OF GREATER WORTH

 

February 3, 2025

Hebrews 11:24-28 

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.


Many years ago, there was a song that was popular in Christian circles called "Ordinary People". Maybe some of you remember the song. Here are the opening lyrics:

Just ordinary People

God uses ordinary people

He chooses people just like me and you

who are willing to do what He commands

God uses people that will gave him all

No matter how small your all may seem to you

Because little becomes much 

as you place it in the masters hand.

This week we will be looking together at one of the most ordinary of people that God used in extraordinary ways, Moses.

In Moses’ story, we see him both refusing and choosing, refusing a false identity and choosing instead to live into his identity as one chosen by God. When we, like Moses, learn to live into your identity as a child of God, there is no limit to what God can do through us. If you’ve ever wondered if God could use you, this week our reflections will show you a resounding “YES”.

In verse 26 of Hebrews 11, we see that Moses considered doing God's will of greater value than all the riches and wealth of Egypt. Moses embraced a God honoring value system for his life and lived by it. Sure, if you know his story, you know that his values at times, cost him much, they came into conflict with the values of the society in which he lived. Here is the thing that stands out, Moses considered that what God had in store for him to be of greater worth than all else he could embrace.

Take a few moments today and answer this question:

What godly values have you established and committed to live by in your own life?

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

January 31, 2025

Deuteronomy 4:1, 6-7

4 Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.

6 Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” 7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?


God is calling us to join him where he is already at work. Being co-labors with God is acknowledging that God is in constant pursuit of humankind. That God, the creator, wants a deep and loving connection with the people he has made. The Bible in many places reminds us that God is Near, and not aloof from his creation. Psalm 139, for example instructs that there is nowhere we can go that God won’t be.

In the book of Deuteronomy there is a long, long speech that Moses is making to the people of Israel, not long before his death. These are his last words; they are the things he desperately wants Israel to remember. And one of those things is summed up beautifully in verse 7: "For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon Him?

In these verses, Moses is describing something the Israelites had that nobody else had, a God who was near to them, who cared about them, who took an active and ongoing part in their daily lives. Now, that wasn't the sort of thing Baal did, or Asherah, or any of the other so-called gods the Israelites had heard of! It isn't the sort of thing the Greek or Roman gods did either.

Moses reminds the Israelites of what the real God is like, someone who is holy, wise, just, and rational. Someone who actually cares for human beings, someone who doesn't have to be bribed to help, because He already loves us and wants the best for us. Moses wanted the people that he has led to remember, and by extention you and me to understand, that the Lord our God, is always near to us, and pays attention to our prayers and what is going on in our lives. 

The Old Testament people of God knew this God, because He had already come near to them to save them. He rescued them from slavery in Egypt, and split the Red Sea so they could walk to safety. He gave them His commandments on Mt. Sinai, and gave them food and water all the years they wandered in the desert. This God was near to them, and they knew His character, His personality. They knew they could trust Him.

And what about us? If God was near to the believers of Moses' day, how much more can we say that now that God has come in the flesh, "the word made flesh", incarnate in Jesus? The great, holy, all-wise God came down from heaven to become one of us, a true and authentic member of the human family. 

As one of us, He lived and served and healed and taught; and when the time came, He suffered and was nailed to a cross, all to redeem us, to save us, to bring us lost people to Himself. God came near to us and is with us forever, because Jesus is our Immanuel, "God with us."

You see, God doesn’t just meet us when we read Scripture or spend time with him in prayer or worship him in song, He is always with us. He is always available to us in our daily rhythms of life.

I pray that we will meet God today where he is already at work and may we know the comfort of his presence, and may we share something of his heart with the people around us who desperately need to know a God who passionately loves them and wants the best for them.

NOT ME SURELY!

 

January 30, 2025

2 Corinthians 4:7 

But we carry this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.



I was rereading the Moses story recently and One of the things I love most about Moses’ story is how ill-equipped he seemed to be for the task God called him to. By his own admission, he was slow in speech and tongue (Exodus 4:10-12), lacking the natural ability to speak articulately. And God was calling him to publicly speak with the Egyptian Pharoah on behalf of all Israel! 

