Christmas
December 27, 2014

Scripture Reading: Luke 2:22-40

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 firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’ — Luke 2:22-24

Computers sometimes have minds of their own, but I doubt that it has anything to do with artificial intelligence.  It probably is the result of a glitch. For some reason I had not been getting the automatic downloads for my software. As I was writing one of these daily devotions a few weeks back, my computer screen started erasing everything below where I was keying. I could not stop it so I turned it off. When I signed back on I checked what had been erased and thought I had corrected all the errors but I had not. When writing the devotion for December 26, I thought the scripture was a little out of sequence but I tackled it anyway. I discovered when I moved to write the one for December 27 it was the same scripture as the 26 as were the rest of the scriptures left through Epiphany. It seems my computer gremlin did more damage than I had realized. Having had my computer fixed, I think I am back on track and I pray the devotion for December 27 was meaningful albeit out of synch.

When I read the scripture for today, I was in the frame of mind to realize how important tradition and ritual are in our fast moving word of instant communications. While I do not want to go back to the days of handwritten text or the finger exercise of typing on an old style typewriter, I do like the community blessings of newborns and think it is important. In my church we dedicate babies; other denominations baptize or christen them. A part of our service includes a litany by the congregants pledging to do their part in assuring the child is loved and nurtured in the ways of God.

The young couple of Mary and Joseph sought the blessing of their son Jesus in accordance with Jewish tradition. They too wanted the very best for him.

Prayer: Lord, help us be ever mindful of our responsibilities to hinder not the little children (Luke 18:16) who come unto you. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.