Sermon Tone Analysis
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What Are You Waiting For?
Let me ask you some questions.
What are you waiting for this Christmas?
Are you longing for anything?
What are you expecting to receive?
Are you looking forward to anything special this Christmas?
In the Gospel of Luke, we come across two characters who make their appearance in the final acts of the Christmas drama.
One is a man named Simeon; the other is a woman named Anna.
They don’t appear in any nativity scenes or in many Christmas cards, but they are significant players in the first Christmas pageant.
Both of these individuals were waiting for something -- actually, they were waiting for someone.
Luke uses a Greek word of anticipation that identifies them as waiting with expectation for the coming of the Messiah, or Savior.
It literally means that they were “alert to His appearance, and ready to welcome Him.”
We see this word in Luke 2:25 in reference to Simeon where we read that “He was waiting...” and in 2:38 to describe a woman named Anna who was, “...looking forward to...”
Simeon - Waiting for Comfort
We’re introduced to Simeon in Luke 2:25.
Things weren’t going real well for the nation of Israel.
They hadn’t heard from God for many years and were under Roman rule.
They had lost their political independence and were living in fear of the capable, crafty, and cruel King Herod, and many were wondering if the Messiah would ever come.
Verse 26 shows us that Simeon had good reason for his hope and anticipation:
Simeon’s expectation focused on the comfort that Christ would bring.
Among Jews of Simeon’s day one of the popular titles of Messiah was Comforter.
Like some of the Christmas songs we just sang, they were longing for the Messiah to come and bring His comfort to them.
It strikes me that the desire to be comforted is a universal human need.
We all struggle with loneliness, emptiness, insecurity, even desperation.
In fact, the Christmas season is one of the major crisis times of the year for depression and suicide.
The Holy Spirit prompted Simeon to go to the temple courts at just the right time on just the right day that Joseph and Mary were bringing their infant to the Temple.
When Simeon looked at the baby Jesus, now about 6 weeks old, he knew that God’s promise had been kept.
Here was Immanuel, “God With Us,” to make everything right, to provide significance by His presence, and to eliminate rejection, fear, and loneliness.
Verse 28 of Luke 2 says that Simeon reached down and took Jesus out of Mary’s arms and began to praise God.
Let me pause here to make a comment.
Parents, how would you feel if some old man came up to you, took your infant in his arms and started singing out loud? I’m sure this was a bit unsettling for Joseph and Mary.
But Simeon didn’t look all that dangerous.
As he broke out into praise, he acknowledged that God had not only fulfilled the individual promise to him, but also the promises of the prophets to send the Anointed One to comfort both Jews and Gentiles.
Anna - Waiting for Forgiveness
The other Christmas Character waiting with anticipation was Anna.
After her husband had died, she had dedicated herself to fasting and praying in the temple.
In fact, the Bible says that she never left the temple but worshipped day and night.
She could have filled all 360 slots of the Bible Reading Marathon herself because she was always at church!
She was looking forward to the same person as Simeon was, but with a different orientation.
Instead of looking for comfort, Anna was looking for forgiveness.
Take a look at verse 38:
The word redemption is related to the idea of captivity.
The Old Testament Passover and the release of Israel from Egyptian slavery stood in Anna’s day as the ultimate redemption and the symbol of God’s power to release captives.
Ultimately, Passover pointed ahead to that day when God would provide deliverance from the slavery of sin.
When Anna saw Jesus, she gave thanks to God and spoke of Him to all who were waiting for redemption.
Here, at last, was the One who would save His people from their sins.
Jesus Provides What We Need
When Jesus came, He provided the very things that Simeon and Anna were waiting for -- God’s comfort and His forgiveness.
Let me ask you a question.
What are you waiting for this Christmas?
Whatever it is, Jesus can give it to you.
Can any of you identify with Simeon tonight?
Some of you are really hurting right now.
You feel lonely, empty, afraid, and maxed out.
Do you need some comfort?
Some consoling?
Do you need a fresh sense of God’s presence?
If so, you can find what you’re looking for in Jesus.
He came to console us right where we’re at.
Or, do you identify more with Anna?
Are you plagued with guilt this Christmas because of something you’ve done or the way you’ve been living?
Do you feel like you’re trapped in a pattern of sin that you can’t break out of?
If you need forgiveness, Jesus can give it to you tonight.
I can think of no better time than Christmas to do just that.
Action Steps
There are three action steps from this passage that will help you experience God’s comfort and forgiveness this Christmas.
Become a Marveler
#1: Become a marveler.
When Joseph and Mary tried to process everything that was happening, verse 33 says that they marveled at what was said about Jesus.
According to the dictionary, to become a marveler is to be filled with wonder, astonishment, and surprise.
Are you a marveler this Christmas?
Or, are you too caught up in the busyness and stress of the season?
Have you been running around because of the Holidays, or are you taking the time to make Christmas a “holy” day?
Has Christmas become too predictable, too familiar?
Have you heard the Christmas story so much that it no longer astonishes you?
Actually, this can be a dangerous time of the year for us.
Our annual celebration of Christmas can immunize us to its reality.
We hear just enough of the story each year to inoculate us against the real thing, so that we never really catch true Christmas fever.
Here’s an idea that may help you recapture the marvel of Christmas.
Pick one of the Christmas characters and put yourself in their sandals.
Imagine what it must have been like to witness the Christmas story first hand.
Go ahead; pick one -- Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, Simeon, Anna, or the Wise Men.
Become a Mover
Action Step #2 is to become a mover.
Take a look at verse 27:
Now drop down to verse 38:
Both Simeon and Anna were movers.
When the Holy Spirit prompted them to move, they didn’t sit still.
I wonder what would have happened if they had not responded?
Actually, every one of the Christmas characters responded to the Spirit’s leading with the exception of Herod:
Mary was ready to move when she said to the angel,
Joseph demonstrated that he was a mover when he woke up from his dream...
And as we learned last Sunday, the Shepherds were movers as well when they said, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened...” (Luke 2:15)
When God prompts you to do something, then you need to do it.
It might mean salvation for some of you.
It might mean full surrender for others of you.
Or, maybe the Spirit wants you to be more involved in serving people.
Do you sense Him asking you to do something today?
Are you a mover?
Are you willing to move?
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