Meditating On His Word

Speaker: Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines

January 02, 2022

in Spritual Growth

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2nd Sunday of Christmas
Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines
January 02, 2022

Readings: Jeremiah 31:7-14
Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19
Luke 2:41-52

Christmas should affect our lives every day because Christmas is the very love of God to man, breaking the bondage of Satan’s hold on man. Scripture tells us that a baby’s name was only to be given on the 8th day, the day of his circumcision, sealing his covenant with God and signifying that he belongs to God. During the time of Christ, there were three important ceremonies required of the first-born male child:
1) Circumcision – sealing his covenant with God. This covenant is eternal. Nowadays, it is the sacrament of baptism that has taken its place.
2) The sacrifice to God – The child was brought to the temple and offered to God.
3) Purification of the mother – 40 days after the birth of Christ, cleansing was required of the mother from the ritual impurity incurred at childbirth. She was to offer a pigeon or turtledove as a sin offering or a lamb.

Only after 40 days can they be allowed to go home after the male first-born child had been circumcised and the mother had been purified. This shows how valuable and how God puts great emphasis on the 1st born male child. Then they returned to Nazareth to continue on with their lives. Nazareth was the chosen place for Jesus to spend his foundational years because here, the people lived ordinary and simple lives. There were no other distractions. This gave Jesus the time to really focus on what He was to become. He spent time meditating, studying, and following the commandments diligently. He was now twelve years old and required to go to Jerusalem with His parents for the Passover. They were to stay there for seven days. When the Passover festivities were done and His parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Joseph and Mary had been traveling for a day and began looking for Jesus, thinking He was among the group of relatives and friends. When they could not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for Him. After three days, they finally found Him in the temple courts, being with teachers and learned men, who were listening to this boy intently and were amazed at His wisdom. Then His mother said to Him, “Son why have you done this. We were so worried about you.” And Jesus answered, “Didn’t you know that I had to be in my Father’s house?” And it was written that when he returned home to Nazareth with His parents, he was obedient to them, and grew in wisdom and stature, gaining favor with God and man.

Jesus was only 12 years old but wise beyond His years. He could communicate with the elders. He was able to do this because He spent time learning and meditating about the things of God. The enemy tries to occupy our minds with many other thoughts, taking away our minds from focusing on the Word. Each of us has been given by God a desire to know Him but our minds have been occupied with the cares of this world. Jesus was meditating on the things of God while growing up. He was always studying and learning these things and following the ordinances. We have not developed the understanding yet because we have not taken the time to study and learn about God. We have not realized the potential we have in God. We are a blessed people. Merry Christmas? It should be a Blessed Christmas.