Today’s chapter is Luke 2

Tom writes:

When we think about Luke and Acts as a two-part epic it adds an extra shot of caffeine to our bible beverage. At the start of Luke we see the heavenly host, Simeon and Anna prophesying that Jesus will reach all the nations, we see the Holy Spirit falling on people in the temple courts. We see Jesus growing in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and the people. And then at the start of Acts we see Jesus prophesying that the early church will carry his gospel to all the world. We see the Holy Spirit fall on people in the temple courts and we then see the church grow in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and the people. What careful Dr Luke is showing through this structure is that where Jesus went, the church follows. What Jesus did, the church did. Luke wants us to realise that Jesus came as King of the long awaited Kingdom of God. And we - as Spirit-filled kingdom people - must continue to do all our King started. The Spirit anointed Jesus as King and this very same Spirit lives in the church, anointing us for Kingdom ministry. The caffeine in this bible beverage should send shock waves through our weary bodies. We should expect to keep on doing the stuff Jesus did. Time and again Luke demonstrates how the salvation of God is for us, for now, ushering us into a new way of life... if we allow it to.

What the Spirit is doing could so easily be missed. Think about how the Spirit “moves” Simeon to go into the temple courts so that he would come across Mary, Joseph and Jesus (2:25-27). This was what Simeon had been waiting his whole life for and yet, he could so easily have missed this mysterious “moving” and just done some shopping instead. We saw it in chapter 1 and we see it again in chapter 2. God loves to come close. His tender mercy is being poured out. His favour is a free-flowing fountain. But it doesn’t hit us round the head. We have to pick up the cup to drink, we have to be alert to the movings of the Spirit, we have to seek earnestly for Jesus and store up in our hearts the things that he says. We can be weary travellers, we can be working the lowest paid jobs, we can be an old man on our deathbed, or a long-term widow. We can even be anxious parents. All we need to do is come to Jesus and let him be our King. If we do that, not only will we be drawn into delights of salvation but we will even end up doing so much of what Jesus did.

Question for reflection

What would it feel like for the Spirit to “move” you like He moved Simeon?

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Luke 2 - Tuesday 2nd January