"Waiting For Christmas”

Waiting For Christmas

Luke 2:25-38

None of us are very good at waiting. We don’t like to wait. I remember when it took several minutes to turn on and load the very first IBM personal computer, and we thought that was fast. We marveled at the speed. Now, if it takes more than 10 seconds, we’re pounding the keyboard and complaining about waiting too long.

Waiting is tough, isn't it? And waiting for God is even harder.

What I’ve realized is that even though we’re always in a hurry, God isn’t. We want things to happen now, if not sooner. However, God seems to take His time. Some people say, “I've waited long enough for God, and I don't see anything good coming out of all this waiting!”

Some are waiting to see if chemotherapy or radiation will be effective. Others are waiting for news that could greatly impact their future. Some are waiting for job responses. Others are waiting for prayers to be answered, at least in the way they believe God should answer.

And while all this waiting is hard, we need to understand that God is working out His perfect will through it.

Consider, for example, the miracle of birth. Nothing compares to the anticipation of welcoming a baby. Even as the expectant mother waits, God is working to shape and form that baby’s life inside her womb.

Conception is the promise. Delivery and birth are the fulfillment of that promise. But between promise and fulfillment, there are months of waiting, expecting, along with months of discomfort, uncertainty, and even anxiety. Waiting is difficult, and honestly, most of us aren't very good at it.

We do a lot of waiting this time of year.

Waiting in checkout lines.

Waiting for a closer parking spot.

Waiting on this or that package from Amazon to arrive.

Waiting for Christmas bonuses.

And the kids can barely wait for Christmas morning.

But before we continue, let me ask some questions.

What are you waiting for this Christmas?

What do you expect to receive?

Are you excited about anything special this Christmas?

In Luke’s Gospel, we meet two people who appear in the final act of the Christmas story. One is a man named Simeon; the other is a woman named Anna. They don’t show up in any nativity scenes or in any Christmas cards. But they are important to the story. 

Both were waiting with great anticipation and expectation to see the coming Messiah. But the promise and its fulfillment were far apart, and so they kept waiting, looking forward to God’s promised redemption.

And while they were both waiting for the Messiah, they were both waiting for a different aspect of His coming, and that’s what I would like to look at in our time together.

Simeon: Waiting for Comfort

“There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” (Luke 2:25 NKJV)

Why was he waiting? Because the Holy Spirit promised that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. It says in verse 26, “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.” (Luke 2:26 NKJV)

And so, Simeon was comforted waiting for the Comforter.

Now, I know some of you may be questioning my use of the name 'Comforter,' since Jesus clearly called the Holy Spirit the Comforter. But listen to what Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” (John 14:6 NKJV)

The word “another” in the Greek language means another of the same kind. Jesus is describing Himself as the Comforter, and after He leaves, He is asking the Father to send another Comforter who will comfort in the same way He comforted. And that Comforter is the Holy Spirit.

And as a Theological side note, since Jesus is God, the second person of the Godhead, He was sending another like unto Himself; hence, He was sending the Holy Spirit, who is also God, the third person of the Godhead.

At this time, things weren’t going so well for the nation of Israel. They hadn’t heard from God for over 400 years and were subjected to the rule and reign of the Roman Empire. Simeon, therefore, was waiting for the consolation of Israel, which we could translate as Israel’s comfort.

Simeon’s expectation focused on the comfort that Christ, the Messiah, would bring.

The desire to be comforted is a universal need. We all struggle with loneliness, emptiness, and insecurity. In fact, the Christmas season is one of the major crisis times of the year for depression and suicide. It is the leading contributor to stress and anxiety.