Will You See Christ This Christmas?
I want to turn our attention to a part of the biblical Christmas story which is seldom referred to but has a real message for us today. Luke 2:21-40 This beautiful part of the Christmas story centers around two people named Simeon and Anna. In verses 25-32 we are told that Simeon was a good man, righteous, devout and filled with the Holy Spirit. It had been revealed to him by the Spirit of God that he would not face death until he had seen the promised Messiah.
Verse 27 tells us that Simeon, led by the Spirit of God, had come to the temple court on the very day that Mary and Joseph had brought the baby Jesus to the Temple, to dedicate him to God. This was in keeping with the law of Moses which taught that every firstborn male child was to be consecrated to the Lord. Next we discover that by special revelation, Simeon knew that this child was the promised Messiah, the son of God. And taking the baby Jesus in his arms, he blessed him saying, “ Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and for the glory of your people Israel.”
And then in verses 36 and following we are told of an 84-year-old lady, by the name of Anna, a widow and a prophetess. She never left the Temple but worshipped night and day with fasting and prayer. She also recognized the baby Jesus as the promised messiah. In verse 38 she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all those who were looking forward to the redemption of Israel.
For the next few minutes I want to share with you three great truths which I believe we can learn from this beautiful story.
First, it teaches us that no matter how dark the outlook, we should never cease to hope and have faith in the promises of God's word. We have every reason to believe that Simeon and Anna were quite elderly. We are told that she was 84 and Simeon was well advanced in years.
And by the way, did you know that there are 4 stages in life. The first stage, “You believe in Santa Claus. The second stage, you don't believe in Santa Claus. The third stage, you are Santa Claus at least do your own children. And the final stage, you look like Santa Claus.”
But, back to our story, Anna and Simeon lived at a time when the moral and spiritual life in Israel was at a very low ebb. The people of Palestine were burdened with a heavy toll of civic and religious taxes. Life had become difficult, full of fear and anxiety. And yet they were part of a faithful, believing remnant and they refused to give up hope. We know from the records that they had come to the temple many times before, possibly for years. Other worshippers may have considered them unrealistic dreamers; perhaps even the object of ridicule and mockery. But in spite of everything – discouragement, disappointment even ridicule they refused to give up hope.
What a lesson this is for us today, because I am sure we can see some similarities between our day and the world when Christ was born. Carol and I usually watch the 10 o'clock news on channel 11. But I must confess it does not make a good bedtime story. Often it causes a nightmare more than a sweet dream. It seems that no country on earth is immune to the awful tragedies of our day.
As we enter 2013 we do not know what lies ahead. News from around the world sounds very alarming at times. Efforts toward peace in the Middle East are very frustrating. Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria are all in the midst of turmoil. Iran and North Korea are advancing toward nuclear armament. Several European countries are on the verge of bankruptcy. Our hearts have been broken over the shooting of 20 children and six teachers in Connecticut. Our national debt is in the trillions and growing every day. We are told that this could lead to another recession. Here at home unemployment is on the increase. Added to this we face climate change, natural disasters and the breakdown of marriage and family relationships. In fact, I believe that we are hearing so much bad news that we are losing our sensitivity to its seriousness.
All of these factors are coming together and pointing in the same direction, telling us that something tremendous, something terrifying and yet wonderful is going to happen. It is true that we do not know the day or the hour when Christ will come again but we are living in days of need and opportunity such as the world has seldom known. As followers of Christ are called upon to be faithful, steadfast, always abounding in the work of the Lord. At that first Christmas, 2000 years ago a light came into our troubled world and all the darkness of sin and sadness have never been able to put it out. And this message of faith, hope and love is very much needed in our world today.
And now I invite you to apply this same message of hope to your own life. Perhaps for some of you 2012 was not a very happy year. Perhaps you had to cope with a difficult financial need or a health problem or even the loss of a family member or close friend. Perhaps you find it hard to say Merry Christmas with much enthusiasm. Some psychiatrists are telling us that their schedules are overloaded this time of year. People who find the Christmas season almost more than they can bear because of painful memories or because of their isolation and loneliness.
But I have found that heartfelt prayer and claiming the promises of God's word can make a tremendous difference. If you trust God on the dark and cloudy day it won't remain dark and cloudy. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. We have the glorious promise that “our light affliction which is but for a moment is nothing compared to the glory that God will reveal to us”(2 Cor. 4:17).In times like these we need a Savior, in times like these we need an anchor for the soul and even if the world around us is falling apart we can still say in faith, my anchor holds and grips the solid rock
Secondly, this story also teaches us that God only reveals himself to those who have open and receptive hearts. Why was it, that of all the people in the temple court that day Simeon and Anna, and perhaps a few others were the only ones who recognized the baby Jesus as the promised Messiah? Even the religious leaders, the Scribes and Pharisees did not seem to recognize him. But God revealed his precious gift to the shepherds, Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, and now to Simeon and Anna. All of these were people of humble faith and obedience.
Why? I believe the answer is obvious. Simeon and Anna, along with those others that I just mentioned had hearts that were right with God and open to the leading of His Spirit. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God (Matt.5: 8). Because of this Simeon and Anna, and a few others, out of the purity and goodness of their hearts could see things that were miles away from others. This teaches us that if we want to experience the deepest joys and blessings of God, at Christmas or any other time, we must be willing to pay the price. We cannot expect to have hearts filled with happiness if we are continually thinking only of ourselves. A lot of marriage problems are caused by two people in love, not with one another but in love for themselves .
