Waiting for Christmas

When our kids were growing up we had an odd Christmas tradition.  We had "Surprise Christmas".  Any time in December, whenever we had purchased all the kids presents, we could open them.  This was because the kids had a hard time waiting for Christmas.  Well, that might not be all together true.  It was Tanya.  No, the truth is I didn't see any need for wasting any good playing time.  Waiting has always been a little hard for me.

 

So, the sermon this morning is for me.  I am going to talk about waiting on Christmas.  You may listen along if you wish. 

 

In the Gospel of Luke, we come across two characters who make their appearance in the final acts of the Christmas drama.  One is a man named Simeon; the other is a woman named Anna.  They don’t appear in any nativity scenes or on many Christmas cards, but they are important to me, because they were able to wait.   They were waiting for Christmas. 

 

Let's begin with Simeon.

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We are introduced to Simeon in Luke 2.

 

Luke 2:21-25  On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.  When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"), 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." 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 upon him.

 

Joseph and Mary were following all of the Old Testament laws found in Leviticus 12.  8 days after Jesus was born they had Jesus circumcised and named him Jesus.  They followed the instructions for circumcision, the mother's purification and the offerings for the first born son.  As Joseph and Mary are following these instructions Jesus is 40 days old.  He was just a little older than Taylor Jo.  Mary was baptized to make her clean and two pigeons were offered as a sacrifice for the Jesus as their first born son.  As devout Jews they did all the Law of Moses required of them on having a baby.

 

While they are at the Temple making these offerings they run into Simeon. 

 

The Bible says, Simeon is righteous and devout and the Holy Spirit is on him.  I like this guy already.  Luke tells us he is waiting for the consolation of Israel.  What does that mean? 

 

The Greek word is para,klhsij paraklesis {par-ak'-lay-sis} Sound familiar?  The comforter?  Simeon was waiting for the one who would bring comfort to Israel.  Things weren’t going real well for the nation of Israel.  They hadn’t heard from God in many years.  They were under Roman rule.  They had lost their political independence and were living in fear under the rule of the cruel King Herod the Great.  Like many in Israel, Simon was anxious for the Messiah who would bring this comfort to his people. 

Luke 2:26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

Simeon had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he saw the Messiah.  Simeon was waiting on Christmas!  He was waiting on the consolation.  He was waiting on Jesus. 

 

Luke 2:27-35 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, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:  "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.  For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."  The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him.  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, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.  And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

The Holy Spirit prompted Simeon to go to the temple courts at just the right time, on just the right day, just when Joseph and Mary were bringing their infant to the Temple.  When Simeon looked at the baby Jesus, he knew God had kept his promise.  Here was the light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of Israel!  Then he turns to Mary and speaks a scary prophesy; a sword will pierce your soul.  But let's not talk about that part of the story this morning. 

 

Here is the point; Simeon was waiting on Christmas and God fulfilled his promise to see the Messiah.

 

Now let's look at the second person who is waiting on Christmas. 

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Luke 2:36-38 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.  She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,  and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.  She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.  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.

 

Anna was also waiting on Christmas.  After her husband had died, she had dedicated herself to fasting and praying in the temple.  In fact, the Bible says that she never left the temple ­ but worshipped day and night.  How do you even do that?  Israelite girls married young.  She may have been a waiting something like 60 years. 

She was looking forward to the same person as Simeon was, but, instead of looking for the comfort of Israel, Anna was looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

 

The word redemption is related to the idea of slavery.  Just as Israel was redeemed from Egyptian slavery, she was waiting for her people to be redeemed from the oppression of the Romans.  But the redemption that came from Jesus was even bigger than that.  Jesus brought redemption for the whole world. 

So, when Anna saw baby Jesus, she thanked to God and spoke of Him to all who were waiting for redemption.  Here, at last, was the One who was the redeemer.

 

Anna waited for Christmas and rejoiced in it.

 

Let's take these two stories and bring them to the end of 2010 and my problem.  What is my problem?

I have a hard time waiting on Christmas.

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Here is where it gets interesting.  Luke uses the same Greek word to describe both Simeon and Anna's waiting. 

 

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 upon him.

 

Luke 2:38  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 Greek word carries with it the idea of anticipation, the idea of anxiously awaiting.  It means they watched to welcome his coming.  These two, Simeon and Anna, weren't just waiting, like I wait; with grumbling and whining.  "Come on.  What's taking so long?"  It was more like the kids are sitting around the Christmas tree on Surprise Christmas morning, waiting on Tanya to get come downstairs so we can get started.  It is anxious excitement.  It is joy!

