“You don’t need to
know where you’re going if God is leading.” (Jesus-Our-Everything)
21 Eight days after His birth, the baby was circumcised in keeping with Jewish religious
requirements, and He was named Jesus, the name the messenger had given
Him before His conception in Mary’s womb. 22 After Mary had
observed the ceremonial days of postpartum
purification required by Mosaic law, she and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple
in Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. 23 They were
fulfilling the Lord’s requirement that “every firstborn Israelite male will be dedicated to the Eternal One as holy.” 24 They
also offered the sacrifice required by the law of the Lord, “two turtledoves or
two young pigeons.”
25 While fulfilling
these sacred obligations at the temple,
they encountered a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was a just and pious man,
anticipating the liberation of Israel from her troubles. He was a man in touch
with the Holy Spirit. 26 The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon
that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Anointed One. 27 The
Spirit had led him to the temple that day, and there he saw the child Jesus in
the arms of His parents, who were fulfilling their sacred obligations. 28 Simeon
took Jesus into his arms and blessed God.
29 Simeon:
Now, Lord and King, You can let me, Your humble servant, die in peace.
30 You promised me that I would see with my own eyes
what I’m seeing now: Your freedom,
31 Raised up in the presence of all peoples.
32 He is the light who reveals Your message to the other nations,
and He is the shining glory of Your covenant people, Israel.
30 You promised me that I would see with my own eyes
what I’m seeing now: Your freedom,
31 Raised up in the presence of all peoples.
32 He is the light who reveals Your message to the other nations,
and He is the shining glory of Your covenant people, Israel.
33 His father and mother were stunned to hear Simeon say these
things. 34 Simeon went on to bless them both, and to Mary in
particular he gave predictions.
Simeon:
Listen, this child will make many in
Israel rise and fall. He will be a significant person whom many will oppose. 35 In the end, He will lay bare the
secret thoughts of many hearts. And a sword will pierce even your own soul,
Mary. (Luke
2:21-35, VOICE)
If you are open to the leading of the Holy
Spirit (like Simeon), God can lead you to unimaginable places where you can be
used in mighty ways in service to Him.
When Simeon held baby Jesus in His arms, he
had a Heaven to Earth moment. Have you ever been so close to God at a
particular time in your life that you didn’t think your life could get any
better? You were ready to be transported straight to Heaven.
For Mary’s cleansing (after the birth of
Jesus) two turtle doves were offered. This was the poor person’s sacrifice.
This was all the couple could afford. God can take the small amount you can
offer, and do grand things with it. What can you offer to God?
Simeon may have thought that the last placed
he would have met the Messiah was in the synagogue. How many people do you know
that were treated wrong by Christians? They do not expect to meet God in
church.
Mary was told by Simeon that Jesus would be
the pivotal moment all individuals on whether they would accept (or reject) His
free gift of salvation to an eternity with Him in Heaven.
Jesus (the Christmas Baby) was born to die
(our Savior). Jesus sacrificed His holiness for our wholeness.
God does nothing in your life by accident,
but for a specific purpose (that you may be unaware of). Faith in His mission
(in you) and His cleansing grace is all you’ll ever need your entire life long.
“One of the most arduous spiritual tasks is
that of giving up control and allowing the spirit of God to lead our lives.” (Henri Nouwen)[i]
[i] Inspired by the sermon “Leading: Christmas Spirit, “(installment five, final) Tuesday December 24, 2019
(Christmas Eve), Pastor Dave Jansen, CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH.
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