For God so loved the world
He gave His only begotten Son
that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish
but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 KJV

Mary and Joseph
dedicate Jesus
in God’s Temple.

Luke 2:21-38 ESV

 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised,
he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.
And 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
(as it is written in the Law of the Lord,
“Every male who first 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.

Praise God for Mothers and Dads who take seriously God’s Law and do everything He requires as they accept the responsibility and blessing of raising a child. Praise God for Mary and Joseph who follow the letter of the Law in circumcising and then presenting Jesus  to be dedicated as a first-born male to God in the Temple. Having heard from an angel, both Mary and Joseph understandably use their meager resources and their precious time to do as God has instructed His people. They make Jesus a Son of Abraham in his circumcision. Then they present Jesus in the Temple for His dedication to the service of God as a firstborn male. In doing so, they demonstrate the steadfastness of their faith. How blessed they are as God gives them two wonderful faithful and elderly witnesses to proclaim the holiness and the promise of this child.

That gets me to thinking. You know, we owe much to parents who did much even as Mary and Joseph did. They raised us in the midst of love within our families. Yet they also raised us in the midst of love within our church families—blessed by the believing example of trust and faith and obedience in the lives of those  who assisted as our parents raised us to love and serve the Lord. When I think back to my own childhood, I would thank God for many godly men and women, just to name a few; Mr. And Mrs. Starnes, Mr. And Mrs. Culberson, Mr.and Mrs. Hale, Mr. And Mrs. Swinford, and Mr. And Mrs. Whaley. Each of these and so many others walked right along side my parents in teaching me the Way of our Lord Jesus. What a blessing!

Praise God! He sent to Mary and Joseph, first-time new parents, two venerable and praiseworthy witnesses to assure them and bear testimony to the world; they had heard the angel correctly—they held in their arms  Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, promised to Israel by the Prophets, now come as this baby being dedicated in The Temple. And how they rejoiced; Simeon and then, Anna. They had served God so long, they certainly knew the work of God when they saw it. In this baby Jesus they saw God’s most miraculous Act of Love as they looked up the newborn Messiah and Promised One, who would grow to become the Savior of the World.

Simeon rejoices,
for when He sees Jesus
He realizes God has
kept His Promise
that he would see the
Savior of the world
In his lifetime.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon,
and this man was righteous and devout,
waiting for the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he would not see death
before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
And he came in the Spirit into the temple,
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus,
to do for him according to the custom of the Law,
he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
“Lord, now you are letting your servant[e] depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.
 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel,
and for a sign that is opposed
(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also),
so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Now, Simeon had lived a long and faithful life in service to the Lord God. As a good-hearted Jew, he looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. In fact, in Simeon’s close communion with God, the Heavenly Father had promised him he would see the Messiah before his life in this world ended. So, on the day Mary and Joseph brought Jesus into the Temple to dedicate Him, God fulfilled His Promise, as the Holy Spirit told Simeon in his heart that here before him, in Mary’s arms, lay the Promised One who would bless Israel and even the Gentiles with the Good News of God’s Love. How he rejoiced! How he praised the Lord! How he bore testimony to those who heard him in the Temple: Here, indeed, was the Messiah of God! Here was the One born to bring God’s Salvation to the world. What joy for Simeon! What encouragement for Mary and Joseph! What glory for God!

Anna also rejoices
as the Holy Spirit
Reveals to her the infant
Jesus as God’s
Redemption for Jerusalem.

And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel,
of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years,
having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,
and then as a widow until she was eighty-four.
She did not depart from the temple,
worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.
And coming up at that very hour
she began to give thanks to God
and to speak of him to all
who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Anna, a prophetess, a widow for many years spent in the Temple serving God and His people, saw Jesus and immediately began giving thanks and worshipping God. She joyfully proclaimed God’s Redemption coming in the life of this child. Again, how blessed was Anna to so behold and recognize the Son of God. Again, how lifted up were Mary and Joseph to hear this ancient one’s joyful testimony. And again, how glorified was our God in the words of such a faithful one among His people. The testimony of two in recognition of God’s anointing resting on Jesus, reflected the Jewish tradition requiring the testimony given in agreement of two witnesses in any court proceeding. Simeon and Anna stood tall and faithful, in the wisdom gained from all their years of serving and loving God. We can believe their testimony. Indeed, Jesus is gloriously born to become our Savior and our Lord!

Our first pastor at Goudel Baptist Church in Niamey, Niger was blind. He peached, using the Braille Bible by which he had been taught to read. It was in English, although he preached in Zerma or in French, he read the Scripture in English.
Praise God! That was such a blessing to Becky and me
as we struggled to learn French.

In the very small Christian community in Niamey our pastor was well-loved and appreciated. He preached with deep conviction, deep wisdom and with powerful influence. Although the picture above is not actually his own, this image helps us recognize the dedication it took for him as a blind man to train and then to proclaim the Gospel throughout his long life. His testimony as a blind man who loved and served the Lord faithfully, even at his advanced age, had a dramatic impact on all who knew Him, believers and non-believers alike. When health complications claimed his life, several hundred came out to show their respect and love for such an aged and faithful servant of the Lord. Although we understood only small bits of his sermons, we certainly enjoyed His reading of the Scripture, but more than that; the love for the Lord Jesus he so clearly revealed in day-to-day living and ministry. Like Simeon, he recognized Jesus as the Savior and bore testimony with all the years and wisdom he had been given by God.

After our pastor’s death, his widow continued to provide wisdom and leadership to the other women, the young families and the youth among the faithful believers worshipping at Goudel weekly. (This image is not our actual pastor’s wife, just one more beautiful African lady reflecting her love for Jesus.)

Each Sunday morning as we entered Goudel Baptist Church, we could count on seeing  our Pastor’s wife sitting at the front, brightly smiling and welcoming everyone who entered. She obviously treasured each faithful soul who came out  for worship on Sunday mornings in a city where there were few believers, and only widely scattered and very small churches. She and two friends, as older and wiser believers,  had experienced all the hardships of following Christ in Niger. Still they could testify to the victories of living out their faith in Jesus in a place where very few knew him. They stood as pillars  of strength for families old and young and for youth and children, in proclaiming their absolute love for and confidence in their Lord. Becky and I treasured their hearty smiles and friendly greetings. In a way Goudel Chuch had Three Wise Women who faithfully pointed us all to the Lord Jesus as a Savior worthy of our love and service and worship.

Christmas definitely reminds us that our lives really are ALL ABOUT JESUS. Praise the Lord! He is good and loving and faithful every minute of every day. He is the perfect Lord to serve with joy, love with our whole hearts, and to worship fully and truly. May each of us know our very best Christmas as we focus on Him first, others next and then ourselves. Amen!

There is joy in Christmas
for Jesus is born
to bring salvation light to all the world.
All of our lives, every moment
and every day of our time—
IT IS ALL ABOUT JESUS!