Moses’ story is a great example of the truth of the well known saying, that "God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips those He calls." Moses begged God to send someone else, but through his weakness, God’s power was on display. We see that in Moses’ life, and I pray we see this in our lives too.

The Apostle Paul in our verse today encourages us to recognize that we carry a great treasure, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and God has specifically called us to share it, despite any misgivings we may have. Saying yes to God, saying yes to this call, means learning to step into His faithfulness along the journey. Remember, "God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips those He calls."

QUALITY and QUANTITY

 

January 29, 2025

John 2:6-10

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”They did so,


9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

John tells us that these six stone water jars held 20-30 gallons. So that means there must have been at least 150 gallons of wine! Enough for a wedding, and then some. That is abundance!

But there is more than that. This is the best of the best of the best. The steward says, “Everyone brings out the choice wines first and then when the guests have had too much he brings out the cheaper wines. But you have saved the best till now”. Here is quality and quantity!

The Bible says: “Things beyond our seeing, things beyond our imagining, things beyond our hearing … have all been prepared by God for those who love him”. The best he has kept for us.

The Apostle Paul wants us to see this generous heart of God and so he says God works in ways “above all we can imagine or ask” (Eph 3)… so he prays that we know ‘the height and length and breadth of the love of Christ”. Jesus himself speaks often about our generous God giving to us abundantly, “pressed down, shaken together, running over."

I was reading recently about a “box waller”, this was an individual that would go house to house in rural India, selling puffed rice. People would bring their containers to him so that he could fill them. But as he poured the cereal into the containers he banged the sides to make sure more cereal could fit in. As he shook and banged the sides the rice settled so yet more could go in. It was “pressed down, shaken together running over”.

That is Jesus’ picture of our generous God. I mean by any standard 150 gallons of wine is mega, mega abundance. It’s a sign of the way God acts. God is generous. God is Gracious. God is glorious. There we have the GLORY IN THE ABUNDANCE.

In the very ordinary things of life we need to know this is the way God works. God is in the business of taking ordinary things and ordinary people, and transforming them so we can know abundance.

IT'S DONE

January 28, 2025



John 2:5-10

“Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”




So we are considering the question in light of Jesus turning "water into wine", how does this sign or miracle show God’s glory? Yesterday we suggested that one way to answer that question was to see Glory in the Ordinary.


Today lets reflect on perhaps the most obvious theme GLORY IN THE TRANSFORMATION. Jesus transformed water into wine. It was a “creative act". Think about it, the whole process of wine making (planting, growing, ripening, harvesting, pressing) was squeezed  into a moment. In my view that is the ultimate picture of transformation! It is not the work of a magician, but the work of our Creator God. 

But that’s just surface meaning. (Remember “Signs’ point to a deeper meaning!) John says the transformation took place within pots used for ceremonial cleaning. The Jews were always washing hands, before a meal and between each course. They washed with their hands down, then with their hands up! Their religion demanded outward rituals which were onerous and tedious, and Jesus, and later on Paul, would called them empty practices, but not meaningless, as this pointed ahead to the coming of the Messiah when "newness" would be ushered in and the cleansing work would be completed.

So Jesus gives a sign of the transformation his ministry will bring. Some things will be made obsolete, some things will be made new. After all, the stone jars can no longer be used for ritual cleaning! They are filled with wine and useless for washing. The wine was God’s amazing gift of grace, and it has nothing to do with human effort or ritual. It is sign of the kingdom and its newness. Jesus was  demonstrating his glory in this transformation reality. 

We don’t have to “DO” rituals to be Right with God. He does it all for us, it is a gift, just as this wine was a gift. All this hints at what God is going to do through Jesus. Through Jesus’ work on the cross we are accepted as righteous. Jesus has done it all for us. 

Sometimes you will hear that there are two approaches to religion: It is either “Do” or “Done”! Someone reading this will be thinking of all the things they must DO to make themselves right with God. But this miracle is a sign that shows God’s glory, of transforming religion from Do… to Done. 

