The last two days we looked at what Christmas means to us, today is going to be different. Let’s see what God’s Word says:
We are going to look at a story today. The single word that could change your Christmas is found in this story in Luke 2, but you need some background.
This is a story some of you might be familiar with, others of you have totally overlooked this story before. Most of us have never heard this story told at Christmas, but today I hope you can listen and hear what God is saying. So the background to this story is Jesus has been born and is a few days old and his parents are going to take him to the temple to be dedicated. Now according to the Jewish Law(which can be found in Leviticus…a book in the Old Testament), the mother is unclean for a week after the baby is born, then on the eighth day the boy would be circumcised. The mother would then wait 33 days to go to be purified. During this time she could not go to the temple. This story takes place as she is going to the temple, so we know Jesus is around 40 days old and this is where our story starts:
Luke 2:22-24 “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 I want us really look at that last phrase….a pair of doves or two young pigeons. Now according to custom, after a birth the family would have to bring a year old lamb and a dove or a pigeon. Now the only way for Joseph and Mary to be able to bring two doves or pigeons was if they were poor. The Law stipulated if they could not afford a lamb then they could substitute another dove or pigeon. So since we see in this story they used two doves or pigeons, we know they were poor. Now for some of us we feel God can not relate to us. God is a King and Kings are not poor, right? But Jesus came in a lowly manner to a poor family. He knew what it was like to have to do without. He knew what it was like to be hungry. He knew what it was like to have a bad Christmas.
Maybe this is why Jesus was so adamant about helping those that were less fortunate, because he was those that were less fortunate. In Matthew Jesus says when you help the least of these you are helping him….maybe he understood what it felt like to be them. Can you relate to this? Do you feel something is wrong if you are not helping others? Just a thought.
Lets continue:
Luke 2:25-28 “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. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went to 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:
Now lets stop for a minute and look at this. Simeon was righteous and devout. The Holy Spirit told him he would see the Christ, so moved by the Spirit he went to the temple courts. Now typically the temple courts were crowded and I am sure there was more than one baby there. Now two things I find interesting. I am pretty sure Simeon did not know Joseph and Mary from Adam and Eve, but he obediently found them in a crowd of people and I bet that had to be interesting. Can you see an old man in a crowded area checking things out? I mean seriously, I wonder how many people went up to him to try to help him, but got told he was fine. Do you think he got a lot a of strange looks? People had to wonder who strange guy wandering around was? Then in walk Mary and Joseph and he eyes them from across the temple court, so he fights through the crowd to get them. Mary and Joseph look up to see this man coming at them and try to get out of the way, and then he stops and stares at the baby….then them….then the baby and he exclaims “He’s the one”, which is followed by a can I hold your baby? Now what were Mary and Joseph thinking? Hold my baby? How about you got 2 seconds to get away from my baby! But they let him hold the baby. The baby that Angels told you would be the Messiah. The baby that was to save the nations. The baby that was God. And listen to what he says when they give him the baby:
Luke 2:29-32 “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.”
Simeon confirmed to them that Jesus was the Messiah. Simeon reminded them of what he was sent to the world to do. WoW. Could you imagine how powerful this moment had to be to Joseph and Mary. But check this…..Simeon was ready to die. He saw what God had promised him he would see and he was ready to die. Simeon had the opportunity to do the one word that could change your Christmas from this point forward and was ready to die.
Now before I reveal to you that one word, I want to tell you the rest of this story: After giving the baby back Simeon blessed Mary and Joseph and told the that Jesus would cause the fall and rising of many in Israel and he would be spoken against and that they would be grieven also. Another prophetess who stayed at the temple day and night heard this and gave thanks to God and told others about the child. After the purification ceremony Joseph and Mary left to go home.
But now the one word. Are you ready for it? Tomorrow…until then Peace Out…
February 23, 2009
frankiecreel
