Luke 2:25-40
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He
was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.
Preserving the Joy of Christmas
What does the day after Christmas look like in your house? We do so much to prepare for Christmas. We decorate. We buy and wrap presents. We make special meals. We get dressed up. We listen to Christmas music. We eat Christmas cookies. But how long after Christmas day does the Christmas spirit last?
Do you still feel festive today? Will you still be full of holiday cheer next week? Or the week after? How about a month after Christmas, long after the tree has come down and your new gifts have lost their new gift smell – will it still feel like Christmas to you then?
That’s about where we pick up the story of Mary and Joseph and the baby today. It’s about a month after Jesus’ birth. Leading up to that night, it must have been so surreal for both of them to have been visited by the angel Gabriel who announced that Mary would give birth to the Messiah. It must have been insane for 9 months to see Mary’s belly grow and know who was inside. It must have been so exciting to finally meet him and hold him in their arms. That’s why Mary treasured up all the events of that night and pondered them in her heart.
But how many dirty diapers do you suppose it took to bring Mary and Joseph crashing back to reality? How many sleepless nights of feeding a growing baby before they forgot that first night? At some point, we just move on and we go on with life. Christmas is over. It’s time for the next thing.
But that’s why I appreciate the story of Simeon and Anna. For them, what we read in Luke 2 today was Christmas. They weren’t there on that first Christmas night. They hadn’t seen the baby Jesus wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. This was their first crack at the Christ, their first sight of their Saviour. And for a Mary and Joseph who were almost surely in full parent mode, it must have been a wonderful reminder and a beautiful way to keep their Christmas spirit bright.
Simeon is introduced to us as a righteous and devout man who was waiting for the consolation of Israel. Anna is introduced to us as a very old, widowed, prophetess – somebody who knew God’s Word well and was willing to share it with others – who was looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Both are faithful believers, and so it comes as little surprise to find them both frequenting the temple courts on this random day when Jesus, Mary and Joseph arrive.
Now, I think that’s an important point to note. Simeon and Anna were both faithful church-goers. They had heard the promises of God from childhood and they treasured them so much that they wanted to hear them over and over again. We don’t actually know how old Simeon was, but we do know that Anna was at least 84 and Luke says that “she never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.”[1] (Now, this is probably hyperbole; Anna almost certainly had a home of her own and a place where she would go to sleep and eat, but the point is that she was in the temple a lot.)
Simeon and Anna didn’t lose their excitement about the consolation of Israel or the redemption of Jerusalem in the days, weeks, months, or even years after they had first heard about them. Their eagerness and anticipation built in them an insatiable hunger for more of God’s Word, even if they had heard it before.
Sometimes we experience those lulls in enthusiasm in our lives. It’s easy to get up for Christmas. It’s easy to get excited for the carols and the candles. It’s not always as easy to get up for worship the next Sunday or the Sunday after that. We can feel “churched-out” or we can tune out when we hear something that sounds like something we’ve heard before. We can lose our excitement over incredible promises from God.
Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. To console someone means to comfort them. The Israelites need consolation. They had once been God’s Chosen People. When King David sat on the throne – and Solomon after him – they had been the envy of the Middle East. Kings and dignitaries would travel from around the world just to come and see the glory of Israel.
But now, in these last days of Simeon’s life, Israel was a shadow of its former self. The Romans were ruthless overlords who awarded the kingdom of Israel to the highest bidder. Solomon’s golden and glorious Temple had long since been destroyed and divvied up for its cash value. 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel had been scattered to the winds and lost to history, and there was little hope that anything would ever get better.
But that’s what Simeon was waiting for day after day in the temple courts. Like we heard in our First Lesson for today: “All the descendants of Israel will find deliverance in the Lord.”[2] God had promised deliverance which would be a comfort and consolation to faithful believers like Simeon.
Anna was waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. The city that had once housed faithful David’s palace and wise Solomon’s temple had lost its way. It, and the people who lived in it, were now corrupt and couldn’t care less what God had to say. Jerusalem, and all the people in it, needed to be redeemed, purified, forgiven.
And God had promised that too: “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”[3] “There is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Saviour.”[4]
Simeon and Anna were waiting for God to keep his promises, so they kept coming to hear his Word and be reminded and comforted by his love. And then one day God’s love walked through the door.
Luke doesn’t tell us how they possibly knew who Jesus really was, but there’s only one answer. The Holy Spirit must have revealed it to them, and they responded accordingly. Simeon cradles Jesus in the crook of his arm and sings a song to God. Anna saw her infant Saviour and instantly gave thanks to God and spread the word to everyone who listen that this child was the fulfillment of God’s promises.
For Simeon and Anna, this was their Christmas day. For Mary and Joseph, it must have been a precious moment that brought them back to the day he was born. For you and me, Simeon and Anna are a wonderful reminder that every day is Christmas day. Every day we have the opportunity to gather around God’s Word, just like Simeon and Anna did, and hear his promises of consolation and redemption.
What consolation are you waiting for? What comfort do you need? There are a lot of hurts and pains in this world, and not even a holiday like Christmas can cover them all up. Sometimes these holidays make those pains even more poignant. Whatever your pain, Jesus is your consolation.
Now, it’s worth pointing out that Jesus did not restore the kingdom to Israel. He did not throw off the yoke of Roman oppression, the way that many in Israel wanted him to. He didn’t bring back the 10 lost tribes of Israel or rebuild Solomon’s Temple in all its glory. But Jesus did give comfort and consolation to souls that were suffering.
To people who were yearning for something more and for something better, Jesus painted a picture of perfection. He promised them, and us, the holy halls of heaven, where there is no pain or heartache or sorrow or frustration or disappointment or depression. He promised us the home of God, away from this sin-sick world, away from the problems that we face here. That’s the same consolation that God promises you, through the same redemption that Anna was waiting for.
What redemption do you need? Where have you gone astray? Are you quick to lose the joy of Christmas? Are you quick to quit hearing God’s promises? Have you lost your love for being in the earthly house of God or for listening to his holy Word? If you have, then you’re not alone, but our comfort doesn’t come from having company; it comes from knowing our Christ.
And I think that’s the amazing thing about Simeon and Anna. They saw that tiny little 6lb 8oz baby Jesus and they saw their Saviour. They met him at the beginning of his life, likely before he could hold his own head up straight, and they saw the man who would wear a crown of thorns on that same scalp; they saw the man who would live and die and give his life for sinners like you and me who need forgiveness, who need redemption and consolation. And in Jesus we find both. Jesus gives us both peace and pardon, and that’s a message, I pray, that we never grow tired of hearing.
May we be like Simeon and Anna and cling to those promises with a joy that no amount of time can diminish. The holiday may be over. You may have to go back to work tomorrow. Maybe you never got off of work for Christmas, but the spirit and joy of Christmas doesn’t reside in the smell of freshly baked cookies, festively decorated houses or brightly packaged presents. The spirit of Christmas lives in the message of Jesus – our consolation and our redemption. And that’s a message that 84 years of never leaving the temple of God is not enough to exhaust.
May you be like Simeon and Anna and hold the infant Jesus dear at Christmas and every day of the year. May every day that you set aside to hear the promises of God be to you a new Christmas day, when God fills you with joy at the sight of your Saviour, your consolation and your redemption. Christmas may be over, but our joy is just beginning, through Jesus Christ our newborn king. Amen.
Let us pray: Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servants in peace. For our eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel. Amen.
[1] Luke 2:37
[2] Isaiah 45:25
[3] Isaiah 45:22
[4] Isaiah 45:21