Advent
Meditation
December
15th
23.
But how do you Know?
Luke
2:27-29 Moved
by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought
in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,
Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign
Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.
There
are some people who set out on their quest for truth with hearts aglow
in anticipation, who pursue it and pursue it and come to a point where
it all seems so clear – and yet there is something more. They become
aware that there is a further step to be taken but somehow it eludes
them. They stand there, so to speak, looking at all the evidence, considering
all the implications, but aware that yet there is something more. It's
like standing at the side of a swimming pool for the first time. You've
been told about water, you've learned all about water, in fact you may
have dipped your finger into it, and you've been told that when you
commit yourself to it, the water will support you and you'll learn how
to swim. So there you are standing there looking and knowing, yet you
still remain unchanged, untouched until you take that leap of faith
and jump in!
Now
consider Simeon. He's read about the Coming One, he's heard the witness
of the Holy Spirit speaking to him within, he feels that inner speaking,
nudging him to go to the Temple.
He could ignore it, but instead he responds and goes. He arrives at
the Temple
and wanders around. He stands by the entrance waiting and looking at
the many pilgrims coming in to this great place. Suddenly he sees a
young couple carrying a tiny baby and something within him leaps. This
is them, this is Him! At this point he could have just returned home
thinking, “I've seen him!” But that would be like our would-be swimmer
who looks, who sees and who hears and then simply turns away untouched.
No,
there has got to be contact made. You can't just learn about God and
then walk away untouched; there has to be contact made after all this!
Simeon goes over to the couple who are perhaps just standing there,
looking in awe at the incredible building, wondering what they should
do next. Whether he asks Mary or whether he simply gently takes the
babe from her arms, we don't know; but take him he does. He takes the
Messiah, the Coming One, the Christ, the Son of God, into his arms and
holds him. At this moment his feelings are almost too much to describe.
He simply lifts his face to heaven and praises God and thanks Him, that
his ‘dream' has been fulfilled. He has seen and held and encountered
The One. The future is irrelevant; he can leave that in God's hands.
The most important thing is that he has had an encounter of the God
kind!
People
sometimes say, “Look, I've heard about Jesus, I realize my need, I understand
a little of all this, so what do I have to DO to become a Christian?”
Well, it's like the pool; you've got to leap in. It's like Simeon, you've
got to step forward towards God, come to Him and pray. Simeon spoke
out what was happening. You've simply got to speak out to God what's
happening – I want to know you, I surrender to you, please forgive me,
please lead my life. If you're ‘at the edge of the pool' as you read
this, don't walk away. If you've seen God in this story this Advent,
don't walk away.
If
you're already a Christian, and the story has been speaking to you afresh
this year, don't just walk away. For you too this should be a time of
God encounter. Put aside all the thoughts of the things you need to
do before Christmas. Sit quietly with Him. Spend time with Him, after
all Christmas is all about Him.
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tony.thomas@rochfordcc.co.uk
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