New Year
new goals
financial
physical
academic
social
medical
Spiritual
New Hopes
changes in relationships
friends and family members coming to faith
baptisms
greater connection with God
One of the challenges that we face in entering into a new year with new goals and hopes, is that we can be tempted to try drastic things in order to make some significant changes. But, often we’ll find those drastic changes are not sustainable. It becomes easy to fall off the wagon and give up or spiral into despair.
While there are some things that we can do in order to reach new goals, one of the things that I think we find in the next section of Luke is that sometimes the encounters we long for happen because we’re obedient and faithful in the ordinary and not exuberant in the extraordinary.
Let me encourage you to grab your bibles or open the pew Bible to Luke 2. We’re not going to have any slides today, so I’d love for you to be able to see the text for yourself.
As you may remember, last week, we got to look at the birth of John the baptist and reflect on how we should verbalize things about our faith - just as the people around Mary and Zechariah did.
On Tuesday night, we considered the scandalous nature of the birth of Jesus - prompting us to ask, are we living lives that are radically different than the ones we lived before we came to faith?
Today, we get to witness some divine encounters that Mary, Joseph and Jesus experienced with in the first few weeks of his life. As we do that, we are going to reflect on what allowed them to experience those encounters.
Luke 2:21–40 ESV
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
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.”
And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 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 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
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. 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.
And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
One of the challenges I find with preaching through narrative passages or stories, is that I don’t want to simply retell the story. So as we walk through this passage, we’re going to look at several points of application that we can learn from Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna. Overall, it seems like we can learn from them that…
Theme: When we do the things God calls us to then we are in a place to experience encounters that God ordains for us.
I think one of the first things that we need to do in light of this passage is to…
Obey the Word
Mary and Joseph obeyed scripture in a few ways early on in Jesus life. They had him circumcised after 8 days (Lev. 12:2-3). For the people of Israel, this was a covenantal obligation or requirement. As we saw with the birth of John, this was also the time that children were given their names. So, as instructed by the Angel, Mary and Joseph named their baby Jesus (v. 21).
But then, just a few weeks later, they came back to the temple to present Jesus or to dedicate Him to the Lord. This was after Mary completed the time of purification prescribed in Leviticus 12:4 (as we read earlier). They also presented their offering before the Lord.
As we reflect on this for our lives, I think it’s important that we…
Obey the written word
God has given us a tremendous gift in His word. He has helped us to see how we should live, think, interact. Peter even tells us that 2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness….”
At home:
Husbands - love your wives
Wives - respect your husbands
Children - obey your parents
parents - don’t provoke your kids to anger
Future parents- decide early on to instruct your children in the ways of God - word, church community, etc.
Current parents - way to go, keep it up’!
At work/school:
work as unto the Lord
Lead as a steward of God’s good gifts
In the world
be a light - make a difference
persist in the face of persecution or ridicule
With one another
be quick to listen and slow to anger
watch out for each other
care for, honor, serve, encourage one another…
We could continue to look at so many different commands and encouragements from the Word, but frankly there is much of that would be overwhelming. It maybe helpful each week when we’re together or in your Community Groups, or in your personal time of reading scripture to ask - “what should I do to live obediently according to this passage?”
Now, even in that, we will find that there are some very clear lines and there are some grey areas. So, in light of that, we need to…
Obey the Spirit
As Mary and Joseph obeyed the Word of God, they got to encounter a man named Simeon. Now, I think his name is appropriate because it means “obedient one” or “he has heard.”
Luke 2:25–27 ESV
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,
Now, being “righteous and devout” indicates that he sought to live by the Word. But he was also quite sensitive to the Spirit. God had graciously revealed to him that he would see the consolation or in other words, the comfort of Israel before he died. What a grace from God!
I do think that in all of our lives, as we get more in tune with the Word of God, we’ll be able to more clearly “hear” the still small voice of the Spirit of God as he provides encouragement and even specific assignments.
Simeon was told by the Spirit to go into the temple - and that’s when he encountered Jesus, Joseph, and Mary.