So think about that the next time you take communion. As you hold the bread and the wine say to yourself “It’s Done”! Jesus has taken my sin and has given me new life as a gift,  like that wine in our Gospel today!

ORDINARY THINGS

 

January 27, 2025

John 2:11

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him

A wedding and the wine was running out! This was a social disaster. For family reputation and honour it was vital that the host was seen to be a good and generous host. Weddings in the First Century were week long events to which the whole community was invited. Our gospel story tells us its day 3 and the wine was gone. Into this situation Jesus steps in and John says this first "Sign" (miracle) “revealed his glory”.

But here is a question: saving people from social embarrassment is kind and compassionate, but how does it show God’s glory? One would expect that the first "sign" of God's glory would be something magnificent that met a basic human need, like raising the dead (John 11) or feeding the hungry (John 6) or Healing a blind man (John 9).  "Signs" are a beacon in the Gospel of John indicating that we should look for more than just a surface meaning. 

Over the next few days I want to suggest three reasons why this miracle of changing water into wine reveals God’s glory and I also believe in this Bible passage we will see three aspects of Jesus ministry that demonstrate the way God usually works with us. 

First, lets look at the  GLORY IN THE ORDINARY.

Seeds of this idea are seen in the first chapter of John where we are told “In beginning was Word..” but then (in vs 14) we are told “The word became flesh” (Gk sarx) This is a very course, unflattering, earthy, ordinary word. This phrase the “word became flesh”, in a sense, sums up the Christmas story, this is John's Birth Narrative so to speak. Quite different from Matthew and Luke way of describing things. "The word became flesh”. 

When we think of the Jesus story, we notice that he was not born in a palace, the offspring of humans with royal blood, he does not have a proverbial “silver spoon” in his mouth. Instead he is born in a stable, his human parents are humble working people, and story of pregnancy by the Holy Spirit makes you wonder how many believed that explanation. I feel that Mary's pregnancy had a lot of suspicion, rumor and maybe shame in what many thought was an illegitimate birth! There is not much glory here! 

This first sign shows us the way God so often works, through the ordinary and unspectacular. After all, the place, Cana, is an obscure (ordinary) village a short walk out of Nazareth. The circumstance of the miracle is something haphazard and ordinary. Was the shortage a wine a case of bad planning? 

Yet in that ordinary place and in that ordinary circumstance Jesus makes a difference. Isn’t that fantastic?! That means that Jesus comes in the ordinary every-day aspects of our lives today. He comes in the ordinary joys. Jesus came to the fun and festivity of this wedding in Cana and makes it the "EVENT". Jesus, it seems, tells us to be of good cheer!

This also means that Jesus comes to us in our ordinary troubles too. If Jesus helped in the context of a social gathering where the wine ran out, we can expect him to be our help in our social and family life needs.

What I have discovered, I imagine you have as well, is that there is nothing too small for Jesus to care about, whether it is health issues, work problems or concerns about bringing up kids. God is the God of surprises, and his "GLORY" is revealed so often when we meet him in the very ordinary things of life.

I WILL BRING YOU HOME

January 24, 2025

Zephaniah 3:14-20


14 Sing, Daughter Zion;
shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
16 On that day
they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp.
17 The Lord your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”


18 “I will remove from you
all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
which is a burden and reproach for you.
19 At that time I will deal
with all who oppressed you.
I will rescue the lame;
I will gather the exiles.
I will give them praise and honor
in every land where they have suffered shame.
20 At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,”
says the Lord.

Zephaniah presnts a strong and forceful message in the final verses of his short prophecy: a song of abundant praise, God’s victorious presence, and the vanquishing of fear. It ends with a simple promise: I will bring you home.


What does “home” really mean? I often read in headlines, book titles, or on little wall hangings that we all long for home. Wallace Stegner's words that say "Home is a notion that only nations of the homeless fully appreciate and only the uprooted comprehend." or "Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home." (John Howard Payne) or the words of Madeleine L'Engle "We are all strangers in a strange land, longing for home."


