The Wait Is Over! Series

The Wait Is Over!

The Story Of Simeon

Luke 2:25-35

Come, Thou long expected Jesus

Born to set Thy people free

From our fears and sins release us

Let us find our rest in Thee

Israel's strength and consolation

Hope of all the earth Thou art

Dear desire of every nation

Joy of every longing heart

Born Thy people to deliver

Born a child and yet a king

Born to reign in us forever

Now Thy gracious kingdom bring

TODAY – Christmas Eve 2012, I want to take just a few minutes to share with you a ‘Christmas Story…’ NOW – that is what we have been doing at Maple Grove for the last few week…

TELLING - Christmas Stories. UNWRAPPING - some of the stories that are found within the greatest story ever told. So far in this journey we have unwrapped…

The Story of Zechariah and Elizabeth ( an elderly couple),

The Story of Mary (a middle school aged girl),

The Story of Joseph (Mary’s husband, the adopted father of Jesus) and

The Story of Jesus’ birth.

This afternoon…

I want to take just a few moments to unwrap one more Christmas Story…

The Story Of Simeon in a message I am calling ‘The Wait Is Over!’

You know, I think that, is a very appropriate title for Christmas Eve service, don’t you... – I mean that is how a lot of people feel in this room, especially young people…The Wait Is Over!

I MEAN - I remember as a kid waiting for Christmas to finally get here, and it always seemed like it took forever for 12/25 to show up on the calendar. BUT NOW – as an adult it is more like…

“wow, it can’t already be Christmas… didn’t we just take the tree and decorations down last week…?”

When I was growing up, I would wake up around 2 am Christmas morning and begin my unrelenting assault on my mom and dad… “is it time to get up yet?” AND AFTER - a solid 2-3 hours I always wore them down.

NOW - though waiting was hard… I THINK – waiting only made me want Christmas to get here all more… IN FACT – waiting increased both the level of anticipation and the level of my joy, when the day finally arrived…

AND – that’s the way that waiting and wanting work…

waiting + wanting = greater anticipation and joy when the wait is finally over…

YEAH - we want certain things… and we wait for them…

AND AS WE DO - the anticipation just keeps building and building)…

WE – want and wait for things like:

• Christmas… or

• Graduating from HS… going to college… getting our degree

• Finding our soul mate, getting married

• Having our first child

• Going on that vacation

• Retiring

• Returning home from an overseas deployment

and when the wait is over and those things

finally gets here…

SIMEON - was waiting…

AND HE - had been waiting for a very long time…

In FACT - he was getting pretty old…

Which (interestingly) means different things to different people, right?…

I MEAN - if you are a young person and you hear that someone is getting old, you’re like… ‘wow, they must be around 25 or 30…

ON THE OTHER HAND - if you are like me and you here that someone is getting old, you’re like… ”wow, the guy must be approaching 137.

AND UNDERSTAND - Simeon was not waiting to retire or go on vacation… AND HE – wasn’t waiting for his soul mate, or for a diploma…

INSTEAD – he was waiting to see the Messiah, the promised one, the Savior and Redeemer of all God’s people…

YOU SEE – God hold told him, that before he died, he would see The Messiah, he would see The Christ with his very own eyes.

NOW - Simeon was a priest who served at the Temple. And I am pretty sure that every day when he woke up that he looked under the tree to see if ‘the present ‘ with the following label attached was there…

From: God

To: The world he soo loves

AND I IMAGINE - that every time a couple came to present their child before the Lord at the temple, and that baby was wrapped in a blue blanket… he must have thought… “maybe, this one is the Messiah”

Okay – let’s unwrap… Luke 2:25-35… The Story Of Simeon (it takes place 40 days after the birth of Jesus).about

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.

What was he waiting for?

FOR – the Messiah to come, for the Word to become flesh, for God to come and rescue his people.