The Opportunity of Christmas

It is great to be with you today. My name is Valerie. I know for some of us, the 26 simply means we're just rolling out of church into the next Christmas with the other part of the family. Or for some of you, you're watching on the live stream and you're just at home surveying the carnage, wondering what happened. And where is that one gift that I hid and I have never been able to find it.

For some of you, you might just be breathing a sigh of relief like, "It's over. I made it. I did it. I survived that family visit. Or I survived the disappointment. Or I survived the loneliness." Whatever, however you landed at church today, even if you are here against your will, I am glad that you are here.

Shadow and Light is the name of the series we've been in for this Christmas season. I'm going to wrap it up today. And I want to show you a picture that's connected to my favorite Christmas story. Now, technically, my favorite Christmas story happens 40 days after Jesus was born. But I'm still going to take it as a Christmas story. I love the way the artist, Ron DiCiani, imagined this biblical moment. What puts that kind of joy on someone's face?

Well, I want to tell you a story from the book of Luke 2. Jesus is 40 days old now. How big is a 40-day-old baby? Any kids know? Any kids have a 40-day-old baby in their lives? They're about that big. Jesus is 40 days old now. And Mary and Joseph are still in Bethlehem. Maybe the innkeepers found a room for them. Maybe they're still in the stable. But at this point, the shepherds are gone. The angels are gone. And it's just the quiet, normal chaos of a newborn baby.

Kids, how many of you have a newborn baby in your house? Are they loud? They're kind of loud, aren't they? They're a little chaotic. And for Mary and Joseph, the routine had started to set in. The sleep deprivation had started to set in, trying to figure out what does that cry mean? What does Jesus need in that moment? How can such a little human cause so much chaos for adults? I don't know, but they do every time. It's very good that God has made them cute. That's all I have to say.

And like all new parents, Mary and Joseph keep trying to figure it out. And they don't know everything, but they do know this. 40 days means it's time to go to the temple. It's time to go to the temple to make an offering to consecrate Jesus and for Mary to do her purification rites. So, once again, they get on that donkey and they set off. It's six miles to Jerusalem and they're going along and they have two doves with them as an offering.

And we know that this is the offering of a poor family because the Bible says that in this moment you're supposed to bring an offering of a lamb and a dove. But even in the ritual, there's grace and there's allowance for in their poverty. They can bring two doves or even two pigeons. So here they go. Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and two doves, and they trek to Jerusalem and they get to the city. They make their way up to the temple and as they get to the temple, they meet one of my favorite characters in the whole Bible, Simeon.

And we don't know a whole lot about Simeon, but we know that Simeon was waiting and waiting and waiting for the consolation, for the comfort, for the rescue of Israel. And we know that Simeon was devout. And we know that Simeon listened to God that day when that little still small voice of God's spirit said, "Go to the temple." Simeon went to the temple.

And so there they all are. Mary and Joseph are walking in, holding Jesus, and they've got their doves, and I imagine that Simeon sees them and he just gasps. This is it. This is it. This is the Messiah. Everybody else just sees a poor family with a baby and two doves. And what Simeon sees is the Savior. What he sees is that his wait is finally over and Simeon just takes the baby.

Can you imagine? Mary and Joseph don't know this guy. And here he just comes and he takes the baby and he says this blessing, a blessing that makes me just love this passage. And one of the things he says is, "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you can now dismiss your servant in peace." Basically he says, "I can die happy. I have seen the Messiah, the promised one, this little baby, God with us, which you have prepared for everybody."

Simeon's one of the first people to understand that Jesus is for everyone. He's for the Savior of the world. And I imagine Mary and Joseph are still kind of stunned. This guy took their baby, they're standing there and they're just taking this all in. And suddenly Simeon's words kind of take a turn and he looks at them and he says, "You know what? The life of this baby is not going to be easy. This is not going to be an easy life. He's going to be a dividing line between people. People are not going to be neutral on Jesus."

And Simeon tells Mary, "This is going to be extra hard on you, Mary. His life and his death is going to be like a sword that goes right through your soul." I mean, there's a description of parenting for you. And as Mary and Joseph are absorbing all of this and continuing to take it in, slowly joining this scene is the prophet Anna. And the Bible tells us that Anna is 84 years old.

