12.22.2013 Does Your Heart Ache this Christmas? Simeon and Anna meet Jesus in the Temple

12-22-2013 from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

This is the 4th week of Advent - We’ve been going through some of the characters surrounding the Birth of Christ – Mike has covered Joseph, John the Baptist, and last week, the shepherds. There are a couple of very interesting characters kind of tucked into Luke 2 from whom we can learn a lot – and they tell a story of longing, listening, looking, and life. Okay – we joke about pastoral alliterations – where all the main points start with the same letter –
Mnemonic – is a memory tool – something to help you remember something. if it helps you remember the sermon – it is a sermonic mnemonic.
If it helps you remember the Bible – it is a canonic mnemonic.
If I got a quartet up here to sing about it – it would be a harmonic mnemonic.
If it caused an earthquake, it would be a tectonic mnemonic.
Hopefully it is not a moronic mnemonic – and hopefully, it is definitely not a demonic mnemonic.
But ultimately, I hope it doesn’t put you to sleep, because then it would be a catatonic mnemonic!
So – this story tells of longing, listening, looking, and life – and hopefully, this will be a sermonic mnemonic to help you remember the points of today’s message and to better apply it throughout the week – and ultimately, to make this the most meaningful Christmas ever.
Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father – today we hear a story of two people who were watching and waiting expectantly for You. Give us spiritual eyes to see You in a special way this morning, to hear Your voice, and to have a deeper understanding of who You are and what You’ve done. May You be glorified in this time – and may our hearts be tender toward You and may we be prepared for Your advent into our lives. Strengthen our faith. Help us to be led by You. It’s in the saving name of Jesus we pray.
Luke 2:
25 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.
The first L from Luke in our sermonic mnemonic is the word Longing.
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel…
And Anna…
. 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.
Both of these characters, Simeon and Anna, describe a longing for something greater – and as I pondered what the consolation of Israel and the redemption of Jerusalem mean – I came to the realization that this world is broken and we have this longing for things to be made right. Sin entered the world and brought with it death. The redemption for sin requires death. We lose loved ones to death and it creates a longing in us – a longing for heaven, a longing for the resurrection – a longing to be reunited – a longing for things to be set right. Many people get sad at Christmas time – some are lonely – they have a longing – others, because it is the first Christmas without a loved one – or every holiday reminds them of their loved ones who have gone on before us. Melissa often says, I don’t know how people cope with these losses without the Lord – but Loss creates a longing – and like Mike shared a couple weeks ago – Expectations lead to disappointment and disappointment leads to HOPE – in the same way, Loss leads to Longing and longing leads to HOPE – and HOPE leads us to a Savior.
This is the importance of Longing in the Christmas story – the world is broken - and if people can channel that longing into a longing for Jesus and for things to be set right, I think it would strengthen us in Him.
Our second L in our sermonic mnemonic is LISTEN
The name SIMEON literally means “He Hears” – when Rachel and Leah were having the 12 sons of Jacob – who became the 12 tribes of Israel, Moses wrote of the birth of Simeon – “Because God heard… she named him Simeon.”
Simeon was longing for the consolation of Israel – and he was LISTENING to the Holy Spirit. –
25 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.
Simeon, the listener, was led by the Spirit. We need to learn to LISTEN and be led by the Spirit.
Paul told us in Galatians: 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.
How do we learn to listen? First, take time in prayer to BE SILENT. I can’t count how many times I’ve been praying for someone and God has revealed to me the next step I need to take in that relationship. Or as you read the Bible – allow it to SPEAK to you. Listen.
John 14: 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” ... 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
When we believe in Jesus, we are born of the Spirit – and unlike Simeon, who, it said, the Holy Spirit rested on – when we receive the Spirit, he doesn’t just rest on us, like He did before Pentecost – He comes to live within us. Learn to listen to Him and allow Him to lead you.
Longing, Listening (and being Led by the Spirit), lead us to our next L in our sermonic mnemonic - Looking.
Looking - 36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher…
Penuel is from the same word as Peniel, found in Genesis 32: 30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”
How cool is it that the daughter of Penuel received the honor of seeing God face to face? She was LOOKING.
She 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. (or: and then had been a widow for eighty-four years. ) - 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.
So she was either 84, or had been widowed for 84 years – making her probably as old as 105, had she married at 14… Nonetheless – she was a very old woman who spent every day in the temple, worshiping God. I bet that she KNEW her scriptures. I bet she LISTENED to God in prayer. She prayed. She fasted. I KNOW she was longing and looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. And what did she do?
