Note: The idea for this series and the title for the sermon came from Outreach.com.
How has 2020 been going for you? It’s been quite a year: a global pandemic, economic recession, unemployment, political division, cultural upheaval, racial tension, record wildfires, floods and Derecho. On top of all this, some have relapsed, and many are struggling with depression, grief, fear and hopelessness.
Do any of these images represent your feelings?
• If 2020 was a slide (a slide that drops at a 90-degree angle)
• If 2020 was a car (held together by duct tape)
• If 2020 was a swing (swings that smash into a wall)
• If 2020 was a pinata (a hornet nest)
• If 2020 was a hula hoop (a roll of barbed wire)
Do you feel like you’ve hit an emotional wall this year? According to a recent survey, 3 in 4 Americans report the constant stream of bad news has taken a tremendous toll on their lives. Not surprisingly, 80% are desperate to be cheered up. If ever there’s a year we need the hope of Christmas, this is it.
One ministry in the QCA put it like this in their newsletter: “This year has been unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and uncertain for many.”
I’ve heard a number of people say, “I’m so glad 2020 is almost over” as if everything will automatically reset on January 1. What if it doesn’t?
We’re kicking off a new series this weekend called, “ReDiscover Christmas: Good News in Troubling Times.” Here’s where we’re headed.
December 12-13 Finding Love in our Differences
December 19-20 Finding Joy in our Discouragements
December 23-24 Finding Peace in our Struggles
Today our focus is on “Finding Hope in our Uncertainties.” BTW, Sheila has put together a hands-on project for families which synchronizes with these same topics. Simply pick up a “Christmas in a Box” out in the lobby or if you’re engaging online, stop by and pick one up during the week. The December Bible Reading Plan also correlates with hope, love, joy and peace this month.
I like the way Ray Pritchard begins his new December devotional: “Christmas is coming just in time. We could use a full helping of good news and great joy at the end of the hardest year we can remember.”
If we were to take a survey, we would discover hope is hard to find right now. Hope is not only hard to find; it’s difficult to define. Some equate hope with an optimistic feeling that all will turn out well. For some, it’s wishful thinking, whether it’s related to the weather: “I hope it’s nice today” or a general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled.
Some of you have lost hope because you feel cratered by COVID and decimated by disappointment. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” For most of us, our lives are filled with a combination of hope and hopelessness, of promise and problems.
The definition of Christian hope is much more robust than simply being optimistic. Hope has heft to it because its source is our holy God.
In the Old Testament hope means “to bind together, often by twisting.” It refers to the process of making a rope by twisting two strands of material together. Understood in this way, hope means I bring my problems to the Lord as I hold on to the specific promises of God. To hope means to wrap my problems together with God’s promises.
We could say it like this: Hold on to hope when it’s hard to cope. Ecclesiastes 4:12 adds God’s provision to His promises and our problems: “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” The third strand is Immanuel, Jesus Christ, born on Christmas, crucified on Good Friday and raised on Easter. He is Heaven’s child, the hope of the world. With Him wrapped around our lives, we are safe and secure.
Let’s put this into an equation:
My problems + God’s promises = God’s provision
Here’s a definition of hope I’ve found helpful: “Hope is wishing for what God has already promised us.” Isaiah 40:31 says strength is renewed for those who hope in the Lord.
The word “hope” is used 52 times in the New Testament and is always grounded in God; that’s enough hope for every week of the year!
Let’s turn now to Luke 2:22-38 so we can find hope in our uncertainties. The setting of this passage takes place after the birth of Jesus when Joseph and Mary bring Him to the temple to present Him for dedication in obedience to Exodus 13:2. We base our practice of child dedications on this example – we’ll be having child dedications next weekend if you’re interested. Also, they were there because Mary needed to be purified after giving birth according to Leviticus 12.
We’re introduced to two characters who make their appearance in the final acts of the Christmas drama. One is a man named Simeon; the other is a woman named Anna. They don’t appear in any nativity scenes or in many Christmas cards, but they are significant players in the first Christmas pageant. Both of them exhibited hope in the midst of uncertainty. They were waiting for something -- actually, they were waiting for someone.
