Simeon’s Song – Luke 2:21-32

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Good morning. Merry Christmas. Today's reading is from the Gospel of Luke, starting in chapter two, verse 21, and it's on page 1028 in your pew bibles.

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. When the time came for the purification rites required by the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord, every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the law of the Lord. Pair of doves or two young pigeons. Now, there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon who was righteous and devout.

He was waiting for the consolation of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him, it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the law required, 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 marvelled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed him 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. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

I think there are some sheets if younger people would like to use them at all. I think that's the case. If you would like one. And I've got some crate. There are some colouring sticks and crayons at the back if you want those.

There's various things so that you don't get too bored by this old man talking at the front. Okay, are we all ready? I'll just wait for a minute.

So, a prayer before we start.

Heavenly Father, may the words of my mouth and the thoughts of our hearts be acceptable in your sight. Amen.

So we're looking at the song of Simeon now as we come to a new year. I wonder what it is that you are longing for in 2025. It's perfectly natural to long for personal comfort and well being for ourselves and for our families and friends. To long for them and ourselves to be removed from difficulties, trials, pain and suffering and opposition.

But I wonder what it is that you are longing to see happen or you are longing to do in your lifetime before you die, to use a modern expression. What is it that's on your bucket list? What is it? Now, it's fitting that I'm talking about an old man, because as I get older, my experience has led me to recognise that the most important things, for me anyway, in my life are the relationships I have with people, friends and family.

And the things that I regret are the things that I failed to do when the chance was open to me. And by that I mean the times I've failed to tell people what they mean to me. And I've lost the chance because they've passed away before I've said it.

As you go through life, you lose good work colleagues, you lose family members, you lose close friends, and it's not telling them what was on my heart about them that I regret now. Simeon was an old man and he was longing for something. We're told he was a devout and righteous man. He carefully and fastidiously adhered to the law of Moses, and he was eagerly awaiting the coming Messiah. But he lived in Jerusalem at a time when many people had lost hope of ever seeing the Messiah.

And many of those who still longed for the Messiah had a hope that was based on their own ideas of how the Messiah was going to rescue them from oppression. It wasn't based on what God had revealed to them through the prophets about the Messiah. But Simeon's hope was founded in God's word, because we're told Simeon was yearning for the consolation of Israel. Consolation is a word that means comfort received by a person after a loss or failure. It's the action by someone else of making the consequences of that loss, that suffering, that that trouble, or those shortcomings less severe, and by so doing, offering new strength and hope to the individual.

And that phrase, the consolation of Israel was another name for the Messiah. And it comes primarily for a prophecy of Isaiah found in chapter 42. Comfort, comfort, my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.

The comfort here is akin to putting your arms around a child to tell them that you still love them and care for them in spite of what they've done that's upset you.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Cry to her that her warfare is ended. This doesn't mean the end of warfare between nations. It's talking about the warfare between them and God.

Israel's defiance of God and failure to live in relationship with him had been forgiven. It could be forgiven. God still loves them and God will give them more than they could possibly hope for. The Messiah wasn't going to save Israel by overthrowing the Roman invaders and turning Israel into a superpower. The Messiah was going to be the means by which their broken relationship with God was healed.

Earlier, the song of the angels to the shepherds said, peace on earth. It's not peace from earthly warfare, it's peace with God. In John 14:27, Jesus said this to his peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Now, people who refuse to recognise Jesus are dependent on worldly methods to find their peace. They tend to depend on themselves or the resources that are available around them to try and go through life feeling relatively at ease and reasonably comfortable and secure.

However, those who acknowledge Jesus can find a peace that isn't found in the world. It comes from God. Now, earthly peace depends on your circumstances and your ability to live by the standards and acquire the things that the world deems to be valuable. But godly peace refuses to let external circumstances and shifting standards define your worth.

Instead, godly peace promotes your unique identity and inherent value to God. The Messiah wasn't coming to make everyone's life easy and trouble free. The Messiah was coming to broke a peace and reconciliation between every human being and God. And in so doing them doing so enabled them to receive more from God than they could possibly imagine.

Now the Holy Spirit was upon Simeon and had told him that he wouldn't die until he'd seen the Lord's Messiah.

Forty days after giving birth, Mary was no longer ceremonially unclean and could now enter the temple to dedicate her firstborn son to God and offer a purification sacrifice as decreed by the law of Moses.

