“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” – Luke 2:29-32.
Ben Carson, a renowned neurosurgeon and author, experienced a singular moment in his youth that changed the direction of his life. He grew up in a poverty section of Detroit, Michigan. He struggled academically and was ridiculed by peers as the “dumbest kid in class.” His mother, who only had a third-grade education, decided to ban her kids from TV, start reading two library books a week, and write a report on them.
After reading a book on minerals, one of his teachers happened to hold up a rock and ask the class if anyone knew what it was. Ben immediately threw up his hand and correctly identified the rock. That moment of recognition and affirmation changed the direction of his life. He became a brilliant student, graduated from Yale, and became the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital at 33.
The singular moment when life changed for Simeon was when He correctly identified God’s anointed. This great, Spirit-filled declaration about Jesus was the outpouring of his hope and dreams promised by God. This was, for him, the experience of a lifetime and a gift from God that had eternal implications. This moment would define his future and ratify his whole life as he longed for God’s salvation.
This gift was the glory of His people, Israel, because He would save His people from their sins, but it was also for the world. His Son, Jesus, would be a light of revelation to the Gentiles, who would bring salvation through His suffering and death on the cross. His resurrection was another singular moment when God lifted His Son and declared salvation for a lost world. This was Simeon’s “Christmas celebration” because it was not just a celebration of a new life; it was a celebration that recognized the One who came to offer new life to all who would believe.
Simeon’s joy was unbounded and personal. He had seen the Lord’s salvation and could now depart in peace. His soul had been filled and satisfied because he saw the fulfillment of God’s promise. All this because, in a singular moment, God, in His sovereign purpose, brought Jesus’ family together with Simeon at just the right moment to declare His purpose in Christ.
Christmas is that singular moment that our Heavenly Father held up this precious gift of His Son for all to see, but few recognize it as His anointed gift to the world. This is His salvation, prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light to the Gentiles and the glory of His people, Israel.
If you have not yet recognized this eternal, precious gift the Lord has lifted high for all to see, I encourage you to take another look. In the busyness of the temple activity, only two people paused to celebrate God’s salvation. Today, many celebrate many things, but only a few truly recognize this precious gift God has held up for us to see.
In His grace,
Pastor Brad.
