Luke 2:25-35
When you think about the first Christmas, what names come to mind? Jesus, of course, and Mary and Joseph, and if you want to get really creative, you could include Caesar Augustus, since his name appears at the beginning of Luke 2. These are certainly the most familiar names from the first Christmas, but later in the chapter, we read about a less well-known man who happens to have a lot in common with us.
“Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting 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” (Luke 2:25-26).
This time of year, the signs that something wonderful is on the way are everywhere. All around the neighborhood, people string lights and hang wreaths while carols play on the radio and bells jingle on street corners. In your own house, you might be making special holiday foods or arranging treasured decorations, and interesting packages may be appearing under the tree. With all these signs pointing to the approaching holiday, it’s no wonder excitement is at an all-time high, especially for kids! When my own sons were little, they would ask daily, “How much longer till Christmas? How many more days, Daddy?” Does that sound familiar? The closer it gets to Christmas, and the more signs we see that it’s coming, the harder it can be to wait, as any parent who’s ever been awakened at 3:00 Christmas morning knows!
Simeon knew a thing or two about waiting. We’re not told much about him, but we know that he had been waiting a long time for Jesus. And not just waiting, but waiting with expectation, with absolute faith that what he was waiting for would come to pass. You see, God had promised Simeon that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah. So Simeon wasn’t just hoping to see Jesus; he knew he would because he knew God is faithful.
Just as we know that all the lights and decorations mean Christmas is coming, Simeon knew that God’s promise meant a Savior was coming, and so he looked for him eagerly. Month after month, year after year, maybe even decade after decade, Simeon woke up every morning with Christmas-level excitement, thinking each day could be the one when God would fulfill his promise.
Can you imagine waiting for so long with that kind of anticipation? It makes our wait for Christmas feel pretty insignificant! Just as our wait for Christmas won’t last forever, Simeon’s wait ended when the Holy Spirit led him to the temple and he finally saw Jesus. We learn from Simeon to wait eagerly for Jesus, to look for him every day with the expectation that we will see him and be shown ways to serve him and glorify him.
Dear Father, thank you for the fun of this season and for the anticipation that surrounds it. Make us like Simeon—eagerly watching for the signs of your presence in our daily lives and willing to be used by you. Thank you for being faithful to keep your promise to us to send a Savior. May our excitement for the celebration of his birth touch those in our lives who don’t know you. Amen.
Draw: Give each member of the family some blank pieces of paper and a pencil. Draw pictures of as many of your favorite signs of Christmas as you can in five minutes. When time is up, share your drawings with each other. Who listed the most signs of Christmas? What was the most common sign? What was the most unique sign?
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