Old Man Christmas

Old Man Christmas, Simeon is a model of what it looks like to “advent”, wait for Jesus. He is righteous and devout, full of the Spirit, waiting on the Lord, and recognizes him when he sees him. Old Woman Christmas, Anna, recognizes Jesus and tells everyone she knows about him. These are Christmas heroes, and what we should aspire to this Christmas season (and always). Be righteous and devout, full of His Spirit (of the Season), wait on Him and tell the world!!!

Christmas Heroes

Who are your Christmas heroes?

Maybe someone who decorates their house perfectly in their neighborhood, or always buys the perfect gift.

Or some heroes from the great Christmas movies.

Cousin Eddie - He provides the perfect gift to his cousin-in-law. His boss, kidnapped and all tied up. To remind us all that Jesus alone is our boss, our Lord, our King.

The Grinch - Or this guy, with the perfect, flawless plan to steal Christmas presents so that everyone could focus on the real meaning of Christmas. Yah - Hoo - Doh - Ray, which obviously means “Yay, Jesus!” Maybe ;)

I present to you today, a VERY old Christmas song. One of the very earliest Christmas songs, but maybe not so familiar to us.

And two new Christmas heroes, again, not so familiar to us.

Old Man Christmas

So in this season of Advent, a season of anticipation, of excitement, of remembering the birth of Jesus, what it was like to wait upon the birth of Jesus, celebrating the birth of Jesus… and waiting in Advent for the return of Jesus.

In this season of advent, I would like to tell you a Christmas story. It’s got a song, a Christmas song, one of the first.

It has an Old Man Christmas and an Old Lady Christmas… at least that’s my name for it.

A loony old man who steals baby Jesus and shouts “Now I can die! Weeeeeeee”. Maybe. Let’s read it.

Luke 2:22–24 ESV

22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

Straight quote there out of Exodus 13:2.

There is a long tradition of the firstborn belonging to God. The firstborn of any animal would normally be sacrificed to God. The firstfruits of harvest, given to God. So the firstborn child must be redeemed back from God. It is His, His right, in symbol of all that we have and are, and so they come to essentially purchase “their” child back from the Father.

Irony, as it is Jesus, the sacrifice, the purchase, the price, who redeems all of us.

But they go in obedience, 40 days after the birth as that was how long Mary was to wait before her purification rites after birth. And they had to travel from Bethlehem up to Jerusalem, but that isn’t far. Bethlehem is just 5 miles South of Jerusalem.

It is a little strange that it says “their” purification, as only Mary would traditionally need purification, but it seems like they are making one trip for three purposes, the purification of Mary, the sacrifice for Jesus as a firstborn, and perhaps a dedication ceremony for Jesus as well.

Luke 2:25 ESV

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

Wow. More about that later. If you got one line written for your obituary… you could do worse. Moving on...

Luke 2:26–27 ESV

26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,

How in the world did Simeon hear and know that he wouldn’t die before seeing the Lord’s Messiah? It doesn’t even call him a prophet, but this is some word of prophecy he had received somehow… and he new it, believed it, he “received” it.

And then “he came in the Spirit” to the temple?

Does that mean he was full of the Spirit when he arrived physically… or he got teleported… or he was there in some spiritual sense?

But he physically interacted with the child. Maybe that he came to the temple “full of the Spirit”, that’s a good model for us all.

Luke 2:28 ESV

28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

Did we skip a verse? The part where anyone gave him permission to take the child? I had long assumed Simeon was a priest, maybe tasked with doing the blessing according to the custom of the Law… a dedication to the Lord, perhaps, like Samuel was as a baby.

Nope. Old man takes baby. And essentially says “Now I can die...”

But he says it more beautifully than that. It’s really a song. A Christmas song. Not the first, there are a few Christmas songs here in Luke that come before it. But a song of praise.

Luke 2:29–32 ESV

29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”

May we all “depart in peace.” I love that says “depart”. He knows it isn’t the end, it isn’t over, it is a transition, it is a trip, he “departs” to go somewhere… and in Shalom, for I am sure he is singing this song in Hebrew or at least Aramaic, not Greek. According to God’s Word (rhema), spoken and specific Word.

