December 3
“Simeon,” by Rev. Corey Howard
Luke 2:25-35: “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 on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah…. 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”
I really like Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus. He gives us so much backstory and pulls in relatives and strangers to give us a great picture of the birth of this Child. We get to see the parallels in the birth of John and Jesus, we see the extended family preparing for these children, we see Mary’s transition from fear to excitement.
And we see Simeon. He’s an interesting character. The story tells us he was a good guy, righteous and devout. He had been eagerly awaiting this child’s birth. And after all that waiting, he finally gets to see Jesus. Now, I imagine this would be a pretty joyous occasion. He is clued in that this child Jesus is going to be a big deal. The Messiah, even. He knows this. But what does he tell Mary? Reading over what he said, I think it is safe to say that Simeon maybe wasn’t the best guy for breaking the news. I’m guessing he wasn’t a spokesperson by trade. Instead of “oohing and ahhing” over the new baby like most people are prone to do, he gives Mary some unsettling news. He essentially says “Hey, um, Mary… your child is, well, he’s going to do some amazing things, but some people aren’t really going to like him and it’s going to end badly for you.” Um… thanks?
I wonder how Mary reacted. Scripture doesn’t tell us. When we think about the ordeal Mary had already endured up to that point- getting pregnant without being married (by God, no less), social stigma, trying to figure out if Joseph was going to leave her, dealing with divine visitors, etc., I wonder if she just let it slide, rolling with the punches. Given how crazy her life had recently become, it was probably just another day in the crazy life she was living. Maybe she was just so excited and focused on this new child that it didn’t bother her.
Maybe that’s how we should be. Despite the crazy circumstances we face, the busy-ness of our lives, the problems and troubles and hurdles, despite all those things, perhaps we need to remain focused on the Advent season and the celebration of this Christ child. Perhaps we need to bask in the excitement and celebration of the Messiah. Mary’s life was completely changed by this Child. May ours be as well.
“God, may we remain focused on the beauty and celebration of this Advent season and the coming of the Christ child. Help us to ignore potential distractions and focus on the wonder that you would dwell among us, our Immanuel.”
