A Word about a Vision of Devotion

 

Today I want to share a word about a vision of devotion as I comment on Luke 2:21-38. We will begin by reading verses 21-24:

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.” 

I have a friend in ministry who always corrects people when they say that they plan to give a “devotion” at a meeting. He is usually not very pedantic, but in this case, he correctly states that “devotion” refers to one’s commitment to another through love and loyalty, while “devotional” is a presentation for the purpose of motivating people for greater devotion to God.

Devotion as attitude and action is our topic for today, and as I was preparing this message, I was reminded of the time when the barnyard animals decided to show their devotion to their farmer on his birthday.

The cow, the pig, and the chickens debated the issue with many grunts, clucks, and moos, until finally the cow said, “We will serve him breakfast in bed. The menu will be eggs, and bacon, and milk.” Although the chickens agreed immediately, the pig objected violently. “For you other animals, that menu is an offering,” he protested. “For me it will be a real sacrifice!”

The story of Christmas did not end with the birth of Jesus. In fact, His birth was just the beginning of the story. The devotion to God which was exhibited by Zechariah and Elizabeth, and Mary and Joseph, and even the heavenly host and the shepherds was a continuing part of the Biblical vision of Christmas

The Parents’ Devotion:

The devotion of Mary and Joseph to God is what sustained them during the difficult and yet exciting process of the birth of the Baby Jesus. Luke clearly recorded Mary’s devotion before Christ’s birth:

• She was willing to risk scorn and ridicule and even banishment.
• She had the attitude of a servant, willing to do anything that God asked her to do.
• She accepted a high-risk birth in some very primitive conditions.
• She believed God had a higher purpose for all that she endured, and she kept looking for what it was and what God was about to do.

Joseph is often seen as a supporting character in these dramatic events, but he was as equally devoted to God and equally accepting of God’s will. Luke does not reveal much about Joseph before the first Christmas, but Matthew does. Matthew 1 tells us that,

• Joseph was a righteous man who loved and served God. 
• Joseph was a caring man who loved Mary, and he did not want to destroy her life.
• Joseph had determined to do the right thing (that was to divorce Mary), but in the most gentle way possible. He trusted that God’s Word was the right source of guidance for His life.
• When he was told to take Mary as his wife he did so, unhesitatingly. He also abstained from intimacy with her so as not to confuse the issue.
• Joseph named the baby boy Jesus, just as he was told to do.

The devotion of Mary and Joseph did not diminish after the birth of Jesus. Not only did they circumcise and name Him when they should have, they also took Him to the Temple in Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord and to offer the appropriate sacrifice.

A saying among teachers is, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” It has also been said that attitudes are, “Caught, not taught.”  Mary and Joseph were models of devotion for their children, including Jesus.

What about us?

Let’s continue by reading verses 25-35:

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 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.” 

Simeon’s Devotion:

Simeon is the first person we have seen in the Christmas story who lived in Jerusalem. Zechariah, though a priest, lived in Hebron, and he was only in Jerusalem during the days when his section of priests served in the temple.

Living in Jerusalem in those days would be like living in London today, or maybe New York or Washington DC. Jerusalem was the political, religious, and economic center of Israel. Culturally, Biblical Israel was 180 degrees out of phase with modern American society. In New Testament times, it was the people in northern Israel (i.e. where the Disciples came from) that were thought to be backwards hillbillies who “talked funny.” The intelligent, sophisticated people lived in Judea, and more specifically, Jerusalem.

Jerusalem was not what it used to be, however. In Hebrew, its name came to mean “the City of Peace” or “the Place of Peace.” However, it was not a peaceful place in the First Century.

The Romans controlled Jerusalem and had installed Herod as king. Herod was not Jewish, he was not chosen by God, he was not properly anointed, and he was not accepted by the majority of the people. Besides that, Herod was a murdering sociopath.

The Sanhedrin, the religious council of the Jews was divided along party lines. The Sadducees were religious liberals and politically aligned with Rome. The Pharisees were religious fundamentalists and bitterly opposed to Rome.

The Zealots were a group that advocated for the ejection of the Romans by force. Today they would be called freedom fighters by those they wanted to liberate, or insurrectionists by those they were fighting. Whatever you called them, they used the tactics of urban guerillas in the streets of Jerusalem. Collateral damage often occurred.

