Verse: And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7)
Meditation: Children are vulnerable and weak. They cannot take care of themselves or provide for themselves. It is a marvel that the Lord of heaven and earth would become such, that he would entrust himself to sinful humans. But so it was. And so we are led. For as a culture, we would despise weakness and scorn vulnerability. It is the tough ones, the ones with grit and determination that win our praises. And those have their place. But let us not despite what is weak and vulnerable, lest we despise our own Lord in his youth.
Prayer: Father, grant that we would see the value of weakness and dependence, and grant that our children would not be ashamed to admit to such and to ask for help. We don’t want them to push away the gospel because it is good news for the weak. Grant us all humility, that we might see ourselves with sober judgment. Amen.