Now, the sacrifice that Joseph and Mary made tell us that they weren't a well off couple. They were indeed quite poor. But it was at this particular point that the Holy Spirit prompted Simeon to enter the temple. And it was the Holy Spirit that enabled him to look at that baby in Mary's arms and to see and foretell what that infant was going to accomplish in his earthly lifetime. And Simeon took the baby in his arms and praised God and declared, lord, now let your servant die in peace as you Promised.

I have seen your salvation.

Just imagine for a moment the furore, the uproar that that would have caused in the temple. Here is Simeon publicly proclaiming that this baby, the son of a poor couple from an insignificant town in the north, somewhere in the back of beyond, was the Messiah. It wasn't at all what your average Jewish person in the temple was expecting the Messiah to be. And then it got worse because Simeon says this Messiah was to be the light to the Gentiles. Hang on a minute.

The Messiah was meant to be the Saviour of the people of Israel, and yet Simeon pronounces that he will show all people the way to salvation.

Everyone is going to be able to be saved by Him.

What would have been unthinkable to most of the Jews, hearing Simeon is a blessing to us, it really is tidings of comfort and joy. You see, the Jews knew about God. They knew he wanted them to live in relationship with Him. But they chose many of them to ignore what God desired of them. Gentiles, however, non Jewish people, didn't know about God.

Now, if you remain ignorant of something, if you remain uninformed about something, if you haven't got a clue what's going on, you're said to be left in the dark. There's a period in history called the Dark Ages. It's called that because historians haven't got a clue what went on in it. The Dark Ages. And in John chapter one, right at the beginning of John's Gospel, he says this, and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Being in the dark doesn't mean you're an evil person. Being in the dark doesn't mean you're living wrongly. It means you don't know about God and how he intended you to live in relationship with Him. And that's why God sent His Son into the world. You see, light makes us see things differently.

And when the dawn comes, we begin to see the barriers that are between us and God. And when the sun is fully up and the light shines, we can find a way around those barriers to remain in relationship with God.

Jesus is the light which shows us the way to be in relationship with God. Jesus is the one who makes it possible for us to comprehend our inherent value to God. Jesus is the one who enables our failures and shortcomings to be pardoned. Jesus is the one able to comfort us when we turn to Him. Jesus is the one who enables us to receive far more from God than we thought possible.

Simeon said this child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be spoken against. You see, those who recognise Jesus and just lay aside their sense of self importance, self belief and welcome him into their lives and accept God's grace through him will rise simply through faith in Jesus. Salvation is ours and we receive eternal life.

But those who embrace the salvation that he offers will also develop hearts that that are humble with a longing to serve God.

However, those who turn their back on Jesus just reveal proud and pompous hearts who don't see the worth of God. And Simeon warns that such people will fall.

Now, sadly, you're one or the other type of person. There's no sitting on the fence, there's no neutral position with regard to Jesus. You either accept his free gift of salvation or you reject it and walk away from him. But it's only, it's only when you recognise the salvation that Jesus has to offer that like Simeon, you can die in peace. Don't end your life regretting something you failed to do when you had the chance.

Turn back to Christ and let him through the Holy Spirit show you the benefits of living your life in relationship with God.

It's never too late to accept the gift that Jesus offers. This Christmas. Jesus salvation is the best present you can unwrap. But hang on a minute. Living in any relationship means you have to adapt to each other's needs.

And this is just as true with our relationship with God. So if you unwrapped Jesus present of salvation years ago and have been a practising Christian, and I use the word practising, practising in the real sense of the word, trying to get better practising Christian. I want to ask you this. Have you regularly downloaded the latest updates sent to you by the Holy Spirit or are you ignoring them?

Simeon longed to see the Messiah before he died. Are you longing to walk with the Messiah in relationship with him through 2025? And if you are, will you be like Simeon and declare the truth of who Jesus is in the face of derision?

The peace of God which passeth all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thank you, Neil. We're going to stand and praise God for being the light to the nations, the Gentiles as we sing. Hope of the nations, Jesus Hope of the nations Jesus Comfort for all who mourn. You are the source of heaven's hope on earth.

Jesus Light in the darkness Jesus Truth in each circumstance. Circumstance. You are the source of heaven's light on earth. In history you lived and died. You broke the chains.

You rose to light. You are the father living in us. You are the rock in whom we trust. You are the light shining for all the world to see.

You all swallow day conquering fear. Our prince of peace drawing us near. Jesus our hope living for all who will receive.

Lord, we believe Jesus.