AllTheseThings: The Strange Messengers, Waiting

Are we waiting for Christmas like Simeon and Anna waited?

Here is the scene from Luke 2:

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.

You might wonder, if the coming of the savior of the world--God himself--is such a big deal, why was Simeon even in on it? Who was this guy? Why did he matter so much that he got a special heads-up from the Holy Spirit? If you think about it, he’s just one, old, righteous guy. He doesn’t even reappear in the story.

If you had to get the word out about some great new program for the church--and you had an unlimited budget--who would you go to? If you had some really good news, something that would change the whole world for the good if everyone knew, but you had to get the word out, who would you tell?

Would you tell a guy about to die with no royal or priestly connections, like Simeon? Would you tell an old widow who never leaves church, but simply prays and fasts? How about a poor, unmarried-but-pregnant, teenage girl (talk about Advent being a period of 'expectant waiting'); would you tell her--that seems wrong, but maybe it's right? (Luke 1) Would you tell a poor carpenter--whose fiance has, apparently, not been too faithful to him? (Matt. 1) How about 3 gentile astrologers? (Matt. 2) Maybe some shepherds on the night shift? (Luke 2) Probably not. You would probably tell the big shots. The guys in charge who could let the word be known quickly, broadly, and with authority. Luke names these folks in the opening of his gospel—so we have to assume God knew about them too. He mentions Caesar Augustus and Governor Quirinius by name in the same chapter as Simeon and Anna--what a contrast in characters that is. Those guys could certainly get the word out. Caesar wanted a head count, so everyone in the known world starts hiking for their home town. I’m sure Herod could have gotten the job done, too. He was effective enough when it came to infanticide.

So what is going on in this time of preparation, in God’s mind, for the coming of Jesus? He’s not laying the ground work like we would to launch a major political, church, or movie ad campaign. His picked the young, the old, some poor folks, a widow, shepherds, and gentile astrologers to get the message.

Through this early portion of the Gospel--with the arguable exception of Zacharias, who had a religious position--before the ministry, just before and after Jesus’ birth, God is revealing the good news to all the wrong sorts of people! So what is going on?

Two things, one He is picking those that do not have glorious earthly positions to be His messengers. He is using the weak to speak to the strong. This is the same pattern He used throughout the Old Testament. David, Abraham, Moses, on and on.

And in the case of Simeon and Anna, He is rewarding those who waited in faith for His deliverance. At this point in their lives, they were reduced to waiting in faith every moment of their lives. It says Anna never left the temple.

What did she do in there? She served. How? With prayer and fasting. And Anna was remembered by God. He let her know that Jerusalem’s redemption was here. He also let her tell them about it. Because she waited with faith, with prayers and fasting, in this time leading up to the first Christmas, she got to share the good news. She, like Simeon, was ready. As a result, she not only got to partake in witnessing the grace come to earth, but got to double her joy by telling everyone who would listen. That's quite a stocking stuffer.

Do we have people like Simeon and Anna in our midst? In this most busiest of seasons--which is really supposed to be a season of expectant waiting--are there some who are praying and fasting through the malls and feasts? Are we waiting like Simeon and Anna did? Are we preparing like they did? Righteous, devout, serving with prayer and fasting were their hallmarks. Those are the qualities the people had that were ready for Christmas, for the birth of the Christ, for redemption, for consolation, for a light to the gentiles (which the Magi literally saw), for glory to God’s people.

How then is our preparation going this Advent? Have we taken this time of waiting to spend in prayer and fasting? Is our focus redemption, consolation, light to those that do not know, and glory? Or, much like those around us that haven't seen the light, are we all caught up in hustle, bustle, shopping, lists, parties, and feasting?

I think those that are the best prepared for Christmas are those that can enjoy it the most. As society pushes us more and more to celebrate before Christmas, I think we can learn something by following Simeon and Anna. First prepare to celebrate (wait, pray, and fast), then celebrate when the time is right.

Keep waiting for Joy to the world,

Thomas More

[email protected]