“Where do you abide?" "Come and you will see.”

John 1:35-51

Two important things are happening in this passage. First, little by little, we’re told who Jesus is. Notice all the different ways that people refer to him in this passage: Lamb of God, Rabbi or Teacher, Messiah, the one about whom Moses and the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth, Son of God, King of Israel, Son of Man. Each time Jesus gains a new follower, our understanding of who he is becomes a little bit richer. And that’s the other important thing happening here. In this passage, Jesus is beginning to gather followers.

O Come, All Ye Faithful

Luke 2:21-40

The events of this passage take place not long after our Lord’s birth. I would sum up this passage in two words: faith and faithfulness. You have the holy family: Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. Mary and Joseph are faithful, devout people. Luke goes out of his way to remind us, over and over, what they are doing is in fulfillment of the law. These are faithful people. Then we have Simeon and Anna. They have faithfully waited for the Messiah to be come. And behind all of this is God who is faithful to the promise and whose Holy Spirit is present throughout this passage. This passage is rich with examples of faith and faithfulness. So, let’s begin with the holy family.