God With Us / Based on Luke 2:22-40 and Galatians 4:4-7 / Delivered on December 31, 2017 to CCH

God With Us / Based on Luke 2:22-40 and Galatians 4:4-7 / Delivered on December 31, 2017 to CCH

Hymns:  O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

              Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

              Blessed Assurance

Luke 2:22-40

2:22 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

2:23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"),

2:24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."

2:25 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.

2:26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.

2:27 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,

2:28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

2:29 "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word;

2:30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,

2:31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

2:32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

2:33 And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.

2:34 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

2:35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed--and a sword will pierce your own soul too."

2:36 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,

2:37 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.

2:38 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.

2:39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

2:40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Good morning and Happy New Year to you!  My name is Darci Strutt McQuiston.  I am a Lay Servant from the United Methodist Church up on the hill.  I’m happy to celebrate this first Sunday after Christmas with you.

 

I’m leaning heavily on the scripture from Luke that I’ve already read, but I will be reading a short section from Galatians that is also assigned to this Sunday.  The three ideas I plan to touch on from these scriptures are:

To desire

To listen and act

To believe

To desire

Scripture had promised from the beginning that there would be a redeemer.  It was promised from the first introduction of sin while Adam and Eve were in the garden. 

Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.

The scripture from Isaiah we hear at Christmas is:

Isa 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel

Isa 9:6  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Immanuel means God with us.

Our two main characters from the passage spoke of this desire.

2:25 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.

Verse 38 includes Anna speaking about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.  That tells us many had the desire.

They both knew of the promise of God and had let that desire take hold within their lives.  They had claimed the promise as their own.  Because of the Holy Spirit’s leading Simeon lived in expectation it would be fulfilled in his lifetime.  I believe they both lived with a strong knowing that they would see this promise fulfilled.  Their desire for the promise aligned their will with the will of God.

To Listen and Act

Simeon and Anna also paid attention to the Holy Spirit within them.

2:26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.

2:27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple

Anna was named as a prophet in our scripture.  She listened to God’s voice and taught what she learned.  She came “at that moment” because of an inner knowing the time had been fulfilled.

The Holy Spirit can guide and teach but it takes our willingness to listen and act on that communication to have the desire fulfilled.  Simeon listened to the Spirit’s guidance.  God didn’t lay Jesus in his lap in his home.  He needed to meet him in the temple.  They both arrived at the meeting place in the right time because of their ability to listen and act.

To Believe

They not only lived in expectation of their desire being met and listened to the leading of the Holy Spirit, but they also believed the fulfillment of the promise when it came.  They recognized their desire had been answered by God.

2:28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

2:29 "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word;

2:30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,

2:31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

2:32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

Anna praised God and began to teach everyone that was there.  Her prophet’s heart knew this child was the desire fulfilled.

Simeon and Anna aligned their desire to the promise of Jesus.  We can take it one step further after His coming.  Here is the short passage from Paul’s letter to the Galatians which is assigned to this Sunday.

Galatians 4:4-7

4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law,

4:5 in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.

4:6 And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

4:7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

God sent his son.  He is Immanuel – God with us.

As we start this new year many of us have resolutions; things we want to improve in our lives.  One I tend to add is to grow in my faith and relationship with God.  The example of Simeon reminded me of the importance of aligning my will with God’s will for my life.

God does not go against our free will.  Step one is to claim the promise and desire it to be fulfilled in your life.  In that way you align your will to the will of God.  Simeon took the promise he would see Jesus before he died and desired it. 

The verses from Galatians are life changing if we take them seriously.

4:7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

This is a verse we can claim.  It is God’s will that I call him Daddy.  It is his will that we love each other as closely as a parent and a child.  To claim that relationship I will set my desire in alignment of that promise.   

Simeon called Jesus, “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.”  It is this light of revelation that will help us realize who we truly are.  There are times I feel I keep my eyes tightly closed in fear of this light.  What will it change if I truly accept and believe that I am fully a child of God?  That fear may keep me from the promise.  It is important to trust in faith, put fear aside, and firmly desire the outcome.

Next is to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit and act on that inner knowing.  It was that leading that brought Simeon and Anna into the temple.  Verse 6 of Galatians tells us the Spirit of Christ is already within our hearts, crying “Abba!  Father!”  That tells me there is already a voice within me that has accepted the promise that I am God’s child.  I need to take time to be still and listen.  Rev. Dawn, from the UMC, wrote an article for the paper this past week.  In it she spoke of setting aside 15 minutes each morning to read scripture and listen for the leading of the Holy Spirit.  This daily ritual of listening strengthens her in times of struggle and helps her stay connected during times of joy.  I know in my heart it would do the same for me.

The final step Simeon demonstrated was accepting and believing the promise had been realized.  The Holy Spirit is within us to remind us who we are.  He is our guide to help open our eyes to the light of revelation.  My prayer for each of us is we can fully embrace that Christ came to be God with us, Immanuel, and through his light of revelation accept who we truly are; sons and daughters of God.  The promise has been fulfilled!

I wish you blessings as we continue the journey together into 2018!  Happy New Year!

Amen