Christmas Memories: Waiting

Do you remember waiting for Christmas as a child?  Waiting with all your being, energy, excitement, and imagination? The anticipation was half the fun of the season!

What were we waiting for?  Well, admit it... every child waits for opening their gifts. And do you remember the joy of watching others open their gift from you?

We waited for celebrations. Caroling around town. The annual Christmas program at church.

Getting together with dozens of relatives and playing with some of my 32 cousins...

We waited in suspense for each night's installment of the advent book.

We waited for special foods, chocolates reserved only for Christmas, and sleeping on the living room floor around the Christmas tree.

Some years we just waited for snow. How could we have Christmas without snow?! (Yes, I'm a northerner.)

But none of us have waited as intensely for Christmas as did Simeon for the very first Christmas.

Who is Simeon, you ask? His ten verses of fame are found in Luke 2:25-35.

Yes, Simeon is part of the Christmas story.  He shows up 40 days after Jesus' birth, but we don't think of him nearly as often as we mention the "wise men," who likely showed up a while later than even Simeon. 

A couple of friends have brought this man back to my attention this year. One emailed how she providentially heard a meaningful sermon based on his life about "waiting for God to fulfill His promise."  Another wrote an advent devotional about Simeon and "seeing."

But it was the waiting that really struck me this year. So I've read several times through Simeon's little meeting with Jesus, picking up a few observations and half-baked thoughts.

- Simeon was righteous.

- He had faith. ("The righteous will live by faith." Romans 1:17)

- He was devout.  (Does anyone else like synonyms? These may be helpful: dedicated, committed, loyal, faithful, staunch, genuine, firm, steadfast, unwavering, sincere, wholehearted, enthusiastic, passionate, ardent, fervent...)

- Simeon was waiting for the "consolation of Israel." He and his people needed comforting. They needed understanding and healing.  They were living under the heel of enemies.  When would it end?


- God had given him a special promise - that he would see "the Lord's Christ" before he died. This may have been many years of waiting, since he feels he is finally ready to die when the promise has been fulfilled.

- God's Holy Spirit was "upon" him in a special way prior to Pentacost (Acts 2). And he obeyed the Spirit's leading. If he hadn't, he would have missed out on all he had been waiting for.

- Simeon believed what God told him, even when he had to wait on and on to see.

- His hope and trust and faith were fulfilled!

- He praised God aloud.

What are you waiting for?

Are you waiting for comfort? For healing -- physical, emotional, relational?

Your waiting is much harder than a child waiting for Christmas day.  Then you could count down the days with an advent calendar.  Twenty-five days may have seemed like forever, but at least there was a concrete end in sight. 

But that didn't really take faith.

Now you may wonder whether you will have to wait yet another year, or even another decade. There is no end in sight. 

This waiting takes faith.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  (Heb. 11:1)

Like Simeon, right?!

My friend's summary of the sermon she heard was encouraging to me. I hope it can be for you too, as you wait...

"GOD did not bring you through this much, or this far, to abandon you now. HE has a plan for you, and wants you to wait - in true faith and trust - as HE prepares you for HIS blessing that is sure to come.  To live in doubt and fear only blocks and delays this blessing..."

What promises have we been given? Many of them come to us by special revelation in the Bible. Will we believe what God has told us... and wait with our trust in Him?