Thought for the Week: Three ceremonies that are important to Christianity

He was to carry the small Beaver flag into and out of the church. And he did it well. The youngest of children can respond to rite and ceremony.

This took me back to the three ceremonies which took place after the birth of Jesus, just as they did for every Jewish baby boy. Firstly, He was circumcised. This practice dates right back to the time of Abraham. It is a sign of the covenant between God and his people. It was absolutely essential for every Jewish boy to be circumcised. It was such an important ceremony that it could take place on any day of the week, including the Sabbath.

Secondly, the Jews believed that every firstborn male, whether human or cattle, was sacred to God. They belonged to Him. They needed to be bought back at a price. This cost five shekels and could not be paid sooner than 31 days after the birth of the child.

The third ceremony was the purification of the mother. In Jewish law, a woman who had given birth to a boy was ritually unclean for 40 days. If she gave birth to a girl, she was unclean for 80 days. Then the mother would present a lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon for a sin offering to God.

This was reasonably expensive. If the parents had limited means, they could bring two pigeons (known as the offering of the poor!). The fact that Mary brought two pigeons is an indication of the poverty that Jesus was born into and would have experienced.

These ceremonies may seem strange to us but they underline the fact that children are a precious gift from God. The responsibility to care for a child is a privilege which needs God’s constant strength and guidance. Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, He was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before He was conceived.