On the Watch
We are now fully entrenched in the Christmas season. Our calendars are on the last page of the year, and the days are going by at a frightful speed. What a perfect time, then, to take a moment to breathe and focus on our reason for the Christmas season.
The Christmas season is anticipated by many people who will seemingly use any excuse to set up their tree and decorations early. Growing up, if our tree was ready by December 15, we thought that was early. Today, however, most of my friends are decorating by November 15 or earlier. And, if you go by Hobby Lobby’s calendar, October 15 is absolutely not too early to be thinking about all things Christmas.
I get it—the joy of seeing the twinkling lights, the beautiful decorations, and the extra whimsy and treasured traditions they represent brightens up the dull spots of an otherwise mundane existence. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. I feel like a kid now that I realize that waiting all year for Christmas to come gets only marginally easier as I get older.
In my book, Lord, I Want To See, I pose these questions for reflection and discussion: “What promises of God are you waiting on to be fulfilled in your life? For what are you, ‘On the watch?’ How are you spending your waiting time?” These questions follow a look at two obscure Bible characters: Simeon and Anna.
We are given only a brief introduction to each of them in Luke’s gospel on the day Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to be dedicated. Each of them was advanced in years and had been waiting, along with the nation of Israel, for God’s Messiah. Though generations of Jews had been waiting, it was Simeon and Anna who were there at the temple in Jerusalem that day. Furthermore, they were the only two people who recognized the infant Jesus as God’s promised Messiah. Because we have so little information about them, what Luke tells us about Simeon and Anna must be carefully weighed.
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 … Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in their child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God …. Luke 2:25-28 (NIV)
There was also a prophet, Anna … She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 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. Luke 2:36-38 (NIV)
Because of their close relationship with God, Simeon and Anna recognized Jesus as the promised Messiah as soon as they saw Him. Anna remained in God’s presence throughout the day and night, always praying and always praising. Simeon walked so closely with God that He was able to recognize and obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit to go to the temple. The years they themselves had spent waiting had been active years filled with scripture and prayer by which their hope was continually buoyed and never wavered. And when the time came, they were both in the right place at the right time to see and recognize their hope incarnate, the Hope of the World, God who was now with them: Immanuel.
I pray that this Christmas season will be a time of watchfulness, of anticipation, and of renewed hope for you. As you continue waiting and watching for God to fulfill His promises and purposes in your life, remember that you no longer have to wait for His presence. The fullness, hope, joy, and abundant life that accompany His presence are already ours. When it seems like you will have to wait forever to see God move in your life, remember that He is with you, He is your Immanuel. May the joy of Immanuel—God with us—settle deeply into your spirit and encourage you as you celebrate His birth.