Advent - Day 16

And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:22-32 ESV).

As Mary and Joseph entered the Temple, an old man, a stranger, took Jesus in his arms and began to praise God. Luke, the writer of this gospel, doesn’t tell us much about Simeon except that he was “righteous and devout” and that he was “eagerly waiting for” the arrival of God’s promised Messiah, the one foretold by the prophets in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Messiah would deliver God’s people and establish God’s Kingdom. All Jews hoped for the coming of their Deliverer, but God had told Simeon that he would see the Messiah in his lifetime. As incredible as that message must have seemed to this old man he, nonetheless, held on to that promise. No wonder he had his eyes wide open, anticipating his Messiah’s arrival. Simeon many not have known what age the Messiah would be at their meeting. So he may have been surprised, amazed and thrilled upon learning that this infant was God’s Son. Just imagine how many babies Simeon had seen during this time, but he kept looking and trusting. And when Simeon saw Jesus, he knew this was the One. Remember how John the Baptist responded when he saw Jesus. He said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). This is some of my own story which we will revisit a bit on the 21st. Today I want to encourage you with the truth that you cannot somehow miss Jesus. The Holy Spirit continues to work in our lives in a way that he is unmistakably revealed. I have often been told that it is very difficult to recognize the handiwork of God in our lives. That has not been my experience. And, in response I have called people to our reading today. Simeon simply believed God and kept looking. It was this sense of awareness of God in everyday life that let him truly see. Look for God today. You will not be disappointed.