Willing to Wait
For most, the Christmas season quickly fills up with events, parties, special things like parades and visits to Santa. For children (and some tall children) it's tough to wait for the presents to present themselves. I so enjoy this time of year, and I'm sure many of you do as well. I also love revisiting the various vignettes of the cast who populate the story of nativity.
Two weeks ago we imagined the innkeeper (who a past-pastor friend reminded me is NOT in the gospels) with the young couple, and last week we explored some thoughts about the shepherds who came to visit the new baby and parents. This week, how about letting our wondering wander one more time along these lines? What might be learned from an old guy, waiting. His name was Simeon and his is a story of the value of long obedience in a single direction.
Listen to a slice of the story from Luke 2:
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 can let your bond-servant depart in peace, according to your word; For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples...."
In the midst of a spiritually unremarkable time in their nation, here stood a strong and determined person of faith. Simeon shines out hope in a dark time. Tradition holds that he was over 100 when he met the young family, who came to the temple to present their first-born and offer a poor-man's sacrifice to God.
Imagine this old man, who felt he had been given a promise by God that he would not die before he saw the Messiah. Can you see him? Most every day, Simeon, leaning on his cane, tottered through the crowds looking, searching, hoping that today would be the day. Each evening, sitting in his home, he likely battled discouragement and may have questioned the promise by which he set his compass. We don't know how long he has been waiting, but each day, he rose to his quest afresh. Simeon looked, and waited, fully convinced in God's word to him.
In Luke's telling, Simeon is sketched with a four-fold description:
Righteous = He knew what was right and bent his life to truth
Devout = He worked to daily integrate what he knew with how he lived
Looking/waiting = He kept at it with positive perseverance
Filled with the Holy Spirit = He sang in tune with God's music
Now, try to capture his heart on that normal day when he did a double-take, then a triple as he latched eyes on Jesus, being carried by Joseph with Mary close beside. It's not spelled out how he knew, but he knew! Watch him now bustle and apologize his way through the crowds in the temple area, making a beeline to the boy, never taking his eyes off them. He gets a cautious nod from Joseph and takes Jesus into his arms, legs weak with excitement and panting with relieved joy. Looking deeply into the infant's eyes his voice raises and sings out his praises to God. His dream's fulfillment lay in his arms.
Simeon waited and counted on his God to deliver on the promise. Simeon got up each day and faithfully did what he did, all the while looking. He did not count delay as denial. Simeon did not hear, "No" but "Not yet." So, he practiced a long obedience in a single direction.
What can we learn from this old man? How about taking his life-labels on for ourselves:
That we grow in righteousness as we bend our will and life to what we learn as true in Jesus.
Then, in the midst of our messy lives, devoutly live out a Jesus-life, being positive and doing good to our neighbors.
And we hang in there for the long haul, getting up each day and choosing to follow just one more time.
Then we will be in tune with God's music and find our place in the choir.
For me, mostly, the Simeon lesson is to never give up, but keep showing up, just like Jesus did for us. Advent calls to us to prepare and to wait. We develop our spiritual muscles along the paths of preparation, and then we stay sharp and stay put, rising every day, always being positive and doing good and never calling it quits.
This Christmas week, let's be a Simeon and be on the lookout for Jesus in the crowd. He's here among us. In the meantime, keep showing up.
Hooray for Simeon!!!
Now, one more week of Christmas music...
...and a funny for the climb
A little turtle begins to climb a tree slowly.
After long hours of effort, he reaches the top, jumps into the air waving his front legs, until he crashes heavily into the ground with a hard knock on his shell.
After recovering his consciousness, he starts to climb the tree again, jumps again, and knocks the ground heavily again.
The little turtle persisted again and again while a couple of birds sitting at the edge of a branch, watched the turtle with pain.
Suddenly the female bird says to the male...
"Dear, I think it's time to tell our little turtle he's adopted."
