Coffeeville First Baptist Church by Craig Baker

By Marie | December 24, 2024 |

We have one more song to consider this morning. That song is the 4th and final song in our Songs of Christmas study, The Song of Simeon. We may not use the term, but most of us have what is called a bucket list. It is a list of things we want to do or see or experience before we “kick the bucket.” Things on our bucket list could be somewhat simple things that could easily be checked off our list if we just do them. Other bucket list items may be much more difficult and complex to achieve and would require significant resources and planning, so we realize these are items we will likely never check off our list. This week, we meet a man named Simeon who had something on his bucket list that I cannot help but wonder if perhaps at times he doubted whether he would be able to check it off his list. You see, on Simeon’s bucket list was seeing the promised Messiah. It was something that many faithful Jews had longed to do for generations. Yet, as we come to New Testament times, centuries had passed and many Jews had gone to the grave with their longing for the Messiah unfulfilled, but all that was about to change. In Luke 2:21-24, we are told of some things that took place in the weeks after Jesus was born. On the eighth day, the day of circumcision, Jesus was given His name according to the angel’s instructions. This would have taken place in Bethlehem. Forty days after childbirth Joseph and Mary travelled to the temple in Jerusalem with Jesus. Jewish law required them to perform the purification ritual for Mary. It also required them to consecrate their firstborn to the Lord and give an offering to the Lord. Luke records that Joseph and Mary brought a pair of turtle doves and two young pigeons as their offering. This gives us a glimpse into their financial situation. The Levitical Law states that for the purification a woman was to bring a lamb and a pigeon. However, if she could not afford a lamb, she could bring two doves and two pigeons. This made it possible for even the poorest among them to obey the law. I have shared with you before that the Temple was an extremely busy place. When it came to fulfilling many of the ritual obligations, Jews were expected to go to the Temple. Most days there would have been people in and out of the temple with their various offerings in tow. Among this mass of people, there would not have been any reason for Joseph and Mary with their baby and four small birds to stand out; they would have just been one of many such families. In fact, no one would have even noticed them or even cared that they were there. No one that is except a man named Simeon. It was while Joseph and Mary were at the temple to fulfill their ritual obligations that Simeon entered the story. We do not know a whole lot about Simeon. Some believe he may have been a priest, but we are not told that he was. We can guess that Simeon was probably advanced in years, but other than that all we know for sure about Simeon is what Luke 2:26-27 tells us, and that is Simeon was a just and devout man who had been told by the Spirit that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. While we have no idea who Simeon was or what he looked like, when I picture Simeon in my mind, I picture an elderly man, though not feeble, with a long gray beard and hair to match who has lived much passed what was expected of men in his time. He has seen many of his close family and friends pass before him, and for some time he has been ready for his final day to come. Surely, at his age that day was drawing near. However, he had been given a promise and not just any promise, a promise from the Lord that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. So, I imagine every day Simeon made his way to the Temple, the place he believed he was most likely to encounter the Messiah. There he watched and waited as people came and went, wondering if that day was the day the Messiah would come. We are not told whether Simeon was not told anything about the Messiah, what he would look like or how old he would be, so Simeon may not have even known for sure who he was looking for. Day after day, week after week, month after month, perhaps year after year passed. Yet, Simeon’s promise and longing to see the Messiah remained unfulfilled. Then one day things seemed a little different. On this day, it is the Spirit who drove Simeon to the Temple. I picture Simeon entering the temple as he always did, only this time there is a bit more excitement and anticipation in the air. He scoured the crowd, still not exactly sure who he was looking for. Could the Messiah be that unfamiliar man across the way or one of the unusual young men gathered at the gate? I wonder if such thoughts and questions rushed through Simeon’s mind as he made his way through the crowd. And then it happened, I picture Simeon stepping through a break in the crowd, and there before him stood an unassuming couple with their baby. No one else even gave them a second glance, but instantly Simeon knew. He knew the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world, was before him. Can you imagine how Simeon must have felt at that moment? Verse 28 tells us Simeon took the child in his arms and blessed God. That song of praise from Simeon is the last of the original songs of Christmas. As he beheld the Christ child the longing of Simeon’s heart was completed. The promise of the Messiah was fulfilled. As he looked with amazement at the child in his arms, Simeon essentially cried out, “Lord, you have fulfilled my greatest hope. I have seen your Messiah. Now I can die in peace!” Though Jesus was only a baby, a mere 40 days old, Simeon knew that the child he held in his arms was not just the fulfillment of the Spirit’s promise to him, but the fulfillment of all God’s promises. Simeon knew that the child he held in his arms, Jesus, the Son of God, meant hope, peace, joy, and love had come into the world for all people. I pray you know the hope, peace, joy, and love of Jesus this Christmas.

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