Waiting
Daily readings
11/29: Matt. 3
11/30: Isa. 7:10-17
12/01: Isa. 43:1-21
12/02: 2 Pet. 3:11-14
12/03: Matt. 24:36-44
12/04: Jer. 33:14-16
12/05: Luke 2:21-38
Devotion
Luke 2:21-38
And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 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. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so 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, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
In this story two people meet Jesus who have been waiting for him for a long time. They show us what hope-filled waiting looks like. It is certain and they were confident; they were patient and devoted; they were eager with anticipation. Let’s look at each of these briefly.
Confident and certain
They were confident in the certainty of their hope. This means that their kind of hope is not the same kind we commonly talk about. When we say “I hope ___ will happen” it’s a kind of uncertain wish. But biblical hope is confident certainty in the faithfulness of our good God.
patient and devoted
They prayed and worshipped and waited patiently. They knew that God’s timing is perfect so they could be at peace even through long lives of looking forward to the fulfillment of God’s promises. They devoted themselves to serving and worshipping God in the meantime.
eager with anticipation
They expected great things from God. They did not hedge their bets or try to protect their reputation (or God’s) by not expecting too much from him. They were filled with joy as they looked to what God was going to do.
The greatness of their hope (and ours)
They also showed us what we are waiting for “my eyes have seen your salvation.” (v.30) We should feel their great joy of consummated waiting knowing that, though we did not have to wait for Jesus to come, there were many who did and as Jesus said “many longed to see the things you have seen” (Matt.13:17) We are in a privileged position that we should not take for granted, but instead rejoice with Simeon and Anna in the consummation of their waiting.
But though Our savior has come, he will come again and for that coming we wait. We wait the way this man and woman waited, with prayerful, patient pleading; with eager anticipation; with devoted worship; and with confident expectation.
Reflective Questions:
Am I waiting on God? What does my waiting look like?
Do I look to God’s guidance, wisdom and perspective first through prayer and scripture? Or do I look somewhere else?
Am I confident in God’s faithfulness to the point of bringing my heart peace and joy?
Family Activity
Supplies: GINGERBREAD HOUSE SUPPLIES/POP TARTS (they are already iced!)
Many people had been waiting for the Savior, (Simeon, Anna) they had been waiting for what they were confident was coming. Children can relate to this as they know Christmas is coming (and all the presents). As children are anxiously waiting Christmas morning, help them to see waiting for the Savior was even more exciting than Christmas morning presents. In they same way that children are confident that Christmas morning will come will come, God’s people were confident that a Savior would come.
Decorate a gingerbread/pop tart house as we prepare for Christmas and anticipate what we KNOW is coming!