Fictional Account of Luke 2:22-40

Mary bundled up the precious child. Today they would journey to Jerusalem to the temple. It was time for Jesus, her first born son to be dedicated. Since the first Passover, so many years ago, God has required the first born son of Jewish families to be redeemed, dedicated to him as a reminder of how he saved them from slavery in Egypt. Since they were a poor family, Mary would take two doves to be sacrificed. One for the dedication of the baby and the other for her own purification.

As they walked along, Mary carried the little one who slept in her arms. He was just five weeks old, yet she couldn't imagine her life without him. She thought about all the events of the last year: her time with Elizabeth, returning to Nazareth, her family's reactions, Joseph's reaction, the decree from Caesar, the journey to Bethlehem, the birth, the shepherd's visit, and the last month with her baby boy. So much had happened, she was not the same young woman who received the promise of an angel just a year ago. She had no idea what would happen in their lives as the baby grew up, but she knew Yahweh would continue to watch over them and protect him. She had doubts in her own abilities as a mother, but she trusted His father to lead her in the direction she should go.

There was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. Simeon was a righteous and devout man. He observed the law of the Lord with caution and care. Simeon eagerly waited for the promised Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him and had promised Simeon that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. This morning, the Spirit led Simeon to the temple. He wasn't sure why, but somehow, Simeon knew today was a special day. Could it be that today was the day he would see the Lord? In the temple courts, Simeon looked up and knew. That young couple, that baby, here was the Messiah. The Lord's promise was fulfilled that very moment in a tiny infant.

Before they could even get into the temple, Simeon came up to the new family. “Do you mind?” he asked, reaching for the baby. Mary gently handed him baby Jesus. The baby raised his head and looked around. Simeon began to praise God saying "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” Mary and Joseph looked at each other. It was amazing what this man was saying about their son. It was obvious to the couple that he knew who he was holding. He was proclaiming the very things Mary had been treasuring in her heart. Simeon handed the baby back to his parents and blessed them. Then turning to Mary, he said of the child, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” What did this mean? Yes, she knew Jesus was to be the ruler of Israel, but what was a sign that will be spoken against? And what did he mean a sword will pierce her soul?

She didn't have long to ponder the questions, they would have to wait. Soon after Simeon finished talking, Anna walked over. Anna had been just a young woman when her husband died 84 years earlier. She was devastated and didn't know where to turn, so she went to the temple to fast and pray. Soon she began to serve others and discovered the joy of serving God. She found her comfort in the temple. By this time, a crowd had gathered around the small family. Anna turned to the people who had looked forward to the redemption of Jerusalem for such a long time. She began to talk of the child in front of them.

Soon, the people dispersed and the couple took their child to the priest and fulfilled the requirements of the law. As they returned to their home town of Nazareth in Galilee, Mary and Joseph talked of the things they had heard today. They discussed what Simeon may have meant and all the things Anna said. Mostly they adored the baby boy and talked about how he had changed their life and all the lives he would change. Truly she was blessed among women.

Battle of the Will

One of the best parts of my job is assisting with therapeutic horseback riding. While I know a little about horses, I don't even begin to consider myself a "horse person." My job during therapeutic riding usually deals with keeping clients in one place and encouraging communication.

This morning, as we were preparing for clients to arrive at the arena, one horse was being particularly obstinant. Our volunteer was working him in the round pin (again I don't pretend to be a horse person and have no clue exactly what she was doing except making him run around in circles.) Periodically, the horse would decide he was going to stop or turn around and go the other way. When he did this, the volunteer would make a particular movement and he would turn back the way she wanted him to be going. Brian, the social worker who helps, was sitting at the table watching. He commented "He thinks he's going to do it his way and she is not going to let him." Life lesson?

Tonight, I attended a Beth Moore Bible Study (Jesus the One and Only) session. Tonight's lesson was on Luke 22:39-46. Jesus time of prayer in the Garden was a similar battle of will. The will of His flesh wanted to turn and run the other way. He begged for God to "let this cup to pass over me," but the Son of God said "No, whatever you require of me, I will do."

Here's the cool part of the whole story. Just before we had the conversation about the strong willed horse, Brian asked if I had done anything else with that "internet thing." (That would be applying to Seminary.) He also said he had two papers to write for admission to graduate school, but he seemed to be procrastinating--possibly a subliminal message that he didn't want to do it. My quick response was "Maybe it's not about what Brian wants." Yeah, I turned it all around on Brian, in reality, I was probably saying "Maybe it's not about what Mandi wants."

