Friday, January 5, 2007
Twelfth Christmas Day
Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
TWELVE TRIBES, TWELVE DISCIPLES, TWELVE YEARS
So we come to the twelfth day of Christmas. I hope none of you have received 12 partridges in 12 pear trees by this date. The number 12 is also an often-repeated number in Scripture. Perhaps the first "12" that comes to mind is the 12 sons of Jacob or Israel. These "12" became the heads of the twelve tribes or children of Israel. So can you remember all their names? I would guess that most would stumble to remember all twelve. It would be good to remember the one tribe not allotted land, the one with whom all the rest shared because the sons of Levi were to be concerned with the priesthood and the things of God. It would be good to remember the tribe of Judah, from which the Lord God promised the Savior would come to save all mankind -- through a once for all sacrifice.
We might also remember the 12 disciples, those 12 men chosen by the Lord Jesus to follow Him and be prepared by Him to be His witnesses. Can we remember all their names? I would think we'd have a better chance than remembering the 12 sons of Jacob. It would be good for us to remember that we are also disciples, followers of Jesus. We are to be His witnesses in our homes, at work, and abroad. We gather to Him each day and week to hear His Word and be equipped to serve Him and witness His name to the world.
We might also think of the 12-year-old Jesus, who went up to Jerusalem with Mary and Joseph for the Passover celebration. He stayed behind to listen to the teachers and ask them questions. How did Mary and Joseph react to this? They were amazed, relieved, and perhaps even a bit reproachful. Do we encourage our children to make the hearing and learning of God's Word the first priority in their lives? Are we just as proud of their apprehension of spiritual truth as we are of their earthly accomplishments? God help us in the new year to set them a good example, and help them to see that service to our God is a glorious opportunity, not a drudgery.
May God use each one of us today to witness to His saving name and to do so with hopeful joy.
On Galilee's high mountain
Christ gave the great command
In words of strength and promise which all can understand:
All power to me is given to do what I shall choose;
Therefore I send my children; Their witness I will use.
(WS 772:1)
