Welcome to 10 minute Bible Talks.

Where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work.

I'm Tanya Wilmoth.

I don't know if you've been to a baby

dedication lately but usually the mom and dad get dressed up. The baby might

have a new outfit or something that's passed down in the family.

I've always wondered about those little white dresses, even the boys wear,

didn't have those, but anyway, the service is a special time for the family and

then there's probably a nice lunch or something

afterward and it's a celebratory event. It marks the desire of the parents to

raise a child in God's family and a dedication of the family and the

church to come alongside one another to teach the child about God.

Now there are some similarities and differences in our current custom and dedication of babies

and what happened with Jesus at the temple.

See under Jewish law there was a required purification ceremony

that happened 40 days after the birth and it was required for the baby's mother.

She had to come to Jerusalem to the temple to be purified and that was the only place.

So for Joseph and Mary, they traveled along with Jesus all the way to Jerusalem for

this ceremony.

Now, Luke too tells us about this special day and Luke makes a point to show us the

contrasts at work.

For example, Mary and Joseph had to offer a sacrifice but they were

...