Wednesday, December 30, 2015

We have been considering in recent visits how people responded to truth revealed during the first Christmas 2000 years ago. Two individuals who didn’t go to Bethlehem to find out what was taking place were Simeon and Anna, mentioned in Luke 2:25-38. Maybe the news hadn’t reached them yet. But they were so in touch with God they just waited for God to bring His promised Son to them at His appointed time. The Holy Spirit told Simeon “he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” When Joseph and Mary brought baby Jesus to the temple the Holy Spirit prompted Simeon to go there and when he saw Him he took Him in his arms and praised God. Then he prophesied about Him to his parents. Anna lived so close to God she just knew who the baby was that Joseph and Mary brought into the temple. “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 expectations of Simeon and Anna were so in tune with God that God brought Jesus to them, and the moment they saw Him they knew instinctively this was the One! Their response seemed so natural. They weren’t surprised. They expected this visitation. Their response of worship and sharing was so spontaneous and authentic. They present a picture of what Paul meant when he wrote in Galatians 5:25 about living by the Spirit and keeping in step with the Spirit. They lived in the freedom, power and confidence that is the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit. For them Christmas was an every-day experience.