Luke uses a word which means they were “alert to His appearance, and ready to welcome Him.” We see this in Luke 2:25 in reference to Simeon: “…he was waiting for the consolation of Israel...” and in 2:38 to describe Anna who was, “...waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
We could say it like this:
1. Simeon was hoping for rest.
2. Anna was hoping for redemption.
Simeon: Hoping for Rest
First, let’s look at Simeon. I have a picture of him [show pic of new grandson named Simeon]. Actually, Simeon was likely an older man, though we can’t be certain.
Verse 25 describes his character: “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.” The name Simeon means, “one who hears and obeys.” We’re told three things about him.
• He was righteous. His life lined up with God’s Word.
• He was reverent. He took his faith seriously.
• He was receptive. He longed for God to bring consolation in the midst of chaos. I’m reminded of Isaiah 40:1: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.”
Hope was hard to find because these were troubling times and dark days in Israel. After being invaded and then exiled because of their disobedience, Israel was a defeated nation living under Roman rule and oppression. The faith of Israel had been corrupted by the legalistic Pharisees and worldly Sadducees.
The passages about a coming Messiah were given long ago and the plaintive cry of the prophet found in Isaiah 64:1 barely registered in their minds or mouths any longer: “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down…”
After enduring 400 years of silence, God sends angels to announce good news of great joy. God’s King has come, and Israel’s long, lonely exile is coming to an end. Darkness and death were the context of the first Christmas, but God announced light and life through the special servants He still had on duty.
Verse 26 tells us the Holy Spirit made it clear to Simeon “that he would not taste death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” This no doubt filled him with hope. In verse 27, the Holy Spirit prompted Simeon to go to the temple courts at just the right time, on just the right day that Joseph and Mary were bringing their infant to the Temple. When Simeon looked at baby Jesus, now about 6 weeks old, he knew God kept His promise. Here was Immanuel, “God with Us,” to make everything right, to provide salvation and to eliminate hopelessness, fear, and loneliness.
Incidentally, there is great significance to Jesus being in the temple that day because the prophets had spoken of the appearance of Messiah at the temple. Listen to Malachi 3:1: “And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.”
Verse 28 says Simeon abruptly reached down and took Jesus out of Mary’s arms and began to praise God: “He took him up in his arms and blessed God and said…” Can you imagine how he felt after a lifetime of seeking the Messiah and now he holds the Savior in his arms?
At the age of 90, Charles Eliot, the president emeritus of Harvard, made his way slowly down the road to his neighbor’s house to congratulate them on their new baby. After a brief conversation, Eliot asked if he could hold their infant. After a few minutes he returned the newborn and explained, “I have been looking at the end of life for so long that I wanted to look for a few moments at its beginning.”
Parents, how would you feel if some old man came up to you, took your baby in his arms and started singing out loud? I’m sure this was a bit unsettling for Joseph and Mary. As he broke out into praise, he acknowledged that God had not only fulfilled the individual promise to him, but also the promises of the prophets to send the Anointed One to comfort and console both Jews and Gentiles.
Simeon’s song is found in verses 29-32: “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.” Now that Simeon has seen the Savior, he is ready to die. To see Jesus is to see salvation. Until you embrace Him, you are not ready to die. The word for “depart” is quite vivid. It was used of releasing a prisoner, untying a ship, taking down a tent and unyoking a beast of burden. When a believer dies, they are released from the burdens of this life and ushered into the blessings of eternal life.
As we’ve been learning in our study of Acts, Jesus is a light to Gentiles and glory for His people Israel. The gospel is for all people, no matter their ethnicity, race, background or baggage.
Verse 33 tells us how Mary and Joseph responded to the song of Simeon: “And His father and His mother marveled at what was said about Him.” The word “marvel” means, “to be astonished, to admire and wonder to the point of abandon.” The tense indicates they kept on marveling.
The mood shifts from admiration to agony as the shadow of the cross appears in verse 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.’”
Christmas splits people into two camps. Since Jesus entered the world, He has divided the human race by causing some to fall and others to rise. Because of who Jesus is and what He came to do, He forces people to make a decision about Him. Jesus is either a rock you build your life upon (that’s the sense of rising) or He’s the rock you stumble over (that’s the meaning of falling).
If you repent and receive Jesus, you will rise. If you don’t, you will be ruined. Commit your life to Christ or be crushed by Him. Jesus said it like this in Matthew 21:44: “And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
You can’t stay neutral about Jesus. You are either for Him or against Him. Right now, you’re moving closer to Him, or further away. You either have the Son or you don’t.
