Luke 2:33-38

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” 36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Christmas is often associated with waiting and as I sit here and write on the eve of Christmas I can’t help but think of all the boys and girls that are waiting. So let me ask you, “What are you waiting for this Christmas? Are you longing for anything? What are you expecting to receive? Are you looking forward to anything special this Christmas?”

In the Gospel of Luke, we come across two characters who make their appearance in the final acts of the Christmas drama. One is a man named Simeon; the other is a woman named Anna. They don’t appear in any nativity scenes or in many Christmas cards yet they were significant players in the first Christmas story. What they have in common is that both of them were waiting for something or should I say someone. Luke uses a Greek word of anticipation because they were waiting with expectation for the coming Messiah.  Simeon was waiting and Anna was looking forward to, they were alert and ready to welcome Him. Both of them were waiting for Jesus but for different reasons.

Simeon was waiting for Comfort

Simeon was a righteous and devout man who was waiting for the consolation of Israel. Things weren’t going well for the nation of Israel, they hadn’t heard from God for many years and were under Roman rule. They had lost their political independence and were living in fear of the capable, crafty, and cruel King Herod. Simeon’s expectation focused on the comfort that Christ would bring. The desire to be comforted is a universal human need. We all struggle with loneliness, emptiness, and insecurity, and the Christmas season is one of the major crisis times of the year for depression and suicide. The Holy Spirit prompted Simeon to go to the temple courts at just the right time on just the right day that Joseph and Mary were bringing Jesus to the Temple.

Simeon took Jesus in his arms and offered a prayer of praised to God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

When Simeon looked at the baby Jesus he knew that God’s promise had been kept. Here was Immanuel, “God With Us,” who through His comforting presence would eliminate rejection, fear, and loneliness.

Anna was waiting for Forgiveness

Anna after her husband had died dedicated herself to fasting and praying in the temple. It says that she never left the temple, but worshipped day and night. Anna was looking for forgiveness. Verse 38 says “Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” The word redemption is tied to the reality of captivity. The Old Testament Passover and the release of Israel from Egyptian slavery stood in Anna’s day as the ultimate redemption. It was the reminder of God’s power to release captives, but more importantly it pointed ahead to that day when God would provide deliverance from the slavery of sin. When Anna saw Jesus, she offered a prayer of thanks to God because here was the One who would save His people from their sins.

What are your prayers this Christmas, what are you waiting for? Some of us identify with Simeon we are hurting, lonely, empty, and afraid. We need a fresh sense of God’s presence, we need His comfort. Some of us identify more with Anna. May be you are plagued with guilt this Christmas because of the way you’ve been living, you feel trapped in a pattern of sin that you can’t break out of and you need His forgiveness. Whatever you are waiting for this Christmas become a:

• Marveler

Verse 33 says that Joseph and Mary marveled at what was said about Jesus, to marvel is to be filled with wonder, astonishment, and surprise. Have you been a marveler this Christmas, or are you too caught up in the busyness and stress of the season? Does the Christmas story still astonish you?

• Mover

Verse 27 says “Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts.” And verse 38 says “Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God” Both Simeon and Anna were movers, when the Holy Spirit prompted them to move, they didn’t sit still. I wonder what would have happened if they had not responded to God? Every one of the Christmas characters responded to the Spirit’s leading except Herod

• Messenger

Verse 38 “she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” God wants each one of us to become messengers of the Christmas story. There are many who are caught up in preparations for Christmas and their anticipation and longings really represent an inner search for comfort and forgiveness. This Christmas will you offer a prayer of praise and thanksgiving, will you share the gift that only the Messiah can provide to those who desperately need comfort and forgiveness?

Matthew 2:7-12

7Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” 9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Prayer should always affect the direction of our lives, when God reveals Himself we need to respond. One of the greatest Christmas responses is the account of the visit of the Wise Men from the East. This intriguing tale of strange men from some faraway land who brought Christmas presents to the baby Jesus is filled with mystery. Yet what we first see is that these men met God in the midst of their work as they were studying the heavens. Do you look for God to meet and communicate with you where you are?  There were probably others who noticed the star but they did not pay attention to it. For the wise men it wasn’t enough to see the star, they wanted to follow it to see the Savior. As God revealed Himself in the heavens it motivated them to make a treacherous journey across the desert. Christmas must always motivate us to go because when God has your attention you will followed His leading. They set off to worship the newborn king of the Jews, why, because following God’s leading leads to worship. What has your attention this Christmas, is it God? What are you following and where is it leading you? Is what you are following leading you to worship? At one point the star is no longer visible so the wise men stop and ask for directions. They are searching for a King so they stop to ask directions from a king. It’s interesting that the Magi had no trouble gaining an audience with King Herod, that fact alone shows us how important and distinguished they were. Herod wants to know why they were there and finds out that they have come to worship a new King.  He then wants to know where this threat to his throne was located because he was preoccupied with power, possessions, prestige, and with paranoia. Which begs the question whose kingdom are you concerned about? So he turns to the scribes and religious leaders for advice. He has only one question in verse 4: “Where is this child to be born? “The scribes don’t have to look it up. They already know the answer, 700 years earlier the prophet Micah in Micah 5:2 had predicted the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem. That was common knowledge in Israel, even little children learned that in school, but Herod didn’t know. If you add what the scribes knew to what the Wise Men figured out, you can conclude that the signs of Jesus’ coming were clear enough for anyone to see, God always speaks loud enough for a willing ear to hear. The Wise Men heard and did something; the religious scholars knew and did nothing. It’s not just about what you know it’s about how you will respond to what you know. As the Magi set out for Bethlehem, which was only five miles south of Jerusalem, the star they saw in the east suddenly reappears. Verse 9 is very specific, it says the star went on before them until it came and stood over the very home where the baby Jesus was. That doesn’t sound like a natural star. It sounds like God wants to guide and direct our lives.

Have you ever wondered why they weren’t disappointed when they finally found Jesus? Strange question I know, but He did not look like a king and His home did not look like a castle. He had no scepter in his hand, commanded no armies, gave no speeches, passed no laws. No royal decree came from his lips, there was nothing to make you think he was a King. To the outward eye, he was nothing but a peasant child born in dire poverty, yet to the Magi, he was a King. He possessed more royalty in a poor house than Herod had in a palace. They worshipped Him, that word literally means “to kiss toward,  to intensely adore.”  These educated and extremely intelligent men were not ashamed to fall on their faces before Him. What Herod craved, the child received. The first thing they gave was themselves in worship, before they gave what they had in their hands, they first gave their hearts to Jesus. They bowed down and worshipped and then they opened their treasures. God wants your life before He wants your gifts. Some of us are trying to give our gifts to God while we hold tightly to our lives.

Their journey didn’t conclude with the worship of Jesus because the worship of Jesus is the journey. When it was time to leave, look who they were following – God, He warned them and they listened to Him. Many of us make worship and prayer a destination when it’s really a journey. This journey forever changed their lives because they put commitment to their conviction, feet to their faith.  They didn’t just sit there staring out into the heavens, when they got their sign, they got going. Are you a seeker or a sitter?