For many today, “home” is about marking territory, distinguishing “ours” from “theirs.” From this mindset, strangers can threaten our sense of home, prompting us to push “them” out. I know that the causes of war are multi-leveled, still war can often boil down to disputed understandings of home: "who rightfully belongs on which land." We see examples of this today in our world. When there are rival claims to the same place, well the outcome is people feel they must fight for their home.


Another, understanding of "home" is one that is cozy. The thinking here is that home becomes a place where we retreat from the world’s chaos. Home is our familiar resting spot. Home is where we can shut out concerns beyond our own comfort. It is a place of tranquility, safety, and rest. As Maya Angelou put it, "the ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned."


In our reading today we read that Zechariah longs for a different kind of home from these. His is a "home" where outcasts find a welcome, a home where shame changes into praise. These other notions of home that we have mentioned, view "home" rather narrowly, home is only for the familiar, but Zechariah widens the welcome. It is beautiful isn't it? God gathers the rejected to find a home with each other.


You see, this is the kind of home we encounter wherever the Gospel of Jesus is proclaimed, heard, and lived out. The Gospel "good news" is that God welcomes us home by helping us find a home with others.


Thats sound teaching for our community of Jesus, well, all Jesus communities, don't you think. I wonder if perhaps the true test of home is whether we have helped make others welcome in our homes. God welcomes us home, we welcome others into our home space, and the amazing fruit of this is that all find their way home to God the waiting Father.


I pray that we will be known as a church that swings wide its doors, with the welcome Zephaniah longed for, where EVERYONE BELONGS!!

SAME MESSAGE, NEW ADDRESS

January 23. 2025

Philippians 1:9-10

9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

I am thankful, that in the Philippian letter we get to "eavesdrop" on Paul’s hopeful and optimistic prayer for the faith community and its leadership. It offers an opportunity to observe what concerns were of primary importance in heart and mind of the Apostle.


I want to remind us that when reading these verses, it’s important to remember who it was that received this letter. The recipients were individuals who were trying to figure out how to interact, solve problems, and be innovative. They were Community leaders, that did not have centuries of ecclesiastical or theological development to guide them, they had to navigate what it meant for new converts to be followers of the Jesus movement in a challenging Roman pluralistic society.


As I think about that context in Philippi, I cannot help but feel that this background serves as a reminder of the types of prayers that church communities need today.


Just as Paul prayed for the Philippian Church, asking that their love (agapē) would grow with knowledge and insight to determine what is best and produce a harvest of righteousness, these qualities are equally essential for us modern congregations (see verses 9-10).


Christian community today consists of real people, like you and me, followers of Jesus who are constantly navigating an ever-changing society. As we face these new realities, may we be accompanied by prayers for effectiveness, discernment, and above all, love.

THANK YOU for being a FRIEND

 

January 22, 2025

Philippians 1:3-5;7; 9-11

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ....

7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me....

9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

If you are an avid reader of the Apostle Paul’s letters in our New Testament you have no doubt observed that these letters often address controversies and disputes within the church. These letters aim to correct in adequate theologies or practices.


But Paul’s letter to the Philippians is different. Instead of addressing faulty teachings or practices, Paul writes to express his affection for the congregation in Philippi. Paul begins the letter by thanking the Philippians for the gift of their friendship, noting his prayers of joy, fond memories of their company, and their continued partnership in the work of the Gospel. Paul gives thanks for this congregation because it reminds him that he is not alone.


We should remember that Paul writes this letter to the Philippians while in prison in Rome. He is comforted by his friends in Philippi knowing they are with him in spirit, holding him in their hearts. Their friendship sustains him in his isolation.


Paul then turns his thoughts to love, hoping that the Philippians’ love might overflow in knowledge and insight; that their friendship might blossom in fullness, deepen understanding, and strengthen faith. What we see here is that Paul desires what is best for his friends. This is one of the true marks of friendship: to seek a friend’s well-being and to rejoice in their flourishing.


This passage of scripture prompted a few questions as I pondered it.

Have you given thanks for your friends?
Have you told them how much they mean to you?
Have you seen in their faces the face of Christ, who desires our flourishing?

