A 90-year-old man moseyed his way slowly down the road to his neighbor’s house. He had come to congratulate them on the birth of their new baby. Charles Eliot, president emeritus of Harvard, not only wanted to be neighborly, he also asked if he could hold their newborn infant.
After a few minutes of peering into an adorable chubby-cheeked face, he returned the baby and explained, “I’ve been looking at the end of life for so long that I wanted to look for a few moments at its beginning.”
Shortly after the birth of Jesus, we read in the Bible about a man named Simeon. The Holy Spirit had made it clear that Simeon would not taste death before he had seen the newborn Jesus. No doubt, this filled him with great hope. Prompted by the Holy Spirit, he went to the temple courts at just the right time, on the exact day that Joseph and Mary were bringing the infant Jesus to the Temple.
When Simeon held the baby Jesus, he knew God kept his promise. Here was God Immanuel, “God with us,” to make everything right, to deliver salvation and eliminate loneliness, fear and hopelessness. He took him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
Now that he had seen the Savior, he was ready to die. In this season, when we celebrate the birth of Christ, we celebrate that hope indeed has been born, and revealed to all people.
I invite you to worship with us at FaithPoint to celebrate!
With the Joy of Christ,
Pastor Steve Trewartha
Christmas Services:
Tuesday, December 23: 7:00pm
Wednesday, December 24: 3:00 pm & 5:00 pm
Livestream at 3:00 pm on Dec. 24
All services with Holy Communion and candlelight
