Jesus’ divine identity is apparent from His first words to His last.   ~~~   Do you remember your child’s first words? If you’re like me, at this stage it might be a bit foggy, but thankfully we have videos we can go back to. I love seeing what my girls were saying and how they were saying it when they were little. I kept a running list in my phone notes of cute things my girls would say as they were growing up. When my now 17 year old daughter was 4, she said, “every time you’re about to be lost in the forest with a mean animal, God is right beside you.” Brilliant truth right there. One of the sweetest sounds was hearing my youngest daughter call her big sister, sissy. We heard that a lot as she followed her everywhere she went and wanted to do everything her big sissy was doing. Precious memories. We treasure the words of our little ones. In this season of my life, I now treasure final words. The last conversations I had with my Dad I’m forever grateful for. I love you’s, hand squeezes, eye blinks and head kisses are now forever burned into my memory. I cherish every saved voice mail, text and written word. Words matter at any stage in life, but in some seasons, we lean in to hear them a little bit closer. All this month at Lifeword.org, I’m leaning in and looking a bit closer at the words of Jesus. Only in Luke’s gospel account are we given a brief glimpse into the childhood of Jesus with His first recorded words. We’ll also look at Luke’s account of the last words of Jesus before He ascended to Heaven. In the early chapters of Luke, we see Old Testament prophesies fulfilled with Jesus’ birth. His childhood is basically summarized in chapter 2 verse 40 in that he grew and became strong in the spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. Fast forward to the age of 12. After celebrating the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem, Jesus’ family is returning to Nazareth. Now this would have been a caravan of family and friends, spread out, but all together. After a days journey, they couldn’t find Jesus. Mary and Joseph returned to Jerusalem to find him. After three days, moms can you imagine, they found Jesus in the temple, sitting in the midst of teachers, both listening and asking questions. Luke 2:47-49 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” As a mom I can almost hear him saying it like, “why are you here”? And he makes it clear, He’s in His Father’s house, about His Father’s business. These are the first words of Jesus we are given. Bottom line, from day one, He had a mission. There was a plan and He was it. Fast forward to Luke 24. Jesus, the now resurrected Christ, is about to ascend to Heaven. His disciples are hanging on His every word. Luke 24:46-49 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” From his first recorded words in Luke at the age of 12, to His last, Jesus made clear His divine identity as the Son of God. He knew His mission. He was about His Father’s business. He prayed in the garden, Father THY will be done. He suffered, died and rose again, so that REPENTANCE and the forgiveness of sins could be offered to you and me. That’s the truth. It’s always been Jesus. He is the word made flesh and through every word he spoke and every word from Genesis to Revelation, He was and is and is to come. I’m Lori Cline.