February 2nd Reflection by Bill Lynch

Luke 2:22-40
 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’

 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
   according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
   which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
   and for glory to your people Israel.’

 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

Reflection
Some people, God blesses with the wisdom and the patience and the faith to wait. Simeon and Anna were two such people that God richly blessed. Patiently waiting out their lives to see the Messiah; to recognize God as man and in the flesh and God as God in the baby of Jesus. How could this be? How could these two people have the wisdom and the patience and the faith to wait a lifetime in order to see God in flesh?

I'm sure the Holy Spirit's presence in the lives of these two prophets led them to understand the Hebrew Scriptures enough and have the faith to know that God would come to them in their lifetime in the flesh of Jesus.

On into the future from this point in time, how many people has the Holy Spirit visited and given the wisdom, the patience and the faith to wait on the coming of Jesus? Each and every Christian on this earth, each and every Child of God, the Holy Spirit leads, guides and calls into action a faith that leads us to wait upon Jesus to come into our lives.

Jesus comes into the lives of all believers through the power of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit richly blesses all believers with the gifts needed to proclaim God's glory in and through the gracious saving actions of Jesus, who came into this world as man and as God to save all the people from sin, death and the devil.

And as we believers act in response to what God has done for us through Jesus life, death and resurrection, we go out to proclaim how Jesus has come to us in our own unique and wonderful way. Jesus invades our lives and we respond with the gifts freely given to us through the Holy Spirit through word, deed and action in this world of sin.

Yes, we respond to the poor, the hungry, the sick, the too rich, the too greedy, the too powerful, the peacemakers and the war makers, with a Savior that saves through death on a cross to lead us to eternal life with God forever.

Oh how all believers echo the sounds of that great song!

‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
   according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
   which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
   and for glory to your people Israel.’

Prayer

Thanks be to God for such rich blessings! Thanks be to God for Jesus! Yes... again Thanks be to God!... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen!!!