Devotion for the 5th Day of Christmas

Devotional for the Fifth Day of Christmas

Verse
Psalm 111:2–3 (ESV)
“Great are the works of the LORD,
studied by all who delight in them.
Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.”

Meditation
The fifth day of Christmas draws us into the temple, where God keeps His promises in quiet faithfulness. Psalm 111 calls us to delight in the works of the LORD, works marked by splendor, mercy, and enduring righteousness. These works are not hidden in grand displays alone, but revealed in acts of steadfast love carried out in ordinary places, at appointed times.

In Isaiah, the LORD speaks tenderly to His people. Though they feel forgotten, God declares that He cannot forget them. He gathers His children, bears them close, and restores what seemed lost. This promise takes flesh in Luke’s Gospel. Mary and Joseph bring the child Jesus to the temple, obedient to the Law. There, Simeon and Anna see what generations longed for: the salvation of God prepared before all peoples.

Galatians tells us what this means for us now. We are no longer slaves, but sons. The child presented in the temple is the Son who redeems those under the Law, so that we might receive adoption. Simeon’s song becomes the Church’s confession: having seen Christ, we are at peace. Christmas faith is not hurried or loud. It waits, watches, and trusts. The God who keeps covenant remembers His people. His work is sure. His mercy stands forever.

New Testament Verse
Galatians 4:4–5 (ESV)
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Old Testament Verse
Isaiah 49:15–16a (ESV)
“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”

Collect
Faithful God, whose promises never fail, grant that as You revealed Your salvation in the child presented at the temple, we may receive Him with trusting hearts, rejoice in our adoption as Your children, and depart this life in peace according to Your word; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn Verse
Lord, now You let Your servant go
In peace, Your word fulfilling;
Your saving grace has shown to me
Your great and glorious willing.
For eyes have seen Your precious gift,
A light to Gentiles sent,
A glory for Your chosen folk,
Israel’s true content.

(“In Peace and Joy I Now Depart” — Martin Luther, 1524; public domain)