Love Has Come and Is Coming

LOVE HAS COME AND IS COMING Luke 2:33-38 | Christmas Eve

INTRODUCTION: Why Are You Here Tonight?

Some of you are here out of tradition

Some dragged here by family

Some desperately hoping for something

Some carrying grief, others carrying joy

But you showed up—just like Simeon and Anna showed up that day

The question isn't why you came—it's what are you expecting to find?

I. SHOWING UP IS HALF THE BATTLE (The Faithfulness)

Simeon: Promised he wouldn't die before seeing the Messiah—but how long had he been waiting?

Anna: 84 years old, widowed after 7 years, never left the temple

Decades of showing up when nothing seemed to happen: Both had great anticipation… looking for God’s promise that hadn’t yet come. Sort of like how you might see presents for you, the anticipation is killing you, but it’s not quite yet time for you to have them.

For us: You showed up tonight—that matters

Even if you're not sure why, even if you're skeptical

God meets people who show up

II. TWO WITNESSES, ONE TESTIMONY (The Recognition)

Why two? Because truth requires witnesses

A man and a woman—the full testimony of humanity

Different stories: Simeon had a promise, Anna had tragedy turned to worship

Same recognition: "This is the One"

For us: When Jesus shows up, will we recognize Him?

Not just as a baby in a story, but as God keeping His promise

What are you looking for tonight? Really?

III. GOD KEEPS HIS PROMISES (The Faithfulness of Love)

Simeon: "Now I can depart in peace—I've seen Your salvation"

Anna: Immediately began telling everyone "looking forward to redemption"

God promised a Messiah—and He came

God promised redemption—and here it is

For us: What promise are you waiting for God to keep?

The same God who met Simeon and Anna in their waiting meets you in yours

Love has come—the question is: do you see it?

CONCLUSION: The Invitation to New Life

You showed up tonight—just like Simeon and Anna showed up.

You came with some kind of expectation—hope, tradition, curiosity, maybe even desperation.

Two witnesses testified that night in the temple: This baby is God's redemption. This is the One we've been waiting for.

Their testimony has echoed through 2,000 years and brought you here tonight.

But here's what we can't miss: Redemption isn't just a nice idea. It's a rescue mission.

Simeon said this child would cause "the falling and rising of many"—that He would reveal what's truly in our hearts. Anna proclaimed Him to everyone "looking forward to redemption"—people who knew they needed to be saved from something.

Love came—not to make our current lives a little better, but to give us entirely new ones.

The reason you needed a Savior born in Bethlehem is the same reason Simeon and Anna waited their whole lives: We can't save ourselves.

The sin, the brokenness, the patterns, the shame, the addictions, the failures—whatever brought you to this moment tonight—you can't fix it on your own. None of us can.

That's why Love came in the flesh. That's why Jesus didn't stay a baby in a manger but grew into a man who went to a cross. He came to save us from the sin and the mess that brought us here to begin with.

And when you receive that love—when you say "Yes, I need redemption. Yes, I see You, Jesus. Yes, I'm done trying to save myself"—you're invited into a new way of life.

Not just better habits. Not just positive thinking. A completely new life.

The same Spirit that led Simeon to recognize Jesus can open your eyes tonight.

The same faithfulness that sustained Anna through decades of waiting will sustain you through whatever comes next.

(Have people stand) So here's my ask:

If you're here tonight and you recognize that you need what Jesus came to bring—if you see that Love came for you, to rescue you, to give you new life—would you receive it?

Not someday. Not when you get your life together. Tonight.

You don't have to have all the answers. Simeon and Anna didn't know everything about how it would all unfold. But they knew this: God keeps His promises. And this child is the One.

Maybe you've been carrying something for years—shame, addiction, regret, emptiness. Love came to carry it for you.

Maybe you've been waiting for something to change. Love came to change everything.

As we light these candles in a few moments, we're remembering Simeon held that baby and said, 'Now I can depart in peace—I've seen Your salvation.' We get to say something even more: 'I've received Your salvation. It's changed my life.'

That baby grew up. He lived the perfect life we couldn't live. He died the death we deserved. He rose from the grave, conquering sin and death. And He offers us—tonight—forgiveness, redemption, and new life.

If you want to receive that gift tonight, you can.

You can pray right where you're sitting: "Jesus, I need You. I can't save myself. I receive Your love, Your forgiveness, Your redemption. I give you my life, would you give me new life."

That's it. That's the prayer. And if you pray that and mean it, everything changes.

Love has come. Love is here. Love is coming again.

And Love is inviting you—tonight—into something new.

Let's light our candles together.

[Candle lighting / closing song]

Love has come. Love is here. Love is coming again.

Merry Christmas.