 

These two were waiting, with excited joy, for Christmas.

 

Here is my question.  How, in the world, were they able to do this?  Simeon and Anna had waited most of their long lives for this moment.  How could they wait? 

 

To me it is really hard to deal with a God who has no sense of time.  How can you be patient with a God who not only is apart from time, but, really doesn't even think about what time it is?  How do you work with a God who has no sense of time? 

 

Often times we end up waiting on something important.  When I was younger I had to wait on getting out of school.  Sometimes we have to wait on getting a job.  I know a couple of are waiting to get married.  There are times in our lives when we are called to wait for that big event.  How do you wait?

 

But there are other times when you seem to be stuck waiting for God to move in your life.  What is the next thing you want me to do?  How can I serve you?  Where do you want me?  What is going on?  How do you wait?

 

Sometimes we are waiting on healing.  Healing physically.  Healing emotionally.  Healing spiritually.  Healing in relationships.  Sometimes we are called to wait on other people.  Relationships often time call upon waiting.  How long are we supposed to wait?  What do we do?  How do you wait for what is broken to be fixed?

 

We, like Simeon and Anna, are waiting on Jesus.  We are waiting on Christmas.  We are waiting on the comforter and the redeemer to come?  Sometimes he is as slow as Christmas. 

 

Here is the question I want to ask, for me.  How do you wait?  How do I do what Simeon did?  How do you go all your life, like Anna, waiting for Christmas?

 

Perhaps we need to go back to Simeon and Anna's story and look for some clues.  What can I learn from their story? 

 

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The answer has to begin with assuming God has a plan.  You can only wait, joyously, if you have faith that there really is a plan in place.  Simeon knew God was sending the Messiah and he was going to get to see him before he died.  Why was he excited?  He knew the Messiah was coming soon.  In order to wait anxiously, we have to assume God knows what he is doing and he is doing something. 

 

Ah ha; I get it.  Have a little faith… in the plans of God.

 

Let's keep looking.

 

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I think we have to get to the point where we realize God has his own time.  As I said earlier, this is the hard part.  We must get comfortable with a God who really has no sense of time.  The one who is the Ancient of Days, who is and was and always shall be, is not too sympathetic to the immediacy we feel.  "Hey, just get on with it."  God, who has a plan, knows when all the components are supposed to get together. 

 

Mary and Joseph and Jesus and Simeon and Anna all converge at the same place, at the same time, for all this to work.  That is how God works.  All the pieces plug together in his own time.

 

It takes a little faith… to wait on the Lord.

 

I'm getting it; God's plan, God's time; what else.

 

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Simeon was waiting on Christmas.  Anna has been hanging out at the Temple for 60 years.  But the real story is not about either of them.  They are minor characters in the bigger story.  The story is about Jesus.  Even Mary and Joseph are just minor characters in this drama.  We must adopt that mindset.  It may not be about me at all.  My part in the Plan, which happens in God's time, may be about someone else all together.  You may only be there to give that word of encouragement, like Anna.  You may be there to remind someone else of his or her role.  Simeon spoke those scary words to Mary to prepare her. 

 

It takes a little faith… to know God may be using you in some small way. 

 

Okay, I get it.  It is God's plan.  It is God's time.  It may not be about me.  But that doesn't help very much.  What am I supposed to do while I am waiting for Christmas?

 

Let's move to the real point of this sermon. 

 

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What did Simeon and Anna do while they waited?  They worshipped!  Simeon was this devout man who praised God.  Anna never left the temple night or day.  They praised God while they waited.

 

Worship while you wait.  Doesn't that have the ring of truth about it?  While we wait on God's time, to do God's plan, whatever that may be, we spend our time worshipping.  I might add, instead of whining.  It is not whine while you wait.  It is worship while you wait.

 

While we are waiting on the next big event, we worship!  While we are waiting on what to do next; we worship.  While we are waiting on healing; we worship.  What do you suppose happens to the heart which is worshipping while it waits?  Don't you suppose, that the faith which is required to trust…  God has a plan, which may not even be about you, which is done in God's own time; that faith is strengthened with worship?  "Worship while I wait."  What better way to pass the time while waiting on Christmas.  As I wait 13 more days till Christmas, I'm going to spend that time worshipping the God.


Los Alamos Church of Christ

December 12, 2010