The Hopes And Fears Of All The Years

THE HOPES AND FEARS OF ALL THE YEARS (LUKE 2:21-38)

Chuck Swindoll told a touching and an unforgettable story about Major Harold Kushner and a marine who was held by the Viet Cong for five and a half years:

“Among the prisoners in Kushner’s POW camp was a tough young marine, 24 years old, who had already survived two years of prison-camp life in relatively good health. Part of the reason for this was that the camp commander had promised to release the man if he cooperated. Since this had been done before with others, the marine turned into a model POW and the leader of the camp’s thought-reform group. As time passed he gradually realized that his captors lied to him. When the full realization of this took hold he became a zombie. He refused to do all work, rejected all offers of food and encouragement, and simply lay on his cot sucking his thumb. In a matter of weeks he was dead.” (Charles R. Swindoll, Growing Deep in the Christian Life)

Why did the man give up? The marine realized that his enemies did not mean what they said. There was no hope for release, no way to escape and no reward for good behavior. The Chinese say, “There is no bigger tragedy than a heart’s death??????.”

Hope is powerful. It’s been said, “Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.” (14,000 Quotations, 242)

The Bible tells us that hope in God does not disappoint: “Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us.” (Rom 5:3-5)

The lives of two people in Jesus’ birth narrative are richly deserving of mention and merit. Simeon and Anna lived to an old age but they never lost hope in God. They waited patiently for the Messiah, devoted themselves selflessly to God and committed themselves exclusively to service. Their hope in God was rewarded when Jesus’ parents arrived at Jerusalem, entered the temple and offered required sacrifices for the baby’s circumcision and purification.

Why does hope triumph in the midst of pessimism, uncertainty and silence? Why is it so powerful and necessary? How does hope make us strong?

There is Peace in Abiding by God’s Promise

22 When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:22-32)

I bought a framed poster when I was a teenager, the only one I recalled buying since, and gave it to my sister, who was an unbeliever then. Somehow I was drawn to the words: “I believe in the sun - even when it does not shine; I believe in love - even when it is not shown; I believe in God - even when he does not speak.”

Ten years later, I came across Robert Schuller’s version of the story behind those words: “Sweeping across Germany at the end of World War II, Allied forces searched farms and houses looking for snipers. At one abandoned house, almost a heap of rubble, searchers with flashlights found their way to the basement. There on the crumbling wall, a victim of the Holocaust had scratched a Star of David. And beneath it, in rough lettering, the message: “I believe in the sun - even when it does not shine; I believe in love - even when it is not shown; I believe in God - even when he does not speak.” (Illustrations Unlimited, James S. Hewett)

Simeon was a visionary who could see the end and not just the beginning of things, one who basked in foresight while others moaned in hindsight, and an individual who lived the present in view of tomorrow. He was unique. His waiting was a positive and optimistic, not a negative or passive outlook. He was more definite than desperate and he believed in God’s design despite delay. What motivated Simeon, captivated him and kept him focused?