Advent Devotions

Today’s author is Prince of Peace members, Michael Stetzler and Suzan Hurlbut.

Luke 2:21-38

What are the odds?  For well over a thousand years people like Simeon and Anna had been waiting for the messiah.  What are the odds of being chosen to witness the arrival of the holy child?  Even that day there must have been hundreds of devout men and women earnestly waiting for the coming. But in this story only two people are chosen to bear witness. This was a once in a lifetime experience for them, but really it was a once in the history of humanity. For them it must have been like winning the lottery.

But what does that mean for us? I’ll give you my take on Simeon’s role, then Suzan will share how Anna’s story enters her life.

Michael – 

There is a lot to take away from this story.  It elevates the importance of obeying the law, it has a foreshadowing of Jesus’ (and our) tribulations, shows God’s reward for faith and patience and how, after having met Christ we are called to bear witness. But for me it is the working of the Holy Spirit that has the most meaning.

It’s easy to think of Simeon as just a lucky guy who had his dream fulfilled.  He was probably old, maybe as old as me, and never thought he would see the Messiah.  And it’s easy to think of him as a historical character who had a unique experience that will never be duplicated.  That is true.  But what is also true (suspend your dualistic thinking) is that the process of his encounter with the Messiah is the same process through which we encounter Christ today, and have for centuries.  The Holy Spirit filled Simeon and directed him to the temple.  There he encountered a baby that he recognized as the Messiah. It was the Holy Spirit, not his observance of the law, that led him.  That has been my faith experience as well.  After years of arguing theology, doctrine and litany in my head, I gave up and turned all that questioning over to something greater than my ego, which I call God, Christ and/or Holy Spirit.   And do I now see the Messiah?  Yes, off and on.  I see glimpses in the faces I meet.  I’m trying to look for he/she/them in “the least of these”, and sometimes I feel the “strange warming” that John Wesley described.  Christ is alive.

Suzan –  

Simeon’s prayer identifying Jesus as “a light for revelation and glory” shows how much he wanted to see God’s penetrating light displayed on earth.  Then we see Anna, who was a long time widow who had known sorrow and loss but had not grown bitter.  Sorrow and loss can make us hard, bitter and resentful to God or it can make us kinder, softer and more sympathetic.  Anna, who was about 84 (some writer’s say 104) never ceased to hope.  Her age didn’t take away the life of her heart.  How did she do it?  We only know that she kept going to temple and believing in a God who was not detached from her but connected with life.  

One of my sorrows was to lose our twin daughter, Jennifer, who was a sister to our daughter Sarah.  She died just before birth.  I had trusted God and then she still died. I was so angry, hurt and confused with God especially.  What good was it to trust?  I would have turned bitter except for all of God’s people who helped and loved us through it. I kept turning to God with all my feelings, anger, grief, confusion.  At some point I still didn’t know the answers but I felt God’s gentle touch again.

There are so many of us at Prince of Peace who are nearing or past that 80 years mark. Many of you have demonstrated this hope to me as you have gone through losses.  May we continue to support each other as we turn to God who is the Source of strength and in whose strength our weakness is made perfect.

Prayer: Lord, there are so many places and situations where your penetrating light needs to shine.  We wait, hope and believe in Your light and love. May we shine it on others.