The friendship, that the sisters and brothers of the Philippian congregation gave to Paul was a great gift indeed. The comfort he received from them kept him grounded in his calling and encouraged him to keep planting the seeds of the gospel. That the Apostle did not feeling alone in the work of Christ, but experienced from the Philippian believers, that they were in the work together. The love of Christian community does that.

Partnership in the Gospel

 

January 21, 2025

PHILIPPIANS 1:3-6

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Gratitude is a spiritual practice, and like all spiritual practices, it must be put into action. Simply put, gratitude must be practiced for us to receive its graces and gifts. 

Paul knew the spiritual practice of gratitude well. On more than one occasion, he wrote heartfelt letters thanking the communities that had supported his calling and missional goals and who were partners with him through the struggles and the joys of his ministry. 

Paul reminds the Christian community in Philippi that partnership in the gospel can never be a one-person job. It is challenging communal work. Paul would never have been able to carry out the work of the gospel without the support of his faith communities. This is why Paul begins his letter with a word of thanks, a thank you for the Philippians ongoing commitment to the gospel, which demonstrated by their daily practices of love and care for one another. 

This love, that Paul speaks of, is love that is extended as a daily practice of caring for the most vulnerable and those in need. Because of what Paul himself has witnessed in them, and what he personally had received from this community, his message to them is one of assurance. He reminds his dear fellow believers in Philippi that they are already living into the gospel. God is already doing great things through them, and God will continue to do great things. 

Paul’s hope and prayer is that this community, a community that he holds so close and dear, will continue to grow in the love of God, which Paul identifies as a knowledge and depth of insight. It is a knowledge of God that moves us into action. 

As Paul assures his friends, we are likewise assured that God began a good work in us, and God will continue to perfect, mold, strengthen, and equip us. The purifying grace of Jesus is displayed in our daily practices toward one another.

THE LIGHT OF GRACE

 

January 17, 2025

Matthew 2:34-35

34 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, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

In today's passage, we are told that Simeon was waiting for “the consolation of Israel,” in other words, meaning he was waiting for the Messiah, God’s anointed one. Matthew 2 tells us that Simeon wait was over when he saw the Messiah in the child Jesus before he died. 

Did you notice that Simeon doesn’t simply express joy and relief at this promise fulfilled. He also offers some unsettling news: this Messiah will cause strife and will himself endure suffering. Wow! Is this the consolation Simeon and others were waiting for? Is this the consolation we are waiting for? The gospel answers with a resounding yes! 

We are reminded, by Simeon's words that the birth of Jesus the Messiah, means the arrival of truth, the kind of truth that reveals the thoughts of our hearts and causes the mighty to fall, and as Jesus later would describe this great reversal, saying "the last will be first."  

Simeon is telling us precisely who Jesus is and what the nature of his kingdom will be. This is good news for the mending of our broken  world. Truth and justice will reign in the Kingdom of the Messiah. Overturning the "norms" of the Kingdoms of the world. Good News indeed. But, Simeon also understands that the coming of the Messiah is "bad" news for those who oppose his Kingdom way, there will be some unfavorable outcomes for those who resist God's truth, justice, and the world’s healing, for they will find that the consequences of resistance will be grave. 

Throughout the season of Advent, Christmastide, and now into Epiphany we have seen that Jesus, is the Messiah, Jesus is God's anointed one, Jesus is the light in this broken world, the light that exposes our evil thoughts and deeds. This revealing is not some heavy handed judgement, rather this light comes in love directing us toward life in all of its abundance just as the creator intended from the beginning.

Jesus was to say later in John's Gospel that: "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. (I think we have lots of examples of this in Scripture and in life, don't we?)  Jesus goes on and declares: But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. (John 3:19-21)

Don't miss that the Messiah's message is one of grace. Grace that works in our life, and brings transformation, change, healing, and redemption to all who call on Jesus, our Messiah's name. Grace, for Jesus our Messiah, does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. But this will require suffering for us, for as Jesus identified in Mark's Gospel, "The Son of Man comes not to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many." What an amazing gift for those who embrace the promises. Amen.

