Daily Devotion for 01 January 2026 (Circumcision and Name of Jesus)

Readings

• Psalm 113
• Psalm 21
• Isaiah 61:1–11
• Luke 1:57–80
• Large Catechism I:303–310

Festival

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus. Per tradition, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day and given the name “Jesus” as the angel had proclaimed. Under the Old Covenant, circumcision brought the benefits of forgiveness of sins, justification, and incorporation into the people of God. Under the New Covenant, circumcision is no longer necessary or effective; it has been replaced by Baptism, which is called, by St. Paul, a “circumcision made without hands” and “the circumcision of Christ”.