paradox of it all is the miracle of this moment. Only Our Loving Heavenly Father would stoop so low so that He could help us climb up our steps into our abundant life. Only God would come up with a plan so unfathomable. Only God can help us carry our past in such a way that it shapes us into the people He is calling us to be.
Let’s rise up. 2024 is here to stay. Climb those Temple steps and let us worship the Lord together. Jesus came that first Christmas to purify us and save us from our sins. He is coming back again to receive us unto Himself, and to restore all that has been lost so that it will become new again.
This post is an excerpt of my Christmas devotional book. If you liked it visit my store and purchase my book, “Through Their Eyes.”
Holy Holy Holy, Lord God Almighty, your post reminded me of this song we sang at Promise Keepers so many years ago, great times and memories.