Kids, do you know anybody who's in their 80s? Are your parents in their 80s maybe? I don't know. I don't know. But this Anna in the Bible is 84 years old. And Anna's coming up on the scene and I imagine that she starts walking more quickly as she realizes, "Oh, I know who this is too. This is the Messiah." And Anna comes up and she lands on the scene and she just starts thanking God, thanking God again and again.

And then she starts telling everybody, just like the shepherds did, "The redemption of Israel is here. The Savior has been born." And just as quickly as this scene unfolded, it folds right back up again. And Anna and Simeon just kind of fade into the pages of the Bible. And Mary and Joseph and Jesus take their two doves and do what they need to do with the temple. And the whole thing just kind of fades to black for 12 years.

And I just love this story. It's a story we don't hear a lot. Some of you may have never heard that story before. But it's fresh and every time I read it, I just gain something new from this story. And this week as I was reading the passage again and again and just soaking in what was happening in the scene at the temple, I realized something that had not struck me before.

And there's a big idea that I want to share with you today. And it's just simply this, that obedience leads to opportunity. Obedience leads to opportunity. Simeon, Mary, Joseph, Anna, they all obeyed and they had these incredible opportunities unfold before them.

And you may have come in the door today feeling like, "Oh, Val, my opportunities are G-O-N-E gone. They are over. I'm too old. I'm too young. I've messed up too many times." Or you may be feeling like Mary and Joseph and kind of just uncertain, like, "I don't know exactly what's going on right now. Things are different than I thought." Or maybe you're feeling like Simeon and you're just waiting.

Like Miss Yolanda talked about, kids, you were waiting and waiting for Christmas. Well, sometimes when you get older, you have to really wait and wait on a lot of things and it can get tough. Or maybe today you're just feeling kind of what I call the garden variety chaos of life right now. I don't know about you, but my Christmas plans were upended a little bit by COVID. You know, we thought you were going to be here this long. You're leaving there. You know, all those things. There's COVID chaos. There's financial chaos. You may just feel all of that swirling right now.

But what do you do in that chaos? What did Mary and Joseph and Simeon do in their chaos? They obeyed the word of God. When life gets chaotic, when the world is changing and shifting under your feet, start with obedience to God's word. Start with obedience to God's word. It's what kicks off this whole story.

Mary and Joseph don't know much, but they know it's day 40. They know the Jewish law. They know it's time to go to the temple. And so even in their two-dove poverty, they obey and they go to the temple. This picture that I showed you at the beginning that I just love, that's the look of the joy of obedience right there. Obedience to God's word, to that still small voice, to God's spirit. On that day when God said, "Go to the temple," Simeon went and his life's greatest prayer was answered.

And these opportunities aren't flashy. They didn't gain great wealth or influence for Simeon or Anna or Mary or Joseph. But what's great about these three opportunities that come from obedience is there are three opportunities that you and I have today. There are three opportunities that come to you and I when we follow God's word.

And the first thing that I see flowing from obedience in this passage is the opportunity for blessing. The opportunity for blessing. And this takes us back to Simeon. You know, imagine if Simeon had heard that still small voice of God's spirit saying, "Go to the temple, Simeon." And he had thought, "Oh my goodness, I just cannot get to the temple today. I went yesterday. I'm busy today. I got stuff to do. You know what, God? I'll go to the temple tomorrow. I'll just go tomorrow." No. He didn't do that.

And the opportunity for blessing, the blessing of his lifetime and the opportunity to be a blessing were amazing. Look at his beautiful response again starting in verse 29. "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, non-Jewish people, and the glory of your people Israel." And it says, "The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him." Jesus.

I mean, I'm sure they did. People say a lot of sweet things about babies, but that is not typically what we say about children when we see them. And Simeon blessed them. Imagine the impact of those words on Mary and Joseph's heart. Again, it's been 40 days since the shepherd and angel extravaganza happened. It's been even longer since Mary and Joseph were each visited by their own angel. And the words that Simeon speaks reassure them.

