Reading for July 2 is Luke 2-3... My thoughts on this reading... Chapter 2 of Luke is of course one of the most well know chapters in any of the gospels, as we hear from it every Christmas. You'll note that Luke begins by again, placing it within history by including the various rulers and authorities in the area. We hear that Jesus is born in Bethlehem, to fulfill what was promised in Micah 5:2 and that a son of David would be the Messiah. As the angels come with the good news, we hear that this is a message not just for the Jews, but all the people, everyone. It is the lowly shepherds, who were looked down on in their society and not consider reliable witnesses whom God first chooses to give witness to through the angels of His Son's birth. Mary we are told, treasures up all these things in her heart. We believe one of the reasons Luke has more details about Jesus birth and early childhood is because one of the sources he relied upon was Mary herself. We hear how Joseph and Mary are faithful to the commands of the law regarding Jesus being circumcised and Mary going through the rite of purification, which finds them in the temple and they meet two elderly people who are both looking to one day see the Messiah and had been promised that one day they would. Both Simeon and Anna rejoice as they hold the child and Simeon even breaks into a brief verse that has become known as the Nunc Dimittis and is used at times after the Lord's Supper as well as a part of the Commendation of the Dying service a pastor uses with a family at the loss of a loved one. It's a beautiful message that speaks of departing in peace, having seen the Lord's salvation! We then hear how Jesus returns home a young child and continues to grow in wisdom stature with others and with the Lord. We get the one event to take place outside of his infancy and before His ministry begins, when He goes to the temple at the age of 12, is left behind, and then found again in the temple, impressing all of the great religious teachers with His questions and understanding of the Law. We also hear of His ongoing obedience. In Chapter 3, Luke again places the next events within the context of history as we hear about the beginning of John the Baptizer's ministry. Luke points to John fulfilling the promises of Isaiah and we hear his radical of repentance that is welcomed by some, rejected by others, and a matter of curiosity for many others. Over all John points to the fact that the Kingdom of God is at hand, and there is one coming who will be even greater than he is. While we hear of Jesus baptism, we don't hear as much about the exchange between John and Jesus, but still see the presence of the Trinity in Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit. Before Luke launches into the beginning of Jesus' ministry, he shares Jesus genealogy Matthew of course began with it in his gospel, but Luke is much briefer in his list. On the other hand, while Matthew was more organized in his approach and makes the connections with David and Abraham, Luke takes it all the way back to Adam. I also think it's interesting how Luke describes Adam as the son of God, going from one son of God, to THE Son of God, Jesus.