Someone has said, there are two kinds of people in today's society – the takers and the giver's. The takers may eat better, but the givers sleep better. I believe that if we are honest, we would agree that the gifts that brought us the greatest happiness at Christmas were not the ones that we received but the ones we gave. This Christmas season a number of our churches have been involved in what is called the Advent Conspiracy, with four emphasis: “Worship fully, Spend less, Give more and Love all.” And I believe this emphasis has brought some very positive results. This year I have heard of more people helping the less fortunate, giving from the heart, showing love and concern for friends and neighbours who are facing difficulties.
At the time of Simeon, there were hundreds of people in the temple courts, buying sacrifices; bowing down before incense laden alters; going through the motions of worship. But because their hearts were not right with God, it was only a hollow sham, a superficial ritual. And all the while, Simeon and Anna, Mary and Joseph and a few others were beholding with endless wonder the greatest gift that God has ever bestowed upon the human race.
Now, with Christmas only a few days away and a new year before us. Let us spend some time in a quiet place and engage in some heart searching prayer and meditation. Thank God for his blessings. Ask him to cleanse our hearts of selfishness, fear and unbelief. Pray for both the will and the power to find and follow God's will leading to our own highest good, the blessing of others and for the glory of God
Finally, the story of Simeon and Anna teaches us that until we have met Jesus, we are not ready to die. It had been revealed to Simeon, by the Spirit of God, that he would not face death until he had seen the Messiah, God's promised salvation.He believed that promise and lived his whole life in the spirit of it.
Note v 29: After Simeon had seen the Christ child, he held the baby Jesus in his arms saying, “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation.”
“With holy joy upon his face, the good old father smiled;
While fondly in his withered arms, he held the promised child.
And then he lifted up to heaven, an earnest asking eye;
My heart is full, my joy has come, Lord, let thy servant die
At last my arms embrace my Lord, now let their vigour cease
At last my eyes my Savior see, now, let them close in peace.”
And so it is still true today. It makes no difference whether we are 9 or 90 or whatever our role in life may be. We are not prepared to live, we are not prepared to die until we have met Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale relates the true story of a prominent businessman whose wife had died, leaving him overwhelmed with grief. He was surrounded by all the comforts and beauty that wealth could provide. But no material luxury could compensate for his grievous loss.On the night following his wife's funeral service he experienced something he had never known before. Let me tell it in his own words. “Last night, I knelt by my bed as usual to pray. When we were married over 40 years ago, my wife and I made an agreement to pray every night before retiring. We would kneel beside the bed and she would pray aloud. I felt I couldn't do that and besides I felt that God would listen to her prayers ahead of mine. We did this for years and then she was taken away.
Last night I knelt alone and put out my hand for hers, but it was not there. I guess for the first time in my life I really prayed. I said, “Oh God, I have read about people finding you. You know how much I need you. I put my life in your hands, dear Lord, help me. With eyes filled with wonder, he continued. Do you know what happened? Suddenly, I felt a touch on my hand, the hand that always held hers. A great hand took my own, all the pain went out of my mind and peace came to my heart. I knew the Lord was with me and would never leave me.”
I do not wish to sound morbid or pessimistic but let's face it, we are all mortal. The Bible says, it is appointed unto every man wants to die and after that the judgment. It is just plain common sense to face the facts concerning the uncertainties of life. A well-known psychiatrist said recently that no one will enjoy complete mental health until they have come to terms with the fact of their own death. Christ through his own death and resurrection has taken the sting of death. Our faith in him takes away the fear of death. We can say in faith, thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our own Lord Jesus Christ. For the Christian, the child of God through faith, the last word is not death, but life! Eternal, abundant life in all its fullness, through Christ our Lord.
I love Christmas stories, especially if they are true. This true story took place in England a few years ago. One of the postal clerks at the London post office had a wife and two young children ages seven and four. A few weeks before Christmas their 4 year old boy was killed in a tragic accident. As a postal clerk this father was in charge of the dead letter Department, sorting out letters with insufficient or a wrong addresses. In the month of December his job included separating all of the Christmas letters addressed to Santa Claus. One day he came across an envelope with his own return address and he recognized his daughters handwriting. He opened it and read the words she had written:
Dear Santa Claus, we are very sad at our home this year. Little Charlie, my brother, went up to heaven a short time ago and when you come to my house would you pick up his toys and take them to him? I'll leave them in the corner by the chimney – his hobbyhorse, his train, and everything. You see he might miss them in heaven, especially his horse. So just take them to him and you don't need to give anything to me but if you could leave something for my daddy that will make him stop crying, it would be the best thing you could do for me. I heard him tell mommy, that only eternity could cure him. Could you give him some of that ? And I promise to be your good little girl. Love Miriam.
Yes all of us would be blessed by the gift of eternity. The Bible says in 1st John 5:11,12 “God has given us eternal life and this life is in his son. He who has the son has life and he who has not the son of God has not life.” Eternal life does not begin on the day you die but on the day you believe and turn to the Lord in repentance and faith.
So may God bless you as we face a new year in 2013. And may this story of Simeon and Anna remind us of these three wonderful truths.
1st. No matter how dark the outlook, try the uplook. Never give up hope and never stop believing in the promises of God's word. I love the words of that old Christmas Carol. “Then peeled the bells more loud and deep, God is not dead, nor does he sleep. The wrong shall fail, the truth prevail, with peace on earth, goodwill to men.”
2nd. God only reveals Himself to hearts that are open, in humble faith, to receive him. May our hearts be open and prepared to receive the joy and peace that God alone can bring. This is something we must work at continually. To keep Christ Christ at the center of our lives, not just at Christmas but the entire year through.
3rd. And most important of all. Until we have met Christ and put our trust in him as Savior and Lord we are not ready to die or to truly live. When Christ came on that first Christmas eve, there was no room for him in the Inn. But now,because he came, Heaven's door is open wide so that whosoever will may come.