They remind them of who this child really is, of who this baby is, and what joy flows from obedience for Simeon. And you know, like Simeon, you and I have opportunities every single day to be a blessing, to listen to that still small voice of God, directing us and guiding us. And you know, it takes, we have to pause. We have to be willing to listen, to stop, to obey.

But you never know when the word that you say or write or text to somebody is going to be the thing that gives them the hope to go forward. You never know when that word that you give is going to be just the reassurance that person needed that day that God sees them. Your obedience can provide the opportunity for you to be a blessing. And let me tell you, that is a great way to spend your life, no matter how big or busy or small or narrow your world may feel right now.

To be a blessing is one of the greatest ways to spend your life. And when you obey and you have that opportunity to be a blessing, and then very often like Simeon, you are richly blessed in return. And second, the opportunity I see here is the opportunity for truth. Obedience leads to an opportunity for truth. And I tell you, truth is wonderful. And I kind of feel like truth is a little bit in rare supply nowadays.

I feel like we're surrounded by half-truths. We're surrounded by no-truth. We're surrounded by networks with three letters, four letters, however many letters you want. And they're all telling us stuff. And it doesn't always feel very true, does it? But truth can be such a blessing, even when it's hard. Going on in this passage, after Simeon has spoken this blessing, he says, "This child is destined to cause the falling and the rising of many of Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." And to Mary, he says, "And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

And this truth is exactly what happened in Jesus' ministry. When he launched God's upside-down kingdom, those that the world thought were fabulous and great began to fall, and the poor, the marginalized, the poor in spirit began to rise. And rarely have truer words ever been spoken, I think, than the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. We can't be neutral on Jesus, folks. When the truth comes, the thoughts of many hearts are revealed.

I feel like that might be the summary of the last 22 months that we've all just lived through. The thoughts of many hearts have been revealed. And when Simeon says, "Mary, a sword is going to pierce your own soul too," I mean, those are words you are not going to see on any Hallmark card immediately. Congratulations to the new parents. A sword is going to pierce your own heart too. But you know what? Even when it's hard hearing truth, truth that comes from God's Word spoken to you, it is a blessing.

And truth is an opportunity that flows from obedience. You may not like it. I am sure Mary was not super stoked on the whole sword-piercing-my-soul truth, but grapple with it. Don't just throw it out because you don't like it or it feels off-brand with our culture. God can handle your questions. God can handle your grappling with all of this stuff. Don't miss the opportunity to take that journey with truth because you will find on this path Jesus, the Jesus who loves you so very much.

And the third thing that I say in this passage that I think is a great opportunity is the opportunity for gratitude. The opportunity for gratitude. And now we go to the woman who I want to be like when I grow up, and that's Anna. Eighty-four years old and I just love this woman. It says when she was coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God. That's her response.

She gave thanks to God and then she spoke about the child to all who are looking forward to the redemption of Israel or Jerusalem. She's immediately thankful and I love that because what a way to respond to life with gratitude. She sees something and she's grateful and then she shares that gratitude with other people. And this is something we really have an opportunity to do every day and that's respond with gratitude.

Every day we are faced with a zillion little situations where there's a fork in the road where we get to choose. Will I respond with gratitude or will I just look away from this moment in whatever in numbness and busyness and whatever life brings to us. I am telling you gratitude will change your life. I am not kidding. It will change your life. Gratitude just shifts your spirit. It reminds you when you are thankful you're reminded, oh there's a God. Oh there's a God to be grateful to. I'm grateful to God.

It reminds you I'm not in charge. It reminds you that God is providing for you and you know what gratitude creates generosity. It creates a generosity with your words. It creates a generosity in your spirit. Grateful people are very rarely stingy people. I don't know actually any grateful people who are stingy. Gratitude can have such a domino effect. Give thanks to God and then be like Anna. Spread that good word all around.

And again we get to the end of this little scene in the Bible and Luke bookends it with obedience again. As far as we know Simeon and Anna Simeon gives Jesus back to the parents. They walk away. Mary and Joseph finish out the Bible says all the requirements that the law had for him. They just keep obeying. They just keep doing the next step.

