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

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Join Us for These Upcoming Events!

Lent is an opportunity for us to slow down and see what we have ignored or what needs to be tended to. There are a couple upcoming events in the life of Browncroft that will help us participate in this opportunity in a more intentional way. Hopefully, these will be meaningful for you as you engage in this significant season of the Church!

A Hope That Heals: Sarah’s Story

This past week, I had the privilege of meeting with Sarah Etsler, a newer congregant in our church, to hear her story. In the short six months that she’s been attending Browncroft, Sarah has seen God work in ways she never expected or imagined.