Advent - Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of my latest series, blogging through the 25 days of Advent with "Meet Him at the Manger" by Jill and Stuart Briscoe.

Today’s Scripture reading is Luke 2: 28 - 28 ...

Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 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, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” There was also Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 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.

One of the sad things I've noticed over the past year and a half (and there have been many!) is how many people have put their lives on hold ...

They talk about visiting their family "when the risk is less", or going back to church "when it's back to normal", or signing up for activities "when the lock down ends".

This isn't a new phenomenon though ... throughout the ages people have waited to be married before they move cities; then they waited until the children left home; and the next time you heard, they were waiting until they retired.

Or people have hoped for the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect situation, before they made the decision to act on their dreams or change their circumstances.

In this sense, waiting is a "tragic waste of time" (S & J Briscoe). People put their lives in a "holding pattern", not realizing that they're using up time and strength and resources going nowhere.

But in today’s passage of Scripture, we witness a different type of hoping and waiting in action ... Simeon and Anna have placed their hope in Something (and Someone) that cannot fail them - in the Promise and Person of Christ Jesus!

And another thing we see in the lives of these two prophets is that their waiting wasn't passive! They served while they waited and hoped, blessing their community with their prayers, their praises and their prophecies.

In the same way, as Believers, our seasons of waiting ought to be hope-filled and active.

To paraphrase a well-known Christian saying, while you're waiting for God to open the next door in your life, see if there's a floor to sweep or a window to clean in the hallway!

Because we know our hope in Christ cannot and will not disappoint us, we can wait and work joyfully and patiently for His perfect timing.