For he sees “salvation”. Literally, Jesus’ name, Yeshua, YHWH’s Salvation or YHWH saves.

I don’t know if he understand how insanely and deeply true those words are.

Indeed. The light of the world.

Luke 2:33–35 ESV

33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

They “marveled.” Yup.

This gets a bit strange. Jesus will be a sword that pierces through Mary’s own soul? I spent some time reflecting on that. How often was it deeply hard and painful to be Jesus’ Mom???!

Did it sting when he left them at twelve to teach in the temple, “I am at my Father’s house.” Knowing he isn’t just hers?

It had to hurt when she and his brothers arrived and he says “My mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it...” But I am your Mom, though, hello!

And I can’t even imagine the pain of a mother watching their child wrongly judged, scourged, and crucified.

Jesus is salvation, but many would oppose him, human and enemy alike. Simon is prescient, prophetic here.

Old Lady Christmas

Luke 2:36–37 ESV

36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.

This always reminded me of Doris Rood, Phil and Alice’s Mom. Her husband, their Dad, passed after 14??? years of marriage, and she lived up there in Lafayette until her passing at 98.

Spending much time in prayer for her thousands of grandchildren and adopted grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Beautiful.

Luke 2:38 ESV

38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

I wonder if she saw Old Man Christmas stealing baby Jesus?! But this for sure, she SAW Jesus, and recognized her King, her Savior. It doesn’t say how much she realized, how much she understood.

… but there’s a profound truth in that too. We only ever see and recognize and understand a sliver of who and what Jesus is. That isn’t the point. As Kelly said last week, we will never have all the answers.

We point to Jesus, the one who does.

Do you know anyone “waiting for redemption”… whether they know it or not?

Be Like Old Lady Christmas

We may share the little we know in joy, in thanks, knowing how desperately all who are “waiting for redemption” need, not our answers, they need Jesus.

Be Like Old Man Christmas

Luke 2:25 ESV

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

What a testimony to a life.

Righteous

Some translations say just. He lived rightly, doing right things, in right relationship with lead to right living which lead to right relationship and on and on.

This is a man called righteous IN Jerusalem amongst the Pharisees and high priests and Sadducees and all that mess. There aren’t a lot of folks the Bible calls righteous, this must have been one righteous dude.

But not in empty slavish obedience.

Devout

Reverence, veneration. This went deep, it wasn’t surface, it wasn’t hypocrisy, Simeon wasn’t “acting”. It was deep, and all the way real.

Waiting

And in that righteousness, in that devotion… he is waiting on the Lord. Waiting for Jesus. Knowing he needs a Savior, the Messiah. How does he know? By the Spirit of God

With the Spirit

The Holy Spirit doesn’t begin with Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was always at work. “Upon” Simeon rather than “within” Simeon, but God is moving and active in his life… and Simeon is listening and believing and Waiting on the Lord.

What an epitaph. If you were to be described in one sentence, you could do worse.

Advent

This is the word we use for this season. It is a time of anticipation. Of expectation. Of waiting, but waiting with certainty, with hope, ready.

Old man Christmas, Simeon, waited in Advent. With the little he knew, he looked for Jesus. And with the little he saw, he sang praises, blessed God, and was ready to “depart in peace.”

Old lady Christmas, Anna, waited in Advent. With the little she knew, she worshiped, fasting and prayer, waiting on the Lord. With the little she saw, she gave thanks and began to speak about Jesus to all who were “waiting for redemption.”

May we be righteous AND devout, full of the Holy Spirit, waiting on the Lord. Advent. Come Lord Jesus.

May we be fasting and praying, and speaking with all who are waiting for redemption about Jesus.

May we, in this way, be Christmas. It is Advent, waiting with purpose, Jesus is “Coming Soon” and we are to be ready. Brides with lamps out, servants faithfully multiplying what he has given us. Loving on others as if they were secretly Jesus.

Priests, His Priests, carrying out the fourfold priestly duties: God to man, man to God, bringing the love of Christ… and the atonement, salvation of Christ to all.

We anticipate, we expect, we hope for, we are ready for the return of Jesus.

Maranatha! Merry Christmas!