Todays Scripture Luke 2:31-38
"As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God:
God, you can now release your servant;
release me in peace as you promised.
With my own eyes I've seen your salvation;
it's now out in the open for everyone to see:
A God-revealing light to the non-Jewish nations,
and of glory for your people Israel." Luke 2:31-32
As I think of Simeon, I have in mind a Sunday School picture from many years ago of an elderly white-haired gentleman with a look of pure joy and amazement on his face as he holds baby Jesus out in front of him. Mary and Joseph are standing in the background watching in wonder. As a child, I understood Simeon was happy to see Jesus. Now, as an older adult, I can better understand that look on Simeon's face as one of deep joy and gratitude to God for the fulfillment of a promise that had been made to Simeon -- that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. We do not know how many years Simeon had lived in anticipation of this day.
We have just experienced Christmas day and for many of us, the days preceding the actual day were ones in which we enjoyed the anticipation of the children in our lives as they waited for Christmas to finally get here. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all of us -- young and old alike -- could have that same kind of anticipation and expectation every day, just like Simeon did as he waited for God's Messiah to arrive? In every day, we can find the Messiah if we look for him. Jesus doesn't just come as a baby at Christmas but he comes whenever we seek his presence in the world around us through people, events, nature, actions, and thoughts.
The story of Simeon reminds me that I can live in expectation and anticipation of God's presence in my life and that I can know God will fulfill the promises He has made. That would be a wonderful gift to take from this Christmas if each of us could believe it.
Prayer: Holy God, in a world of unbelief, help us all to believe in your promises and live in awareness of your presence in our lives. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment