Simeon's Song: A Song of Hope

The Songs of Advent • Sermon • Submitted 7 years ago

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The fourth and final sermon in a 4-part Advent series reflecting on songs related to the birth account in Luke's gospel.

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"What did you expect would happen?"

Well, what did you expect would happen? Ever heard that from you Mom or Dad? Ever said that while watching g those home video shows?

ELABORATE

Simeon had an expectation.

We are back in Luke's gospel this morning, with the final song in the series, "The Songs of Advent."

It is the "Song of Simeon"

Simeon is a mysterious character, in that, we don't know much more about him, other than what Luke says about him. He is not found anywhere else in the the Bible. His age and occupation are not made known. Nor do we know anything of his family heritage. What we know about Simeon, is what we see in Luke... a faithful man, with an expectation... a hope, in the temple having been led there by the Holy Spirit to this place at this particular time.

The Setting

Jesus had been circumcised, but now we are about 40 days after the birth (Lev 12). ... the baby is a little more than a month old....

it's been forty nights since the shepherds heard the news while watching their flocks by night....

a little more that ten months since the angel Gabriel visited Mary...

Almost a year and half since he visited Zechariah in the holy of holies,

the Narrative again takes us back to the holy temple...

Here, in the temple, there are two particular ceremonies going on:

the purification of Mary: After the birth of a child, the mother was unclean, according to Levitical law...

unclean for 40 days after the birth of a son. These 40 days are known as the days of purification

it is for this purification that the birds were about: they were a sacrificial offering required at the end of the purification period, as a sign of both humiliation and gratitude.

So Mary and Joseph brought with them the customary sacrificial offering of the poor... small animals; a pair of turtledoves (or two small pigeons) for the purification of the mother... . Luke is reminding us of the baby's status. These smaller animals were usually the offerings of the poor... more well-to-do people offered livestock, like sheep or cattle and a bird, .. but there was leeway in the law, that if you couldn't afford such animals, you could sacrifice a pair of small birds - which were obviously cheaper (Lev 12.8).

and the dedication of Jesus, as first born.

and as the first born, according to the Law, shall be "redeemed " (Ex. 13:2–12) (Word Pictures in the New Testament [WPNT], Lk 2:22).

the redemption of the first born son of every household did not require a sacrifice: all it required was the payment of five shekels - about $2.50.

this practice was a reminder that when God spared and claimed the first born, when he set a plague on the Egyptians, back in Moses' day.

it also was consecrated the first born male Jew to God's service.

Galatians 4:4–5 ESV

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

So, according to the law, Mary and Joseph take Jesus on the 8 kilometre trek, north, up hill... to the temple in Jerusalem.

Simeon

Blameless

Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, there is a man who is also making his way to the temple.

He is Simeon... a righteous and devout man who is waiting for the "consolation" of Israel.

Righteousness equals obedience not flawlessness.

"waking blamelessly before the Lord" - much like Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1.6).

In other words, they were faithful to the commands of the law of God.

Promised expectation by the Spirit

He had been given/granted a promise from the Holy Spirit of God.

that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. (A record of this exchange does not exist).

We suspect that he was an aging man, though we are never told.

but if that were the case... I wonder how he felt as he grew older,

as his body got weaker, as he experienced more aches and pains…

Did he think it must be getting close to time?

Drawn to the temple by the Spirit to meet Jesus

Moved by God and his faithfulness he's drawn to the temple.

And he is brought there, by God, at the same time that Jesus is brought there... by God.

He sees Mary and Joseph come in to the temple, and he knows.

We are not told how he knew, but we can assume that his line of communication with the Holy Spirit is pretty solid...

So there he is.. the promise of God to Israel.

Malachi 4:1 ESV

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.

Malachi wrote over 450 years before...

And Simeon holds the promise in his arms.

Simeon's expectations are met

You've heard the term "Meet your maker"? Well Simeon has the Maker in his arms.

This is how all of Israel should receive the promise pronounced by the shepherds from the fields.

The promise of a Saviour promise of redemption, the consolation of Israel…

That is the gift of peace to Israel. The comfort of Israel.

And.... this is how all the world shoudl receive the promise pronounced by the shepherds from the fields.

Simeon holds in his arms the light to the Gentiles; that is to say the life that will light the darkness of the Gentiles,

The light of the world that will shine for everyone to see. A light that will draw people from the darkness of the world back into the presence of God. His expectations... his hopes... realized.

He may go in the peace and reconciliation of God.

The great hope was realized!

Con-app: What do you expect will happen?

Simeon lived his life in hope... according to what God had told him to expect.

This is what it means to live "in hope."

Hope is not a wishing for something to happen... its the expectation that it will.

What do you expect will happen?

What won't happen

I can tell you a bit of what I expect won't happen…

I do not expect everyone to believe the Christmas story;

I don't expect everyone to honour it, or celebrate it;

I don't expect everyone to say "Merry Christmas" to me;

I don't expect stores and corporations to obey traditions of faith...

But I should continue celebrate it, and honour God in it and through it.

And I should tell the story anyway.

I do not expect everyone to like me or agree with me on where I stand for the Gospel.

I don't expect friends to adopt my faith simply because I do what I can to live it.

But I will continue to share it anyway.

I do not expect that I will never be sick again while I live in this body.

But I should keep healthy and honour God with it.

I do not expect all of my relationships to be healed

but I should love everyone anyway.

I do not expect that my suffering will simply stop while I'm on earth...

but I should live through it with courage.

I do not expect that we will ever be able to entirely stop poverty...

But I should feed the hungry

I do not expect that man can ever be trusted to bring peace to anything...

but I should do my best to bring peace where I can.

What I expect to happen?

I do these. to the best of my ability because of what I expect to happen.

because of a promise.... a hope.

a hope that eases my troubled soul...

in a relationship with God that spotlights my poverty and imperfection in the world, but with a promise of greater things to come.

What do I expect will happen?

I expect that Jesus will come again.

I expect that he will judge the world accordingly.

I expect that what Scripture says about Jesus will come to fruition.

THAT GOD WIL ACHIEVE HIS PROMISE to redeem his people to everlasting life.

And I expect of myself that I will live my life according to that expectation. According to that promise. According to that hope.

I look forward to something greater to come.

God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

the child promised through Malachi, foretold to Zechariah/Elizabeth/John,

brought forth through the virgin Mary,

and the the promise that here in Luke's gospel is cradled in the hands of an old man who

knows when he sees him, that he's laying eyes on the salvation of all people.

Simeon lived his life to the best of his human capability - righteously and devout, according to the promise God made to him,

and that promise became real.

My expectation, is that some day it may be real to me, too.

Simeon didn't just make a wish... He lived the Hope. By his faithfulness toward God.