The Lord Jesus assigns to us the task of illuminating the world. “You are the light of the world,” he says. So we are. He brings us out of darkness into his marvelous light continuously through his Word and the Holy Spirit.
Today we see clearly that Jesus came into our flesh to fulfill the Law of God in all its requisites. We speak of active and passive obedience. The presentation in the temple is part of his active obedience. We have seen God’s salvation.
In Holy Baptism we are made one with Jesus in his death. There we say “no” to the devil and “yes” to God. So we walk from death to life. Only Jesus gives us that!
As we begin a new year, we are profoundly comforted by the Lord’s promise to Solomon. That promise is for us too! The most precious words are that God totally renews us through the forgiveness of sins.
None of us knows a thing about God’s eternal truths. They must first be revealed to us. Then we receive the Holy Spirit (who comes to us through the Word). He enables us to believe in God’s Word through the gift of faith. Joseph learned this in a very special way.