Prayer requests can be viewed and submitted by clicking on the "Prayer Request" button, type in the password clergypray.

Luke described Simeon and Anna, two elderly servants of God who recognized in the infant Jesus the hope for which they had been waiting. Simeon warned Mary that her life would hold pain as well as joy. Then Luke told about Jesus’ first Passover, at which he showed a precocious insight into the things of God, while Mary and Joseph experienced a foretaste of the pain and puzzlement they would face at times as their extraordinary son grew up.

• Reflect on each phrase of Simeon’s words in verses 34-35. Ask yourself in what ways each phrase pointed to one aspect of what happened in Jesus’ life and ministry. As you reflect on your own story, in what ways has your loyalty to Jesus brought challenges and adjustments into your life? Have you found facing those challenges for Jesus' sake worth it?'
• The story of Jesus’ first Passover is the only glimpse of his life as a boy in any of the gospels. What do you learn from this story about the special challenges his parents faced in raising God’s son? In what ways did the story foreshadow how effective Jesus would be when, about 18 years later, he began preaching and teaching?

Lord God, thank you for the courage, commitment and sensitivity to your will that Mary and Joseph brought to their amazing life calling. Shape me into a person who reflects your love in all my relationships. Amen.