Teach me to follow. Not my will but Yours.

Employee of the Year and So Much More

I work at an Intermediate Care Facility for the Mentally Retarded (ICF-MR) in Mississippi. Today we had our annual "Oktoberfest" celebration complete with carnival games, dancing, and staff gymnastics. The day concluded with our director awarding two Employees of the Year with money and a plaque from the facility's FRIENDS organization. Both the direct care staff and the professional staff that received these awards treat the clients as if they are family. They go out of their way to do whatever is needed and are often at the center even when they aren't on duty. When Dr. Rogers announced the names of the two Employees of the Year, the clients who they work closely with leapt with excitement. That moment told me that those two men deserved Employee of the Year and so much more.

"The king will answer, 'Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me.'" Matthew 25:40 CEV

Hidden Treasures

Joshua 7

God specifically said everything in Jericho must be destroyed except for the gold, silver, bronze and iron, and that is to be given to the Tabernacle. But Achan wasn't listening.

After the fall of Jericho, Joshua sent spies to Ai. The spies came back saying 'No problem. There aren't very many people there, just a few thousand of us can take them.' So he sent those few thousand men to Ai and they became afraid. Thirty-six men were killed and the Isrealites lost their faith.

Now even Joshua began to blame God. 'Why did you have to bring us here, to kill us? We were just fine on the other side of the Jordan. It was nice enough. Now all the Amorites and Canaanites will hear this and they will come kill us.'

Wow, how many times, when things get hard, do I do the same thing? God wins a battle with Satan and I'm feeling good and suddenly something tries to kill me and all faith is lost. I begin to whine to God. "Now look. Everyone's going to see what happened and they're gonna start talking..."

God quickly called Joshua out of this despair. "Isreal sinned", God reveals, "they are cursed because they took what didn't belong to them--after I told them to destroy it." He continues to tell Joshua to get up and find out who did it and destroy those things or else they are on their own. Following God's commands, Joshua brough the people before him tribe by tribe, family by family, household by household, person by person. Finally, Achan was taken and when asked, confessed to taking silver and gold and hiding them beneath his tent. Everything that belonged to Achan, including his wife and children, were taken to the Valley of Achor, and they were stoned and burned. Destroying Achan and his property was the only way to destroy the sin in the tribe. Removing the sin was the only way for the people to be redeemed. Fortunately for us, Christ made that redemption possible for us. Through His death, our sin has been removed.

Notice that Achan hid the treasure? He wanted it so badly that he stole it, yet when it was his, he couldn't even enjoy it because he had to hide it to keep from being found out. I frequently read the blog Encouragement for Today by Proverbs 31 Ministries. In today's entry, Lisa Whittle talks about the secret thins in our heart--"those secret places that reside deep within our soul that we keep hidden from others and even try to hide from God?" She notes "The crafty, conniving one knows that if he can get us to continue to bury our secret places deep within our heart, we can’t be effective for God. He knows that thoughts of our private sins will eventually eat away at us, causing us to feel fraudulent and unworthy of the love and acceptance of others, and most of all, our Heavenly Father." Whittle goes on to remind us of the redemption we have in Jesus Christ and gives practical ways of combating those secret-keeping habits.

The people then built a memorial of stones in the Valley of Achor. This memorial reminded them that disobedience brings destruction, but also repentence brings redemption. In my Memorials post, I mentioned memorial stones in our spiritual lives. Brian commented, "...Some remind us of times when we were just plain stupid and others are very painful...." The memorial built in the Valley of Achor is one such set of stones. They remind Isreal of a time when they messed up and found themselves on their face in destruction. But when we look back on these stones, they also remind us of the forgiveness and mercy of Christ and what He brought us from.

Oh be careful little mouths what you shout (and when you shout it)

Joshua 6
All the Canaanites who lived in Jericho went inside the city walls and locked the gates because they were afraid of the Isrealites. God told Joshua to take all the men of war and march around the city once a day for 6 days and seven times on the seventh day. The priests were to take trumpets before the ark and play and on the seventh round on the seventh day, when the trumpets played a long blast, the people were to shout and the wall would fall. Joshua did as he was told and gathered the people. He told them "You should not shout or let your voice be heard, nor shall any word proceed out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout!" (6:10)

I can imagine the tendency of the Isrealites. Maybe they were thinking, in the words of one of my all-time favorite Camp Lake Stephens campers, "My feet hurt. Bugs be bitin me. All we ever do here is walk. I'm tired of walkin. There ain't no roller-coasters here." Okay, maybe they weren't lookin for roller-coasters, but I can see a tendency to complain none-the-less. And Joshua knew them, he knew this tendency and he knew that there was no room for doubt. So he told them to be quiet until it was time to shout.

