City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

²¹ 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.  ²² 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 ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) ²⁴ 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 2:21-24 ESV

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty (El Shaddai); walk before me, and be blameless, ² that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.” ³ Then Abram fell on his face. And God said to him, ⁴ “Behold, my covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. ⁵ No longer shall your name be called Abram (exalted father), but your name shall be Abraham (father of a multitude), for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.  ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.

¹² He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, ¹³ both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant.

Genesis 17:1-6,12-13 ESV

9 But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations (or of the Gentiles).

² The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
    on them has light shone.
³ You have multiplied the nation;
    you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
    as with joy at the harvest,
    as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
⁴ For the yoke of his burden,
    and the staff for his shoulder,
    the rod of his oppressor,
    you have broken as on the day of Midian.
⁵ For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
    and every garment rolled in blood
    will be burned as fuel for the fire.
⁶ For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon(or is upon) his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called (or is called)
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9:1-7 ESV

Reflection

Today I have three questions for you:

1. Who is Man?
2. What form of government is appropriate for Man?
3. Who should have a voice in that government?

If you have spent any time in a modern classroom setting, you are probably thinking these questions would be much easier if they were multiple choice, knowing that at least one of the four offerings would be the correct answer.  The problem is that this is real life.  The answers are not only in the back of the book; Revelation – God Wins!! They are all throughout.

The answer for the first question starts in Genesis 1.  If you read it slowly enough you will start to see the beauty, awe, and majesty in which Man was created.  The creature given the image of its Creator, in an environment perfectly tuned for worship and praise to God.

But in our verse in Luke today we really start to ding into the second and third questions.  Clear away in your mind thoughts of political party, voting, and hot button issues of today, and think on your life.  Think about how you wake in the morning and determine your activities for the day.  Who is governing that?  What form of government is appropriate to make those decisions?  Whose voice are you listening to? As you do, also think about the coming of Christ into your life.  This is the mindset you should have as you read about Jesus being presented at the temple (Luke 2:21-24.)

Pay attention to the obedience with which the parents of Jesus executed their instructions.  You can find videos about the eighth day being the time at which the clotting of blood begins in infants. Also, there are videos that talk about how circumcision is intended to be a mark of God’s people and represents the transcendent nature of the relationship between God and His people. There are a lot of deep things here well worth your time to explore. But for today, focus on the fact that it all breaks down into one thing. You must accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ into your life, and He must become the sole arbiter of your heart.

Application

Let today be the breaking of your heart and a new beginning to life in Christ.  For unto us, you and me, a child is given.  And the government shall rest upon His shoulders.  Let Him govern your heart and you will learn to call him, Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father.  And in your life His government shall have no end.

The Choir of King’s College (Cambridge, UK)

Megaron Chamber Choir (Slovenia)

Gramophone Chorus (Ghana)

Lavenders Neyyattinkara (India)

Prayer

Thank You, heavenly Father for bringing Jesus into the world to redeem me from my fallen state.  Come into my life and rule over my heart.  Take away the sin that so easily entangles me, that I might in all things praise You.  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.