09/06/2026
Monday Morning Devotion
September 7, 2026
Sanctuary
I heard another really good devotion form the Lutheran Hour and I will share part of it with you. I find it interesting that Jesus stayed in the Temple three days and then rebuilt the Temple in three days.
And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing Him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for Him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for Him. (Luke 2:43-45)
The temple at Jerusalem, despite its corruption and worldliness, had a strong appeal for the twelve-year-old Jesus when He first visited it at that Passover Festival. As He saw the lamb slain in sacrifice, He could foresee the shadow of His own cross, on which He Himself would be offered one day as the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29b).
No wonder then that Jesus stayed in the temple, deeply engrossed in its rites and ceremonies, which pointed to His own future sacrifice. But great wonder that Joseph and Mary started their return back home without Jesus! However, Christ was not lost to His parents forever. “After three days they found Him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions” (Luke 2:46). Indeed, He is never completely lost to those who seek Him as their Redeemer, since God promises each of us, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). What marvelous mercy this is!
My hope is that you encounter Jesus today like Mary and Joseph did—in God’s temple, in a true church, where His full Gospel is preached. Our Lord remained in the temple to learn. Lovingly, He sought out the sanctuary of His Father. Today, we too need God’s fellowship and the forgiveness He so richly offers.
As the prophet Isaiah has said, “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).
My prayer is that you find a Gospel-preaching, Christ-exalting church where you will meet Jesus and the communion of His saints.
We pray: Heavenly Father, lead us to faith in Jesus and into fellowship with other believers. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Based on “Jesus—Lost and Found,” a sermon by Rev. Dr. Walter A. Maier, the first Speaker of The Lutheran Hour.
