“There was a man … called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel…. There was also a prophetess, Anna …. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day.”

Luke 2:25, 36-37
On the day Mary and Joseph showed up at the temple for the purification rite, it was an ordinary day. The new parents were following Jewish law, presenting their child to the Lord for His service.

But here is where the moment is anything but commonplace (after all, that baby was the Son of God!). He was identifying with His people by submitting to circumcision and the Jewish laws. His parents presented two turtledoves for the sacrifice offering, being too poor to purchase a lamb. Yet in their arms they held the very Lamb of God, our perfect sacrifice!

Nobody in the temple that day was looking for a Christ child. Would-be messiahs had come and gone. But among the crowds, there was an old man and an old woman, Simeon and Anna. They had held onto a seemingly-impossible wish grounded in their unshakable faith in the promises of Scripture … specifically, the promise of a Savior.

That ordinary day became the defining one of their entire lives. Let your life be marked magnificently by beholding the Christ child this Christmas Day.



Scripture Focus

Luke 2:21-38

Insight

Anna and Simeon waited and believed. They listened to the voice of God’s Spirit. And then they held the Creator of the Universe in their arms!

Bible In A Year

  • Habakkuk 1-3
  • Proverbs 25
  • Revelation 6-7

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