We can learn from Joshua's command. When you're facing challenges and trials, do not allow your lips to speak unbelieving words. When we refuse to speak doubt and fear, it keeps our heart more inclined to see what God can do rather than what we cannot.


Everyone and everything in Jericho was to be destroyed except that of Rahab and her family in her home. The only items that were not to be destroyed were the silver, gold, bronze, and iron which were to go to the treasury of the Lord's house. The Isrealites were to abstain from the accursed things because they were associated with pagan practices. After the walls fell, the Isrealites killed every person inside (except Rahabs family) and they burned the city.

Rahab's life and the lives of her family were spared because she spared the spies. She was adopted in to God's family, the Isrealites, and became a decendant of David and Jesus.

An Outward Sign

Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you."
(Genesis 17: 9-11)

Circumcision was a sign -- an outward, physical sign of a covenant between God and Abraham. God promised to bless Abraham, to make him the father of many nations, to be his God and the God of His decendants, and to give Abraham's decendants everlasting possession of Canaan. Abraham's part? Abraham was to trust God as his God--to follow and obey Him in trust to care for His every need. And, Abraham was to circumcise himself and every male in his family or possession, and every child born to his family when he turns 8 days old.

There was rules to partaking in the Passover. When God gave Moses and Aaron the regulations for the Passover, every male in the household must have been circumcized (Exodus 12). Now, Joshua is leading the Isrealites and it's time for the Passover, but none of the Isrealites had been circumcised since they left Egypt and all those who left Egypt had died in the wilderness. So Joshua circumcised this generation. That day, when the Isrealites performed the outward sign that they were children of God, God removed the shame of slavery from them. Then, on the fourteenth day of the month, in the plains of Jericho, the Isrealites celebrated Passover. As they entered into the Promised Land, they were reminded that this inheritance was because of their simple faith in the blood of the Lamb.

That day, the Isrealites ate food from the land and the manna stopped. In the Promised Land, God provided food from crops. The Isrealites no longer needed manna, but they would have to assume some responsibility to working the land to get their food.

"In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead." (Colossians 2:11-12)

We no longer have to be circumcised, but we do have to realize that we are free from the shame of sin. We need to realize that we are free and will receive the promises of God simply because of the blood of the Lamb.

Memorials

When all the people had crossed the Jordan, God had Joshua get 12 men to gather stones from the middle of the river to take with them when they camped that night. These stones were to be built into a memorial so the people had something physical to remind them about the wonders God had done that day. When their children saw these stones and ask what they mean, the people were to tell them of the time God stopped the waters of the Jordan river. (Joshua 4)

We too, put up stones as memorials. Cemetaries are full of them. Stones put up where we bury our loved ones and something is usually etched on these stones in order to remind us what they meant to us. Just as the Isrealites were told to remember and pass along to future generations what God did, we are to pass along to future generations what God has done for us--and we have memorials to remind us.

I recently went on a couple of memorial tours with my grandparents. The days were filled with cemetary tours (complete with my taking photos), but we did more than just look at peices of stone. At each stop, my grandparents would tell me stories of those whose names we read on the stones. "Grandmother was a lady. She always sat up straight and only crossed her legs at the ankles. The only negative comment I ever heard her make was if she was really frustrated, she would sometimes say 'well dog my cats." Not only were there scores of stories of people, which I only pray I remember long enough to write some of them down (really need to go on another trip so I can get these down), but there were stories of places. "I used to ride my bike down this road to school. My old girlfriend lived there. That's where my grandmother went to church." My grandparents made sure I knew that our family was made of believers. They weren't all happy stories, but they reminded me how Christ was always there for them. "That's the graves of your great-grandmother's sisters. They were killed in the tornado in 1936. That's where my brother and his fiance' died the day before they got married."

We also have memorials in our spiritual lives. People, places, dates, and things that remind us of significant events on our Spiritual journey. They aren't always happy memories, but they tell of a time when we experienced the move of God. I was going to list mine here, but I think that's another post. What's the purpose of these memorials? Theres two: 1) to remind you what God did for you and 2) so when your children ask "what's that?," you can tell them what God did for you and they too will know God is real and His hand is mighty.