Thursday, February
2, 2017
Then it was
time for their purification offering, as required by the law of Moses after the
birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the
Lord. The law of the Lord says, “If a woman’s first child is a boy, he
must be dedicated to the Lord.” So they offered the sacrifice
required in the law of the Lord—“either a pair of turtledoves or two young
pigeons.” At that time there was a man
in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was
righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue
Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon
him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the
Lord’s Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary
and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law
required, Simeon was there. He took
the child in his arms and praised God, saying, “Sovereign Lord, now
let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you
have prepared for all people. He
is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people
Israel!” Jesus’ parents were
amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them, and he
said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in
Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many
will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be
revealed. And a sword will pierce your
very soul.” Luke 2:22-35(NLT)
I’ve wondered often over the
past 10 years about that first night of our church’s Christmas
presentation. We called it Jerusalem Walk, because it
was an outside walk through the old city, complete with city gates, a tax
collector, beggars, lepers, cross-makers and a temple priest who was mean as a
snake!
Groups of 15-20 visitors
would be guided through an interactive meeting with all the townspeople and
merchants. It was festive; the night air
was charged with expectancy.
But I was stuck inside.
As Simeon, I waited for the
groups to come inside, where I would re-enact for them the prophet’s foreboding
foretelling of Jesus’ ministry and death.
My speech was hopeful and leading up to joy…but ended with the ominous
noise of spikes being driven into hands and feet, and then the spotlight was suddenly
cast towards the back of the sanctuary, where Jesus was lifted high on the
cross. But then, darkness, thick as a
cloud, followed by lightning and thunder, and a sudden crack, as if a stone had
been demolished. It was impressive…and I
can’t deny I felt something rather special playing the part of Simeon the
prophet.
Although it’s hard to
describe, there was an other-ness
to one group that came through. During
my speech about Jesus, and how he just looked like an ordinary baby, there was
a point when I told how he would grow up to be Israel’s salvation, and my eyes
locked with a small child whose own eyes were wider than dinner plates. It seemed that little one was hearing this
story for the first time. And suddenly,
without warning, like John Wesley, I was strangely
warmed on the inside, and I knew someone’s life was being touched
by the story of Jesus. And there was
that familiar, undeniable connection with every saint down through the ages who
has ever told the old, old story.
It was witness! It was that momentary suspension of any
personal preference, doctrinal persuasion, cultural prejudice or profit-driven
agenda; it was that moment outside of time offering forgiveness, the love of
God’s redemptive purpose.
In retrospect, I am convinced
it was a moment of transformation for someone, perhaps the little girl whose
name I don’t know, but whose eyes are forever imprinted on my memory. Perhaps it was God’s simple assurance for
this aging pastor that the Spirit of Christ is still actively touching people
with the Gospel…it is, after all, very
good news!
Whatever it was that night,
and who can be certain when God is in the room…it sealed for me what I’ve
always known at such times – I want more of Him!
For You Today
Could
there be a Simeon-moment ahead for you in what you do this day? There can be if you’re willing to tell the
Gospel story.
NOTES
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