the Third Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Charles Spurgeon's "Morning & Evening"
Morning
“Glory to God in the highest.”
Luke 2:1-20
Let us read with great joy of the birth of Jesus, the incarnate God.
Luke 2:2
The census was taken by Augustus, but the actual collecting of the tax was not carried out till the time of Cyrenius.
Luke 2:3-6
The decree of Cæsar was made to fulfil the decree of Jehovah, that Jesus should be born in Bethlehem.
Luke 2:7
Little love had the world for the Redeemer. It could find no room for him, no, not even in the place where the meanest traveller had free accommodation.
“No peaceful home upon his cradle smiled, Guests rudely went and came where slept the royal child.”
Luke 2:8
To simple minds, humbly doing their duty, the good news first came.
Luke 2:9-12
The heavenly messenger had scarcely concluded his announcement before he was joined by others who had hastened after him to swell the glory of the proclamation of the newborn king.
Luke 2:15
They believed the news, were interested in it, and went to see. If we believe the gospel, let us show our faith practically.
Luke 2:16-20
Here were three ways of treating the news concerning Jesus. Some wondered, and there the matter ended, as, it is to be feared, it ends with many who hear it in these days. Mary weighed all these things in her heart; to her they would be a perpetual source of blessing. The shepherds showed their piety in another manner, for they glorified God by telling the glad tidings to others. Have we not good cause to follow their example?
Hark, the herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King,
“Peace on earth and mercy mild;
God and sinners reconciled.”
Veil’d in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with men to appear,
Jesus our Immanuel here.
Mild he lays his glory by;
Born, that men no more might die;
Born, to raise the sons of earth;
Born, to give them second birth.
Evening
“Lo, this is our God we have waited for Him.”
Luke 2:21 , Luke 2:22 , Luke 2:24-38
Luke 2:21
Jesus signifies “Jehovah the Saviour,” and is the most melodious of all names in the ears of penitent sinners.
Luke 2:22 , Luke 2:24
Our Lord having placed himself, for our sakes, under the law, was obedient to it in all points, thus fulfilling all righteousness on our behalf. The poverty of his parents is showed by their presenting the second poorest offering accepted by the law; there was one offering poorer still, but they were not in abject poverty, that worst distress was reserved for Jesus in his after years, when he would not have where to lay his head. Though he was rich, for our sakes he became poor.
Luke 2:25
He was just before men and devout towards God, and his faith looked steadily forward for the coming of the Messiah, whom those who believingly searched the Scriptures were daily expecting.
Luke 2:35
The highly-favoured mother had to endure unusually sharp and killing griefs as she saw the sorrows and the death of her blameless son.
Luke 2:37
Having lost her husband for eighty-four years, she had devoted herself to the continual worship of God, and had, no doubt, as a prophetess, been spiritually useful to many. Women are much more honoured under the gospel than under the law. It was meet that two of the first witnesses to our Lord should be an aged man and a venerable woman.
Luke 2:38
O for grace to embrace Jesus, to love Jesus, to testify to Jesus, and to be so joyful in Jesus that we may be willing, like Simeon, to die, or, like Anna, to speak of him to all around!
Saints, before the altar bending,
Waiting long with hope and fear,
Suddenly the Lord descending
In his temple shall appear;
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doom’d for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now repeals the sentence,
Mercy calls you break your chains;
Come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
