Anticipation

 

From the Pastor:

Luke 2:29-32

Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word;

For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,

A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.

 

Anticipation is a huge part of the Christmas season. We anticipate time with loved ones. We anticipate all the good food we will get to indulge in. We, of course, anticipate the gifts that we will receive. But there is another anticipation that Christians should also be considering during this time, and that is the anticipation of the Lord’s return and the completion of His plan of redemption which will be experienced in the culmination of God’s Kingdom here on earth. Anticipating for that joyous occasion is what Christmas is really building towards. It’s not just about remembering what Christ has done, but it is looking forward to what He will do in the future. One of my favorite texts that highpoints the anticipation we should be feeling is the statement above made by Simeon at the circumcision of Jesus.

Simeon himself had been anticipating the time in which he would lay his eyes on the Lord’s Christ because God through the Holy Spirit had promised him that he would. Now, we do not know when the Lord had made this promise to Simeon and we do not know how long he may have waited for the fulfillment of this promise, but even if it had only been one day in advance could you imagine the anticipation of such an amazing promise made to you? I will confess here that at least on one occasion, and my sisters think there were more, I vomited (not a lovely picture I know) in nervous anticipation of Christmas morning the night before. I literally was so full of nerves and excitement that I could not contain it. Even to this day I am terrible at waiting for such events. I get nervous and restless to the point where it is almost overwhelming. So, I could not imagine the level of anticipation Simeon must have felt waiting to see the Christ.

Then the time came. Whatever Simeon may have been expecting, when the moment came the Spirit filled him with such fullness that holding the eight day old Jesus in his arms overflowed in this glorious confession. Simeon was made aware that this child he was holding was the savior of the world. That the Christ, the Messiah, had come not just to redeem his kinsmen, but to even awaken the Gentiles to their need of saving grace through the Light of revelation that was accomplished through the person and work of Jesus. God used Simeon’s great anticipation to reveal to all that were there that this child was no ordinary baby. He would continue in the verses following this text and state that even through difficulty, opposition, and even heart break this Child would save His people. A people that would be from every tribe, tongue, and nation on the planet He Himself spoke into existence. A people He had created from the dirt and breathed the breath of life into. A people that had forsaken Him, but that He would not abandon.

This week as you anticipate time with family, food, presents, and all the accompaniments of the Christmas season, anticipate the fulfillment of the salvation of Christ. Look forward in hope, joy, and love to the coming of Christ. Pray that He would return quickly to establish His everlasting kingdom here on this earth, so that the joy of His first coming would be overwhelmed by the glory of His second coming. God bless you all and Merry Christmas!