Our focus in the Christmas story tends to be on angels, shepherds, wise men and, of course, the birth of Jesus, sleeping in a manger.
But tucked in the middle of Luke 2 are encounters in the temple (barely more a week after Jesus' birth) between Joseph, Mary, Jesus, and two people who get much less attention. Only Luke records these brief encounters.
Over the years, the lives of Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:22-38) speak to me as a youth worker.
I hope you'll read the passage for yourself, but here's a quick synopsis:
Simeon had a direct promise from the Holy Spirit that he would see the Messiah before he died. His whole life and character became focused on the fulfillment of that promise. Imagine his waves of emotion when he held the infant Y'shua in his arms. Pause and read slowly his prophetic words, recorded in verses 28-35.
Anna, a woman of 84 and a widow for probably six decades, gave her entire adult life to fasting and praying, "looking for the redemption of Israel." Her words aren't recorded, but her example is stunning to consider (verses 36-38).
Simeon and Anna were among a remnant of people who devoted their lives to hope. Their tribe was small but followed the "crimson thread" than ran throughout the entire Old Testament.
One of my favorite Christmas songs you probably never heard is "King of Kings" (John W. Peterson, 1974). In the title song from this musical are these lyrics:
And sages told in prophecies sublime
That He would come, they named the place and time
It is fulfilled! And now the angels say,
"The King of Kings is born this Christmas Day."
On this side of the Cross and Resurrection, Christ-followers still long. But our yearning is for the ultimate fulfillment of the redemptive hope that will finally join "the already and the not yet." Peter describes it (in 2 Peter 3:12) as "the coming of the day of God."
We long. And many days, it feels. So. Long.
In his December 10, 2022 devotional in Lectio 365 (great app, by the way!), Izwe Nkosi observes about this in the story of Simeon:
"(We) live in a culture of instant gratification; of swipe-left dating and one-click purchases. I have been conditioned to expect to get what I want, when I want it. So if I don't see a quick fulfillment of a promise from God, I can be tempted to dismiss it as somehow untrue or to doubt God's goodness towards me. Simeon reminds me that the promises God makes will be fulfilled, but the timing of that fulfillment is not up to me."
So we live like Simeon...and Anna. Lives lived in longing and "praising Your works...to another generation" (Psalm 145:4) is not a life wasted.
Why do I do this thing called youth ministry? Because God called me to it, yes. And the dream I live for- long for- is to see the Great Commission completed through the emerging generations...something I've prayed for since the 1970s.
I know I'm not alone. In fact, I hope you feel a burn in your heart as it leans into this same longing. We yearn to see that last ethne ("nations" in Greek) hear and receive the gospel as described in Matthew 24:24, "and then the end will come."
As we consider 2023, we keep at it. Don't quit now! We're too close to the finish line.
Thanks, Luke, for including the "youth workers" in The Story.