City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

²⁵ 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. ²⁶ 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. ²⁷ 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, ²⁸ he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

²⁹ “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
    according to your word;
³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation
³¹     that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and for glory to your people Israel.”

³³ And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. ³⁴ And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed ³⁵ (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Luke 2:29-32

Reflection

I must admit that my first impulse was to use references to the Carly Simon song and a campy 1970’s ketchup commercial to illustrate the theme of anticipation (Campy 70’s Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IobpIKshr8).  Now that that is stuck in your head, we can press on to our text.  I love this passage so much because it talks about two people that have lived a life of faithfulness to the promise of the coming of the Christ, Anna and Simeon.  All love and affection to Anna, a true hero in the faith, but today I will focus on Simeon. 

A lifetime of watching the goings on of this crazy and often corrupt temple did not dissuade him from the hope of what was promised.  Given that he is an old man at this point, he would have known life before the temple and would have watched its construction.  Perhaps he himself had placed a brick or two at some point.  Either way, this moment represents the culmination of a lifetime invested in hoping for this day to come.

But Simeon’s hope is not unfounded.  His foundation comes from the promise that God gave him directly.  “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.” (Luke 2:26) It would be nice if we all could have an assurance of hope that was so tangible.  One that comes from a personal relationship with the Lord.  The good news is that we can.  The Apostle John is known for being close to Jesus because it was within him to always stay close to him.  It is the determined stray who is taken in, or the persistent widow who gets the judgement from the unrighteous judge.

This determination is made of the same thing that is found in the pearl merchant who sells all to get the pearl of great price.  Knowing that it exists and having the hope of seeing it one day, when that day comes, the decision to buy comes quickly and the action soon to follow.  Opportunities are fleeting, so when they come, we must not find ourselves with empty lamps, lest we find ourselves outside.

Application

The time of Christmas is here!  It is a time for joy happiness and the cherishing of time with friends and family.  Do not let this time go by lightly.  For many people, the holidays are a sad time.  Often people are separated from family, or they have bad memories of something that happened on a previous holiday.  I find this to be sad, and I pray for those who are going through a difficult time now.  But I also pray that this can be a time of healing, and that people can take a moment and see that beauty and blessing of this season.  It is the birth and coming of Jesus Christ, Himself.  The real guy.  Nothing is impossible and nothing need hold sway over you anymore.  The King has come!!

Prayer

Lord, I thank You for sending Jesus to us and to lead us into a new life.  I pray that You give us a full view of who Christ is in our lives and that You draw us closer to You.  Let the glory of Your kingdom penetrate our lives, order our affairs, and propel us on to the works You have laid out for us.  I pray that we may leave these shadows and walk into Your marvelous light.  In Jesus name we pray.  Amen.