Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Luke 2:25-35
Christmas 2021: 25 Songs of the Season are a collection of 25 Christmas songs, hand-picked by me, for your enjoyment this season!
This is the final Advent reading from the Meet Him At The Manger series – Joy Is Jesus
As you read along with her (if you are also listening to Jill Briscoe’s reading) and you get to her poem, try substituting the word “love” for the word “joy”. YES! This is the love I have spent the month discovering. It is impossible to define God’s love for us or put it in a neat and tidy, finite box to be easily understood – which may be why I have struggled with it, it is too big to be limited to what I can understand. I have discovered that something this infinite can only be accepted and embraced, and can only be returned within my limits rather than “ounce for ounce”. That’s what I discovered about God’s love this Advent season, and in going forward with this new understanding I feel confident in His love for me.
God gives his word and keeps his promises. I am sure Simeone could not wait for God’s promise to him to become reality. And, it did.
I read an ebook that I finished on Christmas Eve, it also mentioned Simeon’s role…God’s promises never fail!