Christmas & Faith for the Long Game

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It’s not a regular feature in your average Christmas play narrative, but it should be. His name was Simeon, and we can only find him in Luke’s gospel, chapter 2. History tells us that Simeon was righteous and devout, which basically means he took his faith seriously. The text also informs us that the Holy Spirit was upon him. In other words, he was a man who listened to God and was serious about following Him. The moving piece of the narrative is how much Simeon’s story teaches us about long-term faithfulness, which is something so needed in our day.



We see this in Luke’s description of Simeon as a man “waiting for the consolation of Israel,” which may not seem like much initially. However, when we pull the camera lens back and realize that Simeon is probably well advanced in age, his waiting is seen on a whole new level. On that day, Simeon, led by the Holy Spirit, met Mary and Joseph as they brought Jesus into the Temple courts. At that moment, it all came together for Simeon, and he recognized that this baby, Jesus, would be the world’s savior. In fulfilled joy, he praised God, proclaiming: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.” In short, the Holy Spirit told the old man that he would see the Messiah before his death, and Simeon trusted God and lived in this promise all his life. Now, he was ready to die in peace.



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