Witnesses to the Messiah’s Arrival: Simeon and Anna
Read: Luke 2:25-39
“Yes! I finally got it!”
Christmas morning brings lots of glee—kids tearing the paper off of gifts and squealing with delight at what’s inside. Can you remember a Christmas morning when you ripped open a gift that you had been waiting years for? And have you ever thought, This gift completes my life?
Simeon was a faithful, devout man who had waited a long time for his own big gift. You see, God made a promise to him: Simeon would not die until he met the long-promised Messiah.
As the years slipped by, he probably met many firstborn male children visiting the temple. But when Joseph and Mary arrived with Jesus, Simeon knew right away that this boy was special. Imagine Simeon’s joy when he saw that little boy, knowing God had kept His promise, and that here at last was the Messiah the Jews had been waiting for.
A prophet at the temple named Anna shared Simeon’s excitement. The woman was an older widow and had also waited for years to be given a gift.
Perhaps she exclaimed, “This is the child who will redeem Israel. Praise be to the Lord!”
Reflect
Among the gifts and parties and activities of Christmas, do you stop to recognize the significance of Christ’s birth? Would you echo Simeon’s words, that Jesus completes your life?
Pray about It
Thank God for the reality of a Savior, that He fulfilled His promise to send a Rescuer who has the power to take away the burden of our sinful choices.