There may be times when God’s Spirit will give us a specific leading. Maybe it will be to call someone, or stop by and visit someone.
Maybe it will be a change in behavior or behavior. For example, one of the grey areas in Scripture is alcohol. It’s not expressly forbidden, though moderation is required. In fact, even in the OT, wine and strong drink was used in some of their worship. But for some, alcohol may be an area where the Spirit might urge you to let that liberty go for a variety of reasons.
Another example might be in the area of giving or tithing. The concept of tithing is giving 10% of income to the Lord. Some see this as an option, while others see this as a starting point. I’ve mentioned before the we give the first 10% of our gross income here to the church and then support other mission endeavors over and above. Just as Mary and Joseph gave an offering that was appropriate for their budget (turtledoves or pigeons), each of us should give to the work of the Lord according to our ability, but also guided by Scripture and the Spirit.
So, Mary, Joseph, and Simeon all help us understand how we should obey the Word - the written Word and the Spirit directed instructions. Secondly, we should…
Observe God’s Works
Simeon knew that God had given Him a special grace and somehow made a note of that - he remembered.
A little further down in the passage, Luke notes that Mary and Joseph “marveled at what was said about him” (Luke 2:33).
Pay attention to the big and little things that God does. He may answer Big Hairy Audacious Prayers in profound ways. He may answer with little bits of grace.
Conversation with a young man - realized that the girl he was dating was not happy and even as an agnostic, prayed to God and asked that He help her be happy. In an answer to prayer just a few weeks later, they broke up. He didn’t see it as an answer to prayer then, but he does now.
Write out prayers/requests - or consider journaling - so that you have a way of going back and remembering what you are praying and also have a record of how God has answered that prayer.
When Simeon got to recognize that God had fulfilled what he promised, he responded with thanks. His example helps us to see that we too should…
Offer thanks to God
Simeon wasn’t alone. Anna, who had lived much of her adult life around the temple responded to what she learned about Jesus by offering praise and thanks to God as well (v. 38). Scripture doesn’t record her words, but it does record her heart.
Do you and I have an attitude of thankfulness to God and to others?
Thankful journal - challenged by Danielle
So, as we live lives in obedience to God’s word, we will get to observe his work and then offer thanks to God. Periodically, God will give us opportunities, as we learn from both Simeon and Anna, to…
Orate as led by God
Frankly, some of those words that God calls us to speak will be challenging. Look at what Simeon says in verses 34-35:
Luke 2:34–35 ESV
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 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Simeon had some very specific words to share with Mary about the affect that Jesus would have in their society. Those who see themselves as being proud or haughty will be brought down. Those who are humble will be exalted. He will be opposed. And then as if picturing the agony that Mary will experience seeing Jesus on the cross, Simeon talks about the affect this will have on her.
In a similar manner, Anna spoke up as led by the Spirit. We don’t get her words, but we do know that she “spoke of him [Jesus] to those who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” It is as though she was putting the pieces together for them.
We need each other to speak up when God prompts.
in community group - share insights, concerns, questions, help others put pieces together.
at home -
at work,
in evangelistic conversations
Closing thoughts
It may be that one of the things we long for this year is a closer connection with God, more intimacy in our relationships, encounters that reveal God’s presence in tangible ways.
obey the word - written, spirit directed
Observe God’s works - pay attention
Offer thanks
Orate - speak up
Let’s pray
Benediction
Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Sources:
Anyabwile, Thabiti. Exalting Jesus in Luke. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2018.
Bock, Darrell L. Luke 1:1-9:50. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999.
Gibson, Jonathan. O Come O Come Emmanuel: A Liturgy for Daily Worship from Advent to Epiphany. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2023.
Martin, John A. “Luke.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
McKinley, Mike. Luke 1–12 for You. Edited by Carl Laferton. God’s Word for You. The Good Book Company, 2016.
Wilcock, Michael. The Savior of the World: The Message of Luke’s Gospel. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1979.
