Seeing and Believing - Browncroft Community Church

Seeing and Believing

December 22, 2022

Rob Cattalani

Jesus grew up in a family that meticulously observed the law of Moses. Five times in this larger section of chapter 2, Luke tells us they did everything required by the law. Later in his life Jesus would be in tension with the religious leaders — not because He opposed the law, but because He opposed their hollow and flawed interpretation.

READ LUKE 2:36-40

Yesterday we met Simeon and in today’s section we find a second old prophet — Anna. Like Simeon she approached Mary and Joseph and prophesied about the birth of Jesus and what it would mean to Israel. Together they testify about who this child truly is. These two saints are Israel at its best — devout, obedient, and committed to prayer. They are also a portrait of Israel that accepted Jesus.

The many who rejected Him misunderstood their own faith and were therefore incapable of truly recognizing Jesus. The same is true for many today who get their information about Jesus and the Gospel second-hand through the media or even churches that don’t preach and teach the Bible.

The life of Jesus is in perfect harmony with God’s plan as outlined in the Old Testament. No mistakes, no contradictions — just a beautiful account of the perfect plan of God for all those who have an open heart to see and believe.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit open my eyes to the greater beauty of the Gospel today.

PRACTICE

Do some research on how many prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament were fulfilled in the New Testament.

Photo by Gareth Harper on Unsplash

About The Author

Rob Cattalani

Pastor Rob grew up in Rochester where he came to know Christ in his first year of college. After a couple years at the Xerox Corporation he decided to pursue a Masters of Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary. Pastor Rob was a pastor in Texas for nine years and then served as a missionary in Europe for a year. He answered the call to be Browncroft’s Senior Pastor in 2005, and his favorite part of his job is teaching and preaching God’s Word.

Further reading

Embracing Summer Sundays: Serving the Next Generation

Summer Serve is a golden opportunity for our church community to engage with the next generation in meaningful ways. By investing time and energy into serving kids, we plant seeds of faith and grow personally as disciples of Christ. Consider signing up to serve at least one Sunday this summer!

Jesus Culture: Restoring the World Through Ordinary Life

The Church of Jesus is called to be light in a dark world—a world that has always been at odds with the kingdom of God. We are called not simply to defend our faith, but to bring it to life in our homes, schools, workplaces, and communities. Over the month of June, we will be discussing practical ways that we can do this in our everyday lives.

Our Newest Global Partnership

I am excited to share that, by the generosity of our Browncroft congregation through the Reach 2024 campaign, and by the blessing of God, our church has recently developed a partnership with the Dardania Network, a church-planting movement in Kosovo!