Roman military presence was extensive and heavy-handed. They even built a fortress that overlooked the temple that not only gave them the ability to overwatch it, but also remined the Jews of their subjection.

The people were heavily taxed by corrupt tax collectors, and they tried to live quiet lives in the midst of all this turmoil.

Simeon, like many in Jerusalem, prayed for peace. Unlike almost anyone else, however, Simeon had been filled by the Holy Spirit which allowed him to recognize the Baby Jesus as the one sent to save Simeon, Jerusalem, the Jews, and indeed, all of the world from their sin and the torment that sin brings in its wake.

Simeon did not let all of the noise and turbulence in society distract him from his devotion to God. When Jesus was born, the shepherds left the most important things in their life, their sheep, to go see the Baby Jesus. Simeon did not let all the cares of life drown his devotion to God. In return Simeon was in the right place at the right time to discover Jesus, the One who was the answer to all of his prayers.

Simeon was in the right place at the right time because he was doing the right thing for the right reason. 

What about us?

We conclude by reading verses 36-38:

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’s Devotion:

Women are key players in the Christmas story, and they provide for us a vision of true devotion to God.

Some of these women, Mary and Elizabeth for example, expressed their devotion to God as they lived out normal, everyday lives. They had husbands or fiancées, they lived among their families, they worked their daily tasks, and in general, there was nothing particularly special about their lives. Still, despite this, they were truly devoted to God as they lived their private lives.

Anna, however, was different. She was one of the last people alive who could remember an independent Israel. In fact, some scholars believe that she may have been what we would call today a Gold Star widow. It seems likely that her husband of seven years was killed in battle during the time when Israel was fighting to stay free from outside control. 

After her husband’s death, God called her to be a prophetess and to devote herself to worship of Him. This included daily worship of God in the temple as well as fasting and prayer. You have heard of people who are at church every time the doors are open? This was Anna. Unlike Elizabeth and Mary, her life was one of public devotion to God.

There was no difference in the fact that Anna, Elizabeth, and Mary were all equally devoted to God. The difference was in the manner of their devotion, not the fact of it.

Paul told the church at Corinth that he was happy and content to devote all his life to God’s service, just like Anna. He was glad to be free from the concerns of everyday life so he could devote his entire life to Christ. Paul also realized that his calling was not one that God gave to everyone. Just as there are many spiritual gifts so are there many ways to express our devotion to Christ.

Anna’s devotion brought her to the temple every day. She too, was in the right place at the right time to discover Jesus. When she saw Him, like the shepherds and like Simeon, she praised and thanked God, and shared the news of Christ’s birth to all who would hear her. 

What about us?

Our Devotion:

Our Scriptures for today give us several different visions of devotion to God.

First, we see a vision of ordinary people being so devoted to God that they eagerly embraced extraordinary challenges.

Next, we see a vision of ordinary people being so devoted to God that they continued to worship and serve Him after the extraordinary challenges were over.

We also see a vision of people being so devoted to God that they could discern God’s way forward among all the hue and cry and confusion of a turbulent and conflicted world.

 In Anna we see a vision of people being so devoted to God that they left behind their former life to serve Him daily and continually.

The key element for each of the characters in the Christmas story was not the mode of their service, but their devotion to God and serving Him. 

What about us?

Conclusion:

Many years ago, before we had children, my wife had a PTA meeting one evening at the school where she taught. Left alone and unsupervised, I decided to make a copy of a song that had been playing on repeat in my head for several days.

This tune was the theme song of a movie I had watched on VHS tape the weekend before. This was before the internet and digital downloads, and I had a mixtape of songs I listened to in the car, and I wanted to add this song to it.

The process involved a TV and a VCR, a tape deck, a couple of extension cords, a couple of audio cables, and a lot of trial an error. I went at it hammer and tongs for a couple of hours at least. I had just succeeded when I heard the lock on our apartment door turn and the door swung open.

Our small living room looked like a bomb had gone off in a radio station. Geri was aghast but I just looked at her and smiled. I had done it! 

But I had been so devoted to my task that I was oblivious to the passage of time and the mess I had made. I came to my senses and realized I had to clean up the mess before it was the last thing I ever did!

Have you ever been so devoted to something that for you the rest of the world seemed to disappear? Could that be a model for our devotion to Christ?

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt