“Life After Christmas”
(Luke 2:25-38)
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson
•I invite you to take your Bibles and join me this morning in Luke’s Gospel, chapter 2 (page 690; YouVersion).
With Christmas officially over we face the challenge of remembering the significance of Christmas and resisting the pull into secular or worldly priorities and values.
Even with Christmas over, many retailers are promoting special sales in an effort to continue to draw people back into their stores. Many will be returning items, exchanging purchases, looking for batteries and power cords, and so on.
We have a natural tendency toward hustle and bustle, busyness, the constant scurrying about from one place to another. I read these words from an obviously agitated individual. He writes:
Hurry as we may, we are hemmed in by a surging crowd in front and a dense throng of people pressing from the rear. One man digs his elbow into me, another a pole; one bangs my head with a plant . . .” He adds, “You can be considered foolish and thoughtless . . . if you go out . . . without your will made.”
That sounds like a familiar shopping scenario of our day, doesn’t it? These words were actually written by the Roman Poet, Juvenal, who lived not too long after the time of Christ, writing around AD 100. He was describing the crowded streets of first century Rome, yet it sounds like he’s describing the present activity of the local Wal-Mart.
I want to read a passage of Scripture that describes some of the events following Christ’s birth. It’s been maybe a month after the birth of Christ and Mary and Joseph are taking baby Jesus to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in accordance with the teaching of Old Testament Law, namely that this newborn male baby should be brought to the temple to be circumcised.
And as Mary and Joseph enter the temple area, two individuals meet them there and both of them have something to say about this newborn baby. The first is a man named Simeon and the second is an elderly woman named Anna. Listen for what happens as I read the text, verses 25 and following.
•Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,
28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against
35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;
37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
•Pray.
Introduction:
This week we can expect to find more than a few news stories presenting a “Year in Review,” looking back over 2014, recalling some of the more significant events of the year. This happens every year during the last week of December as we take inventory of our recent history over the previous year.
NPR ran a headline yesterday indicating that not everyone really cares to review their own personal history. The story was about the social media giant Facebook and a free app allowing users to create an autobiographical movie of 2014. Maybe some of you have seen it. The NPR headline read: “Facebook Finds That Not All Users Want To Review Their Year”
The story tells how some would rather forget 2014. Many Facebook users experienced broken marriages in the previous year, or deaths of loved ones, job loss, and so forth. So many were not interested in seeing pictures of what had happened over the previous year, reminding them of bad times. Many would just as soon forget 2014 than review it again.
This seems to be at least one reason why many folks fall into depression during the holidays. From a secular viewpoint, Christmas is often viewed as a happy time of the year when people meet one another and give gifts and have parties. And then New Year’s Eve comes along and New Year’s Day, but then the parties are over and people return to their lives, “Back to the grind” as we say or, “Back to all of those things we put off until after the 1st.”
I want to talk about “Life After Christmas.” I want to keep the focus on Jesus Christ. We always make an effort to do this during our Christmas gatherings. We talked about this in the Sundays preceding Christmas, our special service last Sunday at the Fine Arts Center, and Christmas Eve service last week. But I want us to continue this focus and review a passage of Scripture that occurs “after Christmas” to remind us how we should go on living now that Christmas is over.
So let’s go back through this passage and then I’ll share a few practical reminders.
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel (that’s a way of referring to Christ, the Messiah), and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
Simeon was waiting for the Consolation of Israel, waiting, longing for the presence of Christ.
26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
So Simeon knows that he will not die until he sees the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, the coming promised One who will deliver all people from their sins.
27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law (what happens?),
28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God (imagine the look on the faces of Mary and Joseph!) and said:
29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
In other words, “Now I can die.” Now I can die in peace. I’m ready to go.
JC Ryle, “He speaks like one for whom the grave has lost its terrors, and the world its charms.”
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation (remember: “Jesus” means “Savior,” or, “The Lord Saves”).
31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
Here it is again, the purpose and point of Christmas. We stressed this last week to the point many of us have memorized 1 Timothy 1:15, “Here is a faithful saying worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus has come into the world to save sinners…”
That’s what Simeon is saying here. Jesus Christ came into the world, verse 30, as “[God’s] salvation.” Christ has come into the world, verse 32, as “a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”
See, that includes everyone! Jesus is “a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles.” The word “Gentiles” here is the word “ethnos” from which we get “ethnicity” or “ethnicities,” this is a reference to all persons, all people groups all over the world. Jesus Christ is a light to all ethnicities.
Jesus Christ is not just a Jewish Messiah. He is a Messiah for all who will believe. He is the “glory” of the “people Israel” in that He comes from the lineage of King David, but He is a Messiah whose offer of salvation is universal in its appeal.
The faithful followers of the Old Testament knew this and were looking forward to this coming Christ, this coming Messiah.
700 years before the birth of Christ, God puts it this way through the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 42:6:
I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.”
Isaiah 49:6:
“It is too [small] a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob…I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth”
The Good News of the Gospel is for all persons. It is universal in its appeal. It is for everyone in this room and everyone listening to this message who will believe.
33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against
The true Gospel divides. A popular, false gospel does not divide. A health, wealth, and prosperity gospel does not divide anyone. But when you proclaim Jesus Christ as not just one option on the religion table, but literally as Christ Himself says in John 14:6, “I am the way, truth, and the life,” then you are preaching the true Gospel and that true Gospel causes division.
It causes division because it tells us that we are lost without Christ. We are sinners. We are doomed to eternal punishment which we deserve. It causes division because it tells us that God isn’t pleased with our goodness, our good works, our neighborly activities, our positive thinking and speaking. These good deeds are “filthy rags” when we set them before a holy God in an effort to gain His approval.
We will never be accepted by God based upon our performance. We are accepted by God solely on the basis of Christ’s performance on our behalf.
The Gospel of Christ is a sign that is spoken against because it exposes our proud and dark hearts.
Newsweek ran a cover story last week, the details of which are not worthy of discussion. It was so biased and so unscholarly and so dishonest and juvenile in its argumentation as to be laughable to informed Christians, but it is an article that illustrates yet again this ongoing spiritual warfare between darkness and light. We shouldn’t be surprised when we come face to face with these attacks upon Christ and Christianity.
There’s something about the name of Christ that sets this faith apart from any other worldview as uniquely deserving of worldly ridicule and scorn. And I submit to you that the reason why is precisely because Christianity is true. Be encouraged. Truth strikes a nerve. Truth unsettles. Truth disrupts and convicts. So Simeon continues:
35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Mary will watch her Son suffer scorn and will even see him die as John tells us in the 19th chapter of his Gospel.
36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity;
37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
It’s hard to know Anna’s exact age because the Greek is a bit confusing here. Anna probably lived with her husband for seven years, seven years from when she was a virgin. And then she lived as a widow for another 84 years. So this puts Anna at well over 100 years of age.
38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
So she joins Simeon as one who witnesses to the truth of Christ, the promised coming Messiah. She “speaks of Him to all those who (also) were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.”
Now in the time remaining, let me share with you these three actions that teach us about life after Christmas, about how to go on living in the week ahead, the months ahead, the year ahead. Number one:
I. We will Continue to Worship, Longing for Christ
If there’s one thing we can learn from Simeon and Anna here it is that they knew something about worshiping the Lord, longing for the presence of Christ as longing for nothing else and no one else.
Simeon was a man consumed with Christ. Luke says of Simeon in verse 25 that “the Holy Spirit was upon him.” He adds in verse 26 that “the Holy Spirit” revealed truth to him and, in verse 27 he is described as being led “by the Spirit.” Simeon longs for the presence of Christ and his longing is fulfilled that day at the temple.
You see the same longing in the heart of Anna. Luke tells us in verse 36 that she is there at the temple, hanging out at the temple every day. Verse 37 says, “She did not depart from the temple, but served God with fasting and prayers night and day.” She continually lived in the presence of the Lord.
By the way, what a wonderful godly example Anna is for women today—women of every age—she’s over 100 years old and continues to worship the Lord. And she is an example for young mothers, too, even young single moms struggling to raise their children in the ways of God.
I thought you might appreciate a snippet from an email I received from a retired minister from Pennsylvania who was with us at the Fine Arts Center last Sunday. With a pastor’s heart, he writes:
Let me tell you about the tiny fellow who sat beside me, nestled between me and his young mother, who did seem to have family there but no obvious father for her son. She was sensitive to the child’s behavior, more than once begging him to be quiet and not to put that pen into his mouth. When he sank back into his seat and pulled his feet over his head, she glanced toward me in despair. I tried to assure her by saying, “You cannot stay up all night dreaming up what he will do next, but we’re glad he is here.”
But mostly I wanted to say to her, “You see that pastor down there (we were on the last row below the stage lighting facility), he doesn’t care that two or three babies are crying from time to time, or that your son is fidgety, he only wishes he could stop everything for a moment, walk up to you and to every other frantic mother and/or father in the room and tell you personally how proud he is of you, that you are bringing your child to church. He wants to encourage you never to give up, but be assured that someday your child will grow into the man who can say, like Hanna whose son was an answer to her prayer, like Mary who prayed in thanksgiving just before her son went out and changed the world – my mother took me to church, she prayed for me, and that’s why I am who I am today. (Rev. Gary Denning).
Yes, how grateful we are for women like Anna who model godly worship, longing for Christ’s presence.
This notion of worshiping the Lord, longing for the presence of Christ, is so important that Luke ends his Gospel this way. The last verse of the Gospel of Luke tells us, Luke 24:53, that the disciples were, “continually in the temple praising and blessing God.”
Make this a priority in the coming year, continuing to come to worship, continuing to long for the presence of Christ—worshiping the Lord both corporately in Sunday school and worship as well as worshiping the Lord every day as we go about our lives, longing for more and more of the presence of Christ. Secondly, number two:
II. We will Continue to Witness, Living for Christ
Verse 32 teaches that God has given Christ as a light for all people. The offer of the Gospel is universal in its appeal. It is for everyone.
Here is good news for both Jew and Gentile. This theme is introduced earlier in chapter 2 when the angel of the Lord stands before the shepherds and says in Luke 2:10, “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.” All people, regardless of race, nationality, ethnicity, goodness, or badness.
Here is a reminder that our Lord’s Commission in Acts 1:8 is that His followers share the Gospel not only in their community, but also to the continents. Remember that John’s glimpse of heaven in Revelation 5 teaches that God is redeeming a people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
One of our missional partners is located in SouthEast Asia in Thailand. Recently we sent some financial resources that we had budgeted for Thailand this calendar year. Because of your faithful giving we were able to send monies to Jay and Hong Saiyasak.
Here is a picture of Jay and Hong (pic).
Jay wrote us a letter earlier this month I thought I’d share with you. He writes about how he and his wife used the monies, using the bulk of it for the drilling of a well to support the small community there where he is reaching the Isaan people group for Christ. He writes:
“We are grateful to have drilled and found a good underground water a few days ago. With your gift, we have dedicated $1,500 toward a well drilling on ministry site with two pumps, 200 Liter water tank, pipes and wirings.”
Here are a couple pictures of the well (pics).
And then he writes, “Also, we have dedicated your gift, $2,000, toward a ministry truck and $500 toward our support.”
Here’s a picture of the ministry truck (pic).
So they are now in a position to build a worship center with a children’s home attached to the building.
This in large part because of your giving. This is one way to continue to witness, living for Christ.
And I want to encourage you to keep this focus in your daily life, speaking to others about Christ as God gives you opportunity. Share the Good News of the Gospel because:
We’ve a story to tell to the nations,
That shall turn their hearts to the right,
A story of truth and mercy,
A story of peace and light,
We will continue to worship, longing for Christ. We will continue to witness, living for Christ. Thirdly:
III. We will Continue to Wait, Looking for Christ
Simeon and Anna were waiting, looking for Christ. They were waiting for Christ’s first coming. We should be continually watching and waiting, looking for Christ’s second coming.
Hebrews 9:28 it says, “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”
Christ is coming again. We should live our lives in such a way as to expect Him even today. Simeon and Anna model for us that kind of expectation. Christ is coming again to bring the consummation of our salvation.
Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 1:13, “Set your hope fully on the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
You know we sing, “Joy to the World” at Christmastime, but Isaac Watts actually wrote that hymn with reference to Christ’s second coming. Hence the words:
He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love,
Christ is coming again. We should live our lives in such a way as to expect His return even today.
And I would submit to you that when we live with this Christ-centered focus, longing for His presence, living for Him, looking for Him—then we will live as God intended, and our lives will have the kind of meaning and purpose many of us are seeking.
Conclusion:
A Year in Review. One of the tragedies we note as we look over the past year are the tragic deaths that occurred, including suicides or apparent suicides of people who had some notoriety. Just over the last year, we remember folks like actor Philip Seymour Hoffman who died of a drug overdose, or comedian Robin Williams who hanged himself.
Did you know that according to USA TODAY, there’s a suicide in the United States every 13 minutes. That works out to some 40,000 suicides annually.
Depression is a deep and often complex illness, but in the midst of that darkness shines the light of Christ—a light to both Jew and Gentile, a light of salvation that dispels the darkness.
There is a longing in our hearts that cannot be fulfilled by anything the world offers. The world cannot satisfy our deepest yearnings for peace, joy, happiness, and significance. We were made for God.
“Our hearts are restless,” says Augustine, “until they find their rest with Thee.”
The longing in our hearts is met only by the light of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christmas may be over, but the Gift is still available. Receive the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved from your sin, death, hell, and the grave.
•Let’s stand for prayer.
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.