As a kid, I always wondered why everything returned to normal almost immediately after Christmas. We suddenly stopped singing the Christmas carols; the tree was summarily disrobed and kicked to the curb; and even the shimmering white snow seemed to turn a dingy gray, for crying out loud! And now, as a mother (who happens to have two December-born children), I have been even more befuddled by how quickly we seem to move on. I don’t know any mothers for whom life goes “back to normal” the day after giving birth! Now that I have my own creative writing outlet, I decided that Christmas doesn’t have to end on December 26. As we close out our time with the characters of Advent today, we’re going to visit with two people whose story has always fascinated me, though they don’t usually get much attention at Christmas.
It was forty days after Jesus’ birth that Mary and Joseph brought him to the temple in order to perform both the ritual purification for Mary after childbirth and the redemption of the firstborn son. The Bible doesn’t tell us much about the actual rituals that occurred, but we do get to meet Simeon and Anna, two people who had been anticipating this moment for many years.
“…he took him up in his arms and blessed God…” - Luke 2:28
I love what Luke tells us about Simeon: he was “righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of the Israel.” God’s chosen people had been under foreign rule of one nation or another for hundreds of years, and hadn’t heard from God in about as long, as far as Scripture records. Perhaps many Israelites had given up hope of ever hearing from Him, but not Simeon. Though he was old, he believed that God would indeed send the Consolation they awaited, and that it would happen in his lifetime. I love his prayer of praise:
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.”
Simeon knew what he was looking for, and he knew the significance of the moment he was experiencing. And having seen the salvation that God had promised His people, Simeon was ready to die in peace. Friend, I wonder if the same can be said about you. As Simeon beautifully proclaimed, He was given as a light to reveal God to the Gentiles. Have you seen the light and allowed Him to dispel the darkness in your own soul? He has been revealed to you, and you must decide what you will do with Him. When you receive Him, you, like Simeon, will be ready when your own time comes to depart this world in peace. How I pray this is the case for you!
“…she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” - Luke 2:38b
The Bible doesn’t record any direct quotations from Anna, but her part in the story deserves a closer look. Like Simeon, Anna was elderly; we also know that she (either practically or literally) lived at the temple. Luke says she didn’t leave the temple, but spent day and night there worshiping, praying, and fasting. When she saw Jesus, she was quick to spread the news to an anxious world.
I want to observe a couple of points about Anna and draw some lessons that we can learn from her. The woman was at church ALL. THE. TIME. As such, it’s no wonder that she was present when Mary and Joseph arrived with Jesus. What about you and me? I’m not talking about “church” necessarily, but are we spiritually in a place where, when Jesus shows up, we’ll be there to see Him? Are we watching for His activity in our daily lives, so that we can clearly recognize His hand at work?
Secondly, even as an old woman, Anna was excited to share the good news of Jesus with anyone who would listen. After thanking God for His salvation, she spoke of Him “to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.” Though the world is often hostile to the things of God, each and every lost soul is waiting to hear the good news of redemption, and we have it. What would happen if we, like Anna, rushed to share this good news with everyone we met? Sure, some would mock or ignore us, but how many would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ? And wouldn’t it be worth all the scorn if just one lost person became “found” because of our witness?
Though they were advanced in years, Simeon and Anna held on to the hope that God would indeed send salvation to Israel. God rewarded their faith and preserved their examples for us to learn from all these centuries later. I pray that, like them, we will keep the faith that He has ignited in our hearts, and that we will be quick to share it with a world in need of Christ’s hope and healing.
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture used in "Joy in the Morning" is taken from the English Standard Version.
