Luke 2:25-35 - by James Newton

Luke 2:25-35

25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,

29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,

as you have promised.

30 I have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared for all people.

32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,

and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

33 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

What do you know about advent? For me as a child, advent was just a calendar with 24 delicious (yet in hindsight, slightly plastic-ey tasting) chocolates inside. Then as I grew up, I heard about some churches observing a time if advent. But this seemed to be mostly the more traditional, orthodox faiths.

I've been looking into advent a little recently (and would like to continue doing so for future Christmases). Advent comes from a Latin word which translates "coming" or "arrival". And the season of advent (the start of December until Christmas) is about anticipating the arrival of Christ, Emmanuel - God with us.

I love the build-up to Christmas - while at first it always seems to come around too fast, once I've accepted that, I honestly enjoy it... the anticipation of some time off work; setting up the Christmas decorations; Christmas lights; Christmas carols (the proper ones that sing about Jesus); the anticipation of receiving some gifts; I honestly do enjoy a bit of Christmas shopping - trying to think what I want to give someone or what they might like to receive and then anticipating their joy at receiving their gift; hanging out and feasting with family...

But most of all, I love what all these things point to... our Emmanuel. Without Whom, all these other things are a bit shallow.

If anyone was anticipating the coming of Christ Messiah, it was the Jewish people. One such man was Simeon. You see, the Jews, hadn't heard much from God for hundreds of years and were probably wondering if God had forgotten about them. Simeon, though had been promised that he wouldn't die until he had seen the promised Messiah. He was a bit like the pictured kid from the movie "The Incredibles" just (faithfully) waiting for something amazing to happen. And when he finally saw the boy Jesus, he basically said "I can die now because I have seen the promised Messiah”. How's that for a season of advent?

Are you waiting for God to do something in your life? Sometimes faith means just waiting, showing up and doing what you know is right until one day the sky opens, stars and angels appear, and you see God's promise fulfilled.