Luke 2:21-38 “And when eight
days had passed, before His circumcision, His name
was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel
before He was conceived in the womb. And when the days for their purification
according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem
to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every
firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy
to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice according to what was
said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” And
there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous
and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the
Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he
came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child
Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he
took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, “Now Lord, You are releasing
Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen
Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A Light of
revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” And His
father and mother were amazed at the things which were
being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His
mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall
and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be
opposed— and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to
the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” And there was a prophetess, Anna the
daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had
lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then
as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night
and day with fastings and prayers. At that
very moment she came up and began giving
thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking
for the redemption of Jerusalem.” (NASB)
Hello,
As I have been reading the Christmas story and it’s
surrounding passages I spent some time on these 2 unique individuals. We talk
about the shepherds who were told and responded with immediate
gratification-but here are 2 people who waited for the Messiah – and even
waited a few days past His birth. Both Simeon and Anna were followers of God
who showed amazing faithfulness. Both were servants – long time servants. They
just kept believing, trusting and serving. God’s promise to Simeon was
fulfilled, and Anna had what looks to be an unknown blessing. There is no
mention of her knowing she would see the Messiah as Simeon was told – but her
faithful service was rewarded.
We don’t always like to wait – but the rewards of faithful
service are immense.
Have a blessed day,
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