“And when the time for their purification [the mother’s purification and the Baby’s dedication] came according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.” Luke 2:22 (Amplified)
Whenever you ask people what they think about the Church, the most likely answer would be that it is a place you are taken for dedication when you are born, married when old enough and buried after your life is over. While this view belies the fact that many people live their lives without really knowing Jesus Christ or experiencing His saving grace, it still shows that many still want to associate with God in their own ways. This is the reason why many people who spend the majority of their lives having nothing to do with the Church consent to be sent out of this world with the words of the padre singing their praises and consoling their families.
This was not the mindset of the Jews of Jesus’ time whose lives were strictly regulated by the Torah – God’s law. In order to become a Jew, you must be circumcised. In this way, you are able to fully partake of the covenant which God made with Abraham. If you are not circumcised, you will be cut off from God’s people. Circumcision confirms what you are by birth. This is the reason why Jews are born and not converted. Hence, you are either a Jew or you are not. Period! This implies that if you are not born a Jew, you chances of developing a relationship with God are slim to none. Thankfully, Jesus’ birth and death changed all that. This means that if you were not born a Jew, you can still get to intimately know God and be co-opted into the Abrahamic covenant. All it requires is for you to be “Born Again” by being born through Christ. You need to acknowledge the fact that His death on the cross of Calvary was essentially to pay the debt of sin that you owe God and the wages of which is death.
In the anchor passage, Jesus’ parents had brought Him to be dedicated to God in line with the Law of Moses, thus validating His right to be called a Jew. The implication of their action is that God now owns Jesus and can do whatever He willed with Him, an option He ultimately took up by sending Jesus to die on the cross to expiate the sin of the world. Jesus’ parents had the best in mind for their son and so did God and you (the reader) are the fruit of that covenant transaction, for if Jesus hadn’t died, where would you have been?
As a parent, you might have dedicated your child/children to God either publicly or privately or you might not have done so at all. However, the fact remains that God recognises your spiritual authority over your child/children to impact their lives as enunciated in Num. 30. His plan for you and in extension your children, is to do you good and to bless your children after you to the fourth generation. So, if the present reality in your life is that your child/children are not serving the Lord, you can appeal to God and ask Him to exercise His option by reclaiming your child/children in cognisance of the authority He has delegated to you as the parent and God will oblige you.
So, if this Christmas has not been the most joyful because of your worries over the spiritual state of your child/children, God wants you to ask based on His word so that your joy can become full. You can dedicate/rededicate your child/children to the Lord and expect that in His own time He will claim them for Himself. That is the bye-product of the Abrahamic covenant and Christmas.
Prayer:
Lord, I cast my burden on you today as I dedicate/rededicate my child/children ———— [insert name(s)]. Let your will be done in their lives as your will was accomplished in Jesus’ life. I give my child/children to you today and expect to see you move in their lives in Jesus’ name. Amen.