Simeon has one last word for Mary in verse 35: “And a sword will pierce through your own soul also, so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” Simeon speaks of a stone, a sign, and a sword. The word for “sword” refers to a large wide sword, like the one Goliath used. The idea is Mary will have her soul sliced open and will experience extreme anguish. The tense indicates this pain will “constantly keep on piercing.” In John 19:25, we read she stood by the cross and watched her son executed like a common criminal. When the sword pierced His side, her own soul was skewered.
While Simeon was hoping for rest, Anna was hoping for redemption. Hold on to hope when it’s hard to cope.
Anna: Hoping for Redemption
Luke often pairs a man and a woman. We’re introduced to Anna in verses 36-37: “And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.” The name Anna is the Greek version of Hannah. Her heritage can be traced back to the tribe of Asher, one the “ten lost tribes” of Israel, which were scattered in the Assyrian captivity.
After her husband died, Anna dedicated herself to fasting and praying in the temple. In fact, she never left the temple – but worshipped day and night. The phrase “did not depart” literally reads, “She kept on not leaving.” She lives out the example of 1 Timothy 5:5: “She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day.” BTW, I’m seeing the Spirit igniting a movement of prayer and fasting at Edgewood.
She was looking forward to the same person as Simeon was, but with a different orientation. Instead of looking for rest, Anna was looking for redemption as we see in verse 38: “And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” The phrase “coming up” means “to burst in.” It’s likely she heard Simeon’s song and when he finished, she busted out into praise and began speaking about redemption. The tense of “speak of Him” means she, “kept on speaking.”
A ransom is something that is paid to provide for the release of someone who is held captive. Jesus paid our ransom to redeem us from sin, death, and Hell. The Old Testament Passover and the release of Israel from Egyptian slavery stood in Anna’s day as the ultimate example of redemption and the symbol of God’s power to release captives. God commanded the Israelites to make animal sacrifices for substitutionary atonement; that is, an animal’s death took the place of a person’s death, death being the penalty for sin.
It’s important to keep three things in mind when thinking about redemption (these are not original with me):
• Redemption implies bondage. Every person is born enslaved to sin.
• Redemption implies cost. A price has to be paid to buy the slave out of bondage.
• Redemption implies the ownership of that which is redeemed. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20: “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
Anna was waiting with hope for the final substitutionary sacrifice of the Savior so people could be set free from their sins forever. Here, at last, was the One who would pay the price to purchase us for Himself. In fact, the name “Jesus” means, “Yahweh saves.” The angel Gabriel said it like this in Matthew 1:21: “She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
How to Hold on to Hope
When I went back and read this passage again, it struck me that Simeon and Anna exhibited three key activities that helped them hold on to hope. We can and must do the same. Hold on to hope when it’s hard to cope.
1. Worship. In verse 28, Simeon “took Him up in his arms and blessed God.” According to verse 37, Anna had committed herself to “worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.” Will you choose to worship?
2. Witness. Simeon boldly declared in verse 32 that Jesus is “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” We read in verse 38 how Anna kept speaking “of Him to all…” She couldn’t keep the good news to herself. Worship first and then witness. Will you actively seek ways to witness?
3. Wait. In verse 25, we see how Simeon was “waiting for the consolation of Israel.” Anna did the same in verse 38: “waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” Will you wait while you’re worshiping and witnessing? Biblical hope is linked to waiting as seen in Isaiah 8:17: “I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in Him.”
Jesus Provides What We Need
Jesus provided the very things Simeon and Anna were hoping and waiting for – rest and redemption. What are you hoping for this Christmas?
1. Rest. Can any of you identify with Simeon’s song? Some of you are hurting so much you’ve lost hope. You feel lonely, empty, afraid, and maxed out. Do you feel tired and weary? Do you need some comfort? Some consoling? Do you need a fresh sense of God’s presence? If so, you can find what you’re looking for in Jesus. He came to give us rest right where we’re at. Jesus gives you an invitation today recorded in Matthew 11:28: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
2. Redemption. Or, do you resonate more with Anna’s announcement? Are you plagued with guilt and shame because of something you’ve done or the way you’ve been living? Do you feel like you’re trapped in a pattern of sin you can’t break out of? Does your situation feel hopeless? If you’re in need of redemption, Jesus can save you because He gave His life as a ransom for you. Listen to what He said in Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Action Steps
1. Give hope to those who are hurting through Operation Christmas Curbside. The same survey I quoted earlier also found 78% of Americans are looking for ways to give back to their local communities. On Tuesday from 4-7 we are collecting needed items for Safe Families for Children, Youth Hope, Pregnancy Resources, Rock Island Christian Care, and the local Domestic Abuse Shelter. A list of needs is available at the kiosk or on our website.
