Laurie Hopkins

It is interesting to note that from the very start of Jesus’s ministry His intent and purpose was to be about “My Father’s business.” 

What does going about “My Father’s business” look like? 

The first thing to note was that Jesus sat and listened and asked questions. 

V 12 tells us that Jesus was twelve years old when he went up to Jerusalem with His parents.  

At the end of the trip they started home and realized He was not with them.  

When they journeyed back to Jerusalem they found Him in the temple, with the teachers, listening and asking questions.  

If Jesus sat and listened and asked questions, then surely we can humble ourselves to take the time to sit and ask questions. 

The second thing of interest was that Jesus assumed that His parents would have understood where He was and what He was doing. 

It was clear to Him what His purpose and intent looked like and He assumed that would show clearly to those around Him.  

Is our intent and purpose to be “about the Father’s business” clearly seen and understood by those around us? 

With all this in mind can we honestly say we are going “about our Father’s business”? 

Are we seeking the Father, humbling ourselves to listen and ask questions, and is our intent and purpose clear to those around us? 

Or are we winging it, doing out own thing and hoping that others see Jesus us in us regardless of whether we are walking out His plan or our own plan?  

Oh that we would see the Lord daily for guidance and direction that we would truly be “about our Father’s business.”

Without Christmas, there is no Easter.  

The Easter story, although it began before the foundation of the world, hit an important milestone in the Christmas story.  

After 400 years of silence, at the beginning of the Christmas story, Zacharias, Mary and Joseph all heard from God, through an angel, but individually. 

The first widespread proclamation of the Good News that had arrived was to the shepherds. 

What was that Good News?  

The Good News was that Christmas, the birth of Christ, was never meant to be celebrated out of context, but always to be celebrated looking ahead to Easter.  

The angel didn’t say Christ the baby was born, but rather, “for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” 

The Good News of Christmas was that the Babe had been born, which, although the people didn’t understand at the time, pointed us directly to Easter. 

That baby had to grow into a man, walking the journey the Father had set out for Him, go to the cross for our sins, be crucified, dead and buried, to rise again on the third day, to ascend to the right Hand of the Father, that we, dead in our sins, may be reconciled to the Father. 

As we move on to devotions on Jesus’ ministry, we must always remember, without Christmas there is no Easter and without Easter, Christmas has no meaning.

The angel Gabriel was sent to Mary to deliver an amazing message.  

She, a young girl, who was not yet married, would be overshadowed by the power of the Highest and would bear the Son of God. 

This message was amazing at several levels.   

We often romanticize the visit of the angel to Mary while not taking the time to consider the realities of the world she was living in and what it would mean to her in her daily life.  

She would have to live in a society where pregnancy before marriage was shameful and punishable by stoning.  

Yet, in spite of the challenges that she knew she would face, Mary’s response to the message of the angel was one of acceptance and trust.  

“Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” 

God calls us to things in this life that others may romanticize but which we understand will present challenges in our daily life. 

It is very important, no matter how much others romanticize the calls on our lives, that we are honest with ourselves about the challenges.  

Then the question becomes not whether or not challenges will come, challenges will come.  

The question becomes how will we respond to the call?  

Will we shy away in fear because of the challenges we know will come?  

Or will we, like Mary, choose the call on our lives with acceptance and trust?  

“Behold the maidservant of the Lord! 

Let it be to me according to your word.”