POWERFUL WITNESSES

 

January 16, 2025

LUKE 2:28-33

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.

LUKE 2:36-38

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 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.

At the heart of the Luke's Gospel narrative, with all the joy and wonder of the newborn King, we find a moving scene that illustrates for us, the enduring nature of faith. As we have read this week in Luke 2:22-40, we meet Simeon and Anna, two seniors who, guided by the Holy Spirit, eagerly awaited the Messiah’s arrival. What stands out about these two individuals is that their unwavering faith and steadfast hope serve as a powerful reminder of the strength found in trusting God’s promises.

Simeon, a righteous and devout man, was promised by God that he would not die before seeing the Lord’s Anointed. His life was marked by expectation, a constant yearning for the fulfillment of God’s word.

When he entered the temple that day and saw the child Jesus, he saw too, that long-awaited promise was fulfilled. Simeon with the infant in his arms, had this moment of profound spiritual insight (Revelation) that here was Israel’s long-awaited Savior. Simeon exclaimed, “Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” I find that Simeon’s words remind us of a deep conviction at the heart of the Christian faith. His life found its ultimate meaning in witnessing the fulfillment of God’s promise. After what must have seemed like an eternity of waiting. Simeon could finally conclude his life in peace, knowing his trust in God led him to the revelation of answered longing and prayer.

Anna, a widow and prophetess, also played a significant role in this sacred encounter. She had spent eighty-four years in the temple, serving God through fasting and prayer. Her life was characterized by spiritual discipline and deep devotion to God. When she sees the child, like Simeon, her experience of revelation results in Anna immediately proclaiming the Messiah's arrival to all who were waiting for Jerusalem’s redemption. It appears that she wasted no time in spreading the news of that God's anointed, the Messiah had arrived.

I believe, the stories of Simeon and Anna offer valuable lessons about the enduring nature of faith. Their unwavering trust in God’s promises, despite the passage of time and the challenges they faced, serves as a powerful inspiration for us today. Their lives remind us that faith is not a fleeting emotion but a disciplined life of service, sustained by a deep conviction in God’s faithfulness rather than our immediate circumstances. (Go back and read that sentence again)

True, we live our lives in a world often marked by periods of uncertainty and doubt, the example of Simeon and Anna provides for us a bright light of hope. Their unwavering faith in God’s promises reminds us that our ultimate fulfillment lies in Him, as well. Like Simeon, may we long for the fulfillment of God’s plan in our own lives. Like Anna, may we dedicate ourselves to serving God with unwavering devotion.

I pray, that their example may encourage us to live with relentless hope, knowing that God’s promises are sure and His love endures forever.

GETTING THE STORY RIGHT

 

January 15, 2025

LUKE 2:22-40 

22 When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”, 24 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.”

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 on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 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, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:


29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 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, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 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.

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

Luke's reading above focuses on the testimony of two figures in the gospel: Anna and Simeon. 

Nowhere else in the New Testament are they mentioned, as they disappear from Luke’s account after meeting Jesus and his family.

As we noted yesterday, Anna and Simeon are devout, spending much of their time in and around the temple, longing for Israel’s consolation and redemption. Beyond these few details, little is known about them. 

Yet, despite their limited presence, Anna and Simeon stand large in their understanding of the significance of the small child Jesus. Their reactions are striking,  Simeon takes Jesus in his arms and breaks out into song, declaring Jesus as light to the Gentiles and glory for Israel.

Anna, upon seeing Jesus, praises God and begins to tell others who long for redemption about the child’s importance. 

These two characters are among the first proclaimers of the Gospel in Luke’s story.  What makes Anna and Simeon stand out is that the major characters of the gospel, the disciples, religious leaders, and Roman powers, typically misunderstand Jesus. We know that some of them will even deny, betray, and crucify him. 

In Luke’s gospel story, Anna and Simeon are the ones who get the story right. This is a recurring theme in scripture, the "big stars" the major characters seem to miss the point of what God is doing, but the "bit part", the minor characters, like Simeon and Anna, seem to have the insight that we all need to understand.