Festival of the Epiphany of our Lord
Posted on January 6, 2022 by under
Scripture: St. John 1:9-13 (NKJV)
1:9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Devotion
Jesus is the ultimate Christmas gift, from God to us—a gift that keeps on giving! He brings God’s love and truth to us. The result is that we who believe in Jesus, who receive Him in faith, become His sons and daughters in the only-begotten Son! This is because we have been born again of God, by water and His Spirit in holy Baptism. By God’s grace we are no longer part of what John the Baptist would call a “brood of vipers,” because we are born again. Jesus lives in us through His Word and Spirit.
Since we are born of God in faith and Baptism, we are now children of God. And since we are children of God, we are to live as children of God. As Jesus said: “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32).
Jesus comes as our Savior—to save us from our sin, to set us free from sin, to set us free from sin’s condemnation, and to set us free from sin’s grip over our lives. Now we can live again as children of God, not as children of sin, Satan, and death. In Jesus Christ we are made children who are full of grace and truth. That is your true Christmas gift!
Prayer: O God, Who by the leading of a star didst manifest Thy Only-begotten Son to the Gentiles: Mercifully grant, that we, who know Thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of Thy glorious Godhead; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
