The Presentation of Christ

We recently visited close family friends of ours with a four-year old son. As soon as we walked in the door, he could hardly wait to show us his room and his special toys which we brought out with great fanfare. "Look at this!" What a privilege to delight in his joy and be amazed at his treasures.

Little kids love to show their special people things that matter to them. So do adults. When our special people acknowledge the things that matter to us, we feel loved, we feel like we belong.

Imagine what it must have felt like for Mary and Joseph to present Jesus in the temple and have him taken into the arms of Simeon and Anna. I wonder if it's a taste of what we'll share with Jesus when he presents us "blameless before the presence" of his Father "with great joy" when we are welcomed into the New World (Jude 1:24).

I look forward to experiencing that joy together on Sunday morning!

In Messiah,
Steve Engstrom+