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.
She must have also been very connected. She spoke about the child to ALL who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. How did she know who those people were? She was connected. I encourage you to get connected in community. Talk to your neighbors – talk to your coworkers – talk to your friends – learn their stories; find out what THEY are longing and looking for. Because ultimately, we are all longing and looking for things to be made right, and the only way things can be made right is through Jesus. I encourage you to learn the stories of your neighbors – here is your house – there are as many as 8 neighbors who are right next to you - your direct neighbors – the ones across the street – and even the ones behind your house. We are very intentional in getting to know our neighbors – we walk the neighborhood just about every day – and as we do, we get to know people from all over. Every year we have a Christmas party – it is a great opportunity to learn peoples’ stories – we had 33 people at this year’s party, and I learned the spiritual story of a few of them just this year.
So Simeon and Anna were longing, listening, being led by the Spirit, looking – and what does Simeon say?
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.”
Jesus is Salvation – Jesus is LIFE. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life – do you see too – Simeon had been promised that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah – the Christ – the Lord’s promised one – it was a promise of a promise – and Simeon had unwavering faith in the promise that had been made and in the One who would become the Promise. Simeon sees The Messiah as being SALVATION for all the nations – Jews and Gentiles alike. This man who had been longing and listening and led by the Spirit was looking into the face of God the Son, and proclaiming the LIFE that can only be found in Him.
Let’s back up just a second – let’s take a look at the verses preceding Simeon and Anna to find what brought Joseph and Mary and Jesus to the temple in the first place:
Luke 2: 21 On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
So, Jesus is born, and 8 days later, according to the Jewish custom, He was circumcised and named – and he was named Jesus, which means God/Jehovah/Yahweh Saves. He is even named SALVATION.
Luke 2:22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
The first born being consecrated to the Lord is a reminder of Passover, when the Israelites were being held in slavery in Egypt – God brought down the greatest judgment on Egypt and the last plague with the death of every firstborn male. The Israelites were commanded to take a lamb and sprinkle its blood on the doorpost – and the angel of the Lord would see the blood of the sacrifice and ‘pass over’ that house – Because of this, God states that each firstborn belongs to Him – and must be redeemed from Him.
This comes from Leviticus 12: 6 “‘When the days of her purification for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering.[a] 7 He shall offer them before the Lord to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean ...
…8 But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”
First thing we see – Mary and Joseph were too poor to afford a lamb, so they present two doves or pigeons for an offering.
Why were these offerings important? They taught that uncleanness and sin separate us from God – As Hebrews (9:22) tells us, without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins - and the sacrificial system of the Old Testament requires the sacrifice of animals – but that was just a picture of the sacrifice of Christ – Romans 3: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
So Jesus is being redeemed by the sacrifice that is a picture of the sacrifice that He will make 30 some years later. So the promise to Simeon comes full circle…
Simeon and Anna were longing and listening and led by the spirit that through the Promise we might have LIFE.
Do you have a sense of loss or longing this Christmas? Are you missing a loved one? Do you long for the time when the world is ‘made right?’ Are you listening for how God is working around you? Simeon and Anna give us a story of HOPE – fulfilled promises and hope. We’ve seen the Salvation of God and His name is Jesus.
Do you have promises from God?
I encourage you to learn from the example of Simeon and Anna- take some special time to read His Word and pray and really listen. Allow yourself to be led by the Spirit. Ask Him to lead you – Ask Him to guide you – and then be willing to go where He leads – and like Anna – to tell of him to those who are also longing.
There is still time – you can take a plate of cookies to some neighbors.
This morning, Melissa asked what I was thinking…
This time of year is a great opportunity to point people to Christ.
400 per family in gift cards…
Like a child who is longing for a family – we have been adopted – that longing in our hearts can be fulfilled:
Galatians 4: 4 But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights. 6 And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God.
Let’s pray…
Father God, thank You for adopting those of us whom You’ve called – who have put our trust in You. Lord, we have a longing in our hearts – and I pray that longing would be satisfied by You. Help us to Listen and Look for You – and to experience Your everlasting Life. May Your love flow through us, that we would be led by You to proclaim You this week. Show us how You are at work around us, that we might join You in that work. In Your Name we pray – amen.