As I was praying about this outreach, God took me to Isaiah 58:10: “If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.” The best way to get rid of your gloom is to give to others!
2. Read the Scriptures to find hope. Romans 15:4: “…through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” If you don’t know where to read, I recommend the Edgewood Bible Reading plan. You can access it on the mobile app or website, or you can pick up a hard copy in the lobby.
3. Force yourself to remember God’s faithfulness. The Bible reading for Thursday was from Lamentations 3. Listen to verses 18-23: “Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Verse 21 is really the “hinge” on which the book, and Jeremiah’s life turns: “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope...” The word “but” serves as a contrast to what Jeremiah was doing. The phrase, “I call to mind” has the idea of “doing something again, of returning or bringing back.” The Hebrew literally means, “I make it to return to my heart.” Jeremiah is being intentional, forcing himself to focus on what is true.
Hold on to hope when it’s hard to cope.
4. Repent and receive Christ. 1 Chronicles 29:15 says, “…our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.” Colossians 1:27 tells us hope has a name: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Until you are saved, you will never find hope. Lamentations 3:25 says the “Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.” The key isn’t to hope for something; but to hope in Someone. 1 Peter 1:3 declares we can hope again only when we are born again: “…He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
When I ponder the pain and disappointment that many are going through this time of year, I’m once again purposely mispronouncing “Christmess.” It helps me to say “Christ-mess,” because it reminds me Messiah has come into our mess and mistakes, our stress and our sin, our pain and our problems to give us hope in the midst of hopelessness.
Until you receive the Redeemer you will never find rest today and you will not be ready for your eternal rest when it’s time to die. If you’re ready to invite Jesus to save you, please pray this prayer with me:
“Jesus, not only do I have little hope, I have allowed my sins to control me. I repent of how I’ve been living and want You to be my Savior. Please save me from my sins. I need Your help and I need Your hope. Thank You for coming to our world and paying the price for my redemption by dying in my place on the cross and being raised on the third day, giving me the hope of Heaven. I believe and now I receive You into my life so I can be born again. If there’s anything in my life that doesn’t please you, please get rid of it so I can give hope others. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
[Thank people for engaging on Livestream, mention Christmas Eve services on December 23 at 6 and December 24 at 2, 4 and 6. All of these services will be livestreamed].
Communion
We began with some pictures of what 2020 has been like. One of the images was a wreath of barbed wire. This makes me think of Jesus having a crown of thorns jammed on His head.
Jesus gave us communion to help us remember He was born in order to die in our place. Mary’s little lamb is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Let’s take time now to remember and to recalibrate as we celebrate the rest and the redemption He gives us.
Jewish people celebrated the Passover every year as a reminder of God’s redemption. On the night before Jesus was crucified, He gathered his disciples together for the Passover meal. This supper was rich in symbolism and was designed to trigger memories of God’s past faithfulness and propel them into a future filled with hope…but Jesus was about to instill new meaning into the meal.
Luke 22:19-20 – “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
Did you catch the language of substitutionary sacrifice? “This is my body, which is given FOR YOU…This cup that is poured out FOR YOU is the new covenant in my blood.”
The Savior died in your place, as your substitute. That means He died for you… instead of you…in your place in order to purchase you for His own purposes!
Because of grace, He died in your place!
The bread and the cup remind us that the Lamb of God sacrificed Himself as payment for sinners, fully satisfying God’s justice. He poured out His life so our sins can be pardoned.
Before we receive communion it’s important to reflect and take a spiritual inventory. 1 Corinthians 11:28 says, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”
• Consider your relationship with God
• Confess any sins that God brings to mind
We practice open communion here. You don’t need to be a member of Edgewood to participate, but you do need to be born again.
Directions for Opening Cup
1. Hold the cup with one hand and with the other find the clear tab and pull gently to open in order to take the bread à Take bread
2. Continue to hold the cup and now find the other tab and pull carefully to open the juice cup. Be careful while pulling – you don’t have to pull it completely off à Take juice
Receive this benediction from Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
