Simeon took [the child Jesus] in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:28-32, NRSV)
(Read Luke 2:22-38 for the whole story)
Can you imagine a Christmas season that lasted 80 years?
This Christmas season has left me with an appreciation for Simeon and Anna. Both of these devout people had been waiting their whole lives for Christmas. Anna had been waiting 80 years “looking for the redemption of Jerusalem” (v. 38). We don’t know Simeon’s age, but the context of the passage suggests that he was an old man as well. He had been “looking forward to the consolation of Israel” (v. 25) his whole life. They have been looking for God’s deliverer, God’s anointed one, God’s Messiah for decades. And both of them recognize in Jesus that God’s Messiah has arrived! Though their season of waiting had been long, each responded in the same way. They gave God praise for what God had done. The powers of their perception were pretty remarkable. Because what did they see really?
On the surface Simeon and Anna saw a very young baby boy, brought to them by devout parents. They would have seen a road-weary family fulfilling their obligations according to Jewish law. Every male child was treated in the very same way. Nothing would have necessarily distinguished them from any other devout family.
Seeing beyond the surface to the presence of God in things is a great challenge of the spiritual life. A common proverb of our culture is “Seeing is believing.” We depend on the concrete. We rely on fact and reason. We put stock in the values, attitudes, and wisdom of contemporary culture. This can dull our perception of a timeless God acting in unique ways to redeem us in our skeptical, broken world. Our vision for God’s presence can become impaired by the fatigue, temptations, distractions, and anxieties of our lives. It’s difficult to praise God when we don’t perceive God’s presence and action.
I think we get to a place of praising God now, and throughout the year, when we operate on Simeon and Anna’s principle of looking for God’s presence. They believed in God’s salvation, so they were able to see more than the obvious. They recognized God’s active presence in the world. With their attitude of watching, they understood the tremendous significance of the baby Jesus. This enabled them to immediately respond by blessing and praising God.
When we are looking for God’s consolation…
when we are looking for God’s redemption…
when we are looking for God’s presence…
God appears even in the most unlikely of places!
May you see many opportunities to celebrate God’s presence in the coming year!