But I imagine I kind of think about that donkey ride back. You know Mary and Joseph are talking. Then it gets quiet for a little bit but they're taking in. They're remembering all the blessing. The truth. The gratitude everything that they witnessed that came as a result of that one little step of obedience that they started with. And it's the same for you and I today.

You know often in our exhaustion in our confusion. Sometimes even in our numbness and our disillusionment. We wonder what's God up to. Let me just tell you that God is still at work and often seeing that work just starts with one simple step of obedience like it did for Simeon. Like it did for Mary. Like it did for Joseph. And remember Simeon's look of joy. That great look of joy. Guess what. You can have that too. Because God is still keeping his promises.

Obedience to God's word still leads to that kind of joy. Even now. And I don't know where you are in life right now. You might be struggling to follow God to obey God in a big way. Maybe you feel like you're at a very big crossroads and you know that you should go this way. You really like what's over this way and you're having a struggle. Or maybe you're just struggling to follow God in a little thing that just keeps nipping at your heels.

Maybe it's a little habit or it's anger or it's something an attitude that just keeps getting at you and you just can't quite shake it. But you know what. That little baby that we celebrated yesterday that we sung about this morning. That little baby the Messiah the Savior of the world grew up and was perfectly obedient to his heavenly Father. So obedient that the Bible tells us he was willing to even die on a cross for you and for me so that we could be empowered to follow him and to obey.

I'm not up here today to tell you be better. Be better. Obey Jesus now. Do it by yourself. I'm up here to tell you today that you have a savior. The Messiah who loves you so much that he would die on the cross for you that he would do all this so that he could be in a relationship with you that he can empower you to obey God's word to follow him. This is good news for us today.

This is the good news that the shepherds were talking about. This is the good news that Anna shared after she met Jesus. We have a savior. We have a savior. And you might be thinking well I'd like to obey Jesus. I think this seems like a good this will be like my 2022 resolution. I'm going to obey Jesus. But where do I start? You know the Bible's kind of big like which which thing are you telling me to obey Val? Like where do I go to Genesis 1 and just like kind of take it from there?

Well the good news is somebody asked Jesus that exact question one time. What do I obey? There's quite a lot here. And Jesus answered them. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second one is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself. All of the law and prophets hang on those two commandments.

Everything Mary and Joseph were doing everything we read in God's word hang on those two things. Love God love people start there. Start there. That's a lifetime of pursuing obedience right there. Love God love people. I'm telling you when life feels chaotic. Even when life just feels disillusioned or dull or overwhelming. Start there. Love God love people obey and get ready because you are going to find opportunities opening opportunities to be a blessing and to be blessed opportunities for truth to be spoken and truth to be heard and opportunities for gratitude just to flow.

We get to have an opportunity. We can be like Anna and Simeon and we won't be flashy but you know what it will make a difference. It will make a huge difference. Let's pray.

Father thank you so much for your word. Thank you for these precious people Anna and Simeon that have been preserved in Scripture for us. God thank you for the example they set. Thank you for the example of Mary and Joseph and their simple obedience and God I pray for each person here today. I don't know where they are at with you but I know we're all humans so that means we're all struggling in some way to follow you to obey you.

God I pray that today we would choose the joy of obedience over the temporary joys of that we might be looking at in life. God I pray that the desire to have the look on our face like Simeon did would outweigh everything else for us. God I pray that no matter where we are whether it's in you know two dove level poverty. It's a poverty of relationships the poverty of anything God that we would just come to you that we would just come to you and lay it all at your feet that we would receive help in our hour of need.

And God I pray that we would remember that you are the God who keeps your promise. You are the God who does exactly what you say you will do. Simeon was waiting a long time but the world had been waiting even longer for a savior. But you kept your promise and you are still keeping your promises today God. May we find great comfort and help and hope in that and God I pray that each person in this room today at least one time would be a blessing that as they go out from this service whether it's in their family with a grocery store clerk wherever they go God that they would be a blessing and that they would be able to start that domino effect that comes from simply following and obeying you in Jesus name. Amen.