January 14, 2026

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.  And the child grew and became strong; He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on Him.‘” (Luke 2.39-40)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

Throughout the whole of the biblical witness, we are presented with the ebb and flow of two guides: Law and Spirit. Both originate and culminate with the very presence of God. Biblical scholars offer many different ways of reading, and thus understanding from those varied perspectives, the whole of the story presented as the history of salvation first of the Jews and then the Gentiles. One does not preclude the other nor should they exclude each other. I believe that the first culmination of these two distinct and interwoven storylines of the greatest story ever told does intend come in the witness of Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world (the human population past, present and future.) In Jesus, we are given His teachings as to what truly fulfills worship as “spirit and truth,” as He called to attention in speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, and to authentic repentance in seeking to be “born again” as He did in speaking to Nicodemus. For the John the disciple, apostle and elder of the Church in Asia Minor, these two story lines are presented following the Miracle at Cana where Jesus, though His time of revelation had not yet come (which is what He said in response to His mother’s request), turned water into wine. Much focus is placed on the physical aspect of the miracle in relation to the event: turning water into wine and thus preserving the dignity of the host as his provisions were now depleted. He had nothing left to offer and this would have brought dishonor to himself, his family and to the newlyweds. In the words of my oldest daughter, “That would have been bad mojo!” I am not so sure about mojo, but it would have been bad. What would be worse is that the gospel presentation of what happened that evening be lost by simply focusing on the present day and not seeing the greater future. I do not believe that John, nor the other disciples or even Mary herself nor any of the wedding attendees, saw the truth of what Jesus did in the moment. Only as their eyes were opened to the truth in the days to come, perhaps not even until Jesus appeared to those in the Upper Room over the course of forty days following His resurrection, was the full impact of that “first” miracle grasped. It would become the guide for understanding the whole of the gospel, especially for the gospel of John which actually culminates in the final chapter of the Book of the Revelation given to John by the Christ of God. That final chapter reveals the great wedding celebration where it is said (Revelation 22.17), “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life [come].” Yes, the ultimate objective is captured within the context of “the two becoming as one” as in the universal wedding celebration. And how is it celebrated with the “water of life,” the wine of the new covenant made in Jesus’ blood transforming the waters of baptism (as symbolized by the six large jars) into the blessing of the spirit (having saved the best for last.)

How the two guides come to be known as separate entities (the Law and the Spirit) is a matter of who is telling the story and their perspective. One is from the perspective of humanity as informed by their “lot in life” which is of original sin (and this would include the Fall of Lucifer from Heaven to dwell on earth under the name of Satan) with the hope not merely of survival but a return to the bliss of the Garden (for human beings) and to Heaven (refused as an option by Satan, the cast out Lucifer.) The other perspective is of the great divinity which sees life on earth and in this world as beginning with the image of God in Christ out of which all things were created. Everything that was made could not be made without the image then impressed upon the voided chaos by the very Spirit of God. (John 1.3) Within the first two chapters of Genesis we begin to see the foundations of these two perspectives laid out. From them come the spectrum of “how we see God and relate to Him” from Spirit to Law. Thus, at the end of Genesis 2, we are given the concept of marriage as a legal reality where at the end of Genesis 1 (day 6) we see the union of man and woman as a spiritual truth. It will not be until the next chapter (2.1) that we are given the full picture of what that union of truth actually is to look like on the Sabbath day where the significant OTHER is incorporated into the functional reality of life on earth. That is also a “two shall be as one” but the two identities are “humankind who are as one male and female/man and woman” and Almighty God in Triune identity as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

I present all of this to you, mighty ones of God, because it is laying the groundwork to explain the continuation of the “Christmas” story and “Where do we go from here?” The two threads again are presented in the gospels of Matthew and Luke but finely woven together for two different people: Jew and Gentile. It may be better to identify those two people in the modern age as Jew and non-Jew. The term gentile does not fit into the common vernacular of today. Sadly, the term Jew carries plenty of baggage even among those who are Jewish by birth as to their spiritual identity. We are not very different at all when it is said and done. Equally, we will not be very different at all when the final marriage ceremony is presented. There will only be “two.” God and the people of God who have accepted God’s chosen true identity for themselves. So, how can we harmonize the two roads which diverge at Bethlehem? In Matthew, Joseph’s family depart to Egypt to avoid the imminent mass murder conducted at Herod’s command. In Luke, Joseph’s family depart for Nazareth where seemingly the reach of Herod is diluted and of little to no consequence. I invite you to consider the succeeding reflections on these two “words” from God and consider with me what is different and what always remains the same. See you then, shalom!

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.