A Wish Fulfilled
Luke 2:22-40
What would you like to witness before you die?
Photo of Costa Rica taken this morning
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him 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.” And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him. - Luke 2:22-40
Here we have two old people nearing the end of their mortal lives, and they both can now go in peace, because they have seen the child who will redeem the world.
What a gift God has given them.
What is it we wish to see before we leave this world?
Luke gives us a picture of two people: a man guided by the Spirit to come to the Temple to see Jesus, and a woman who lived in the Temple since her husband died.
Both were of great faith and believed strongly in the coming of the Messiah, yet probably never expected to be witnesses to the child’s arrival.
Luke doesn’t tell us anything else about these two or about the childhood of Jesus. This is a moment in time, memorialized for us to ponder as the year comes to an end.
What are we hoping for? What will allow us to go home fulfilled?
No doubt each of us has a wish, some unfinished business, or some hoped-for event we want to live long enough to experience.
What if today is the day we get to experience that? What if we can end this day happy and fulfilled?
Sometimes we know what that thing is, but sometimes we don’t.
Simeon was promised he would see the Messiah, but the woman was not. For her, it was a joy and a blessing she had not expected. She had given up wanting anything more from this life. She was devoted to prayer and praising God.
The gift we seek may be within our reach, and yet the gift we receive may not even be what we think we are looking for.
When we devote our lives to God, He surprises us with wishes fulfilled in unexpected ways.
This is what the new year can bring for all of us.
More to come...