Make Room in your Heart for Love

Luke 2:25–35 NIV

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” 33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

The 1862 novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo follows the life of Jean Valjean in nineteenth century France. Over the years, his life becomes a collection of interactions in which the rigid standards of French law brutally upheld by the ruling class nobility leaves poor struggling people branded as criminals just trying to survive. Jean Valjean is arrested for stealing food in order to save his family from starvation. After serving his prison sentence in a forced labor camp, he is released on parole only to discover that no one in society will give him a second chance now that he has a criminal record. Again, Valjean sees himself in a position where his only chance to survive is to break the law, this time by violating his parole in order to escape his cruel past.

Yet against this backdrop, Valjean also experiences an occasion in which he is shown extravagant kindness by a church Bishop. But desperate for escape, Valjean takes advantage of the Bishop’s hospitality and grace by attempting to steal some valuables from the Bishop. When caught, instead of turning Valjean back over to the punishment of the law, the Bishop forgives Valjean, lets Valjean keep what he had stolen, and gives Valjean even more silver as a gift.

This experience of such unwarranted kindness and generosity is the experience that changes Jean Valjean’s life. The rest of the story traces Valjean through the years using the wealth he was given by the Bishop to show love and compassion to those who are suffering in poverty the most. Victor Hugo’s novel is an exaggerated contrast between the cold hearts shown in the power and greed of the wealthy elite on the one hand, and the loving hearts shown in the sacrificial grace and mercy of the righteous on the other hand. The entire story is a lesson of grace. When Jean Valjean receives the experience of grace by an act of sacrificial love from the Bishop, Valjean is then able to see the way in which his life can take the grace he has received, and now turn to give that grace to others by his own acts of sacrificial love.

Once Jean Valjean sees the love of God firsthand in his own life, his life is forever changed by that love.

The story of Simeon we see today in Luke 2 shows this, but with a twist. Simeon waits his entire life to see the Messiah. Somehow, Simeon holds onto that promise of God in his heart without ever seeing it through year after year after year of brutal Roman imperial rule. Luke tells us he is waiting for the consolation of Israel. I cannot imagine that. Our society is going nuts after ten months of pandemic because we have to settle for takeout instead of dine in. Our wait to get past a pandemic is measured in months. Simeon’s wait to get past foreign military occupation is measured in decades.

I have to admit, that kind of waiting would make me rather cynical and sarcastic. My reaction if I were in Simeon’s place would have more likely been a snarky response — “well, it’s about time,” “it took you long enough,” or “where have you been?” It would be a struggle for me NOT to be hard-hearted and indifferent if my entire life went by waiting for something that long and it never seems like anything will ever change or make a difference.

This advent, it is good that we pause and consider today what it means to make room for love. The story of Simeon shows us something about this that can be helpful in our world today. It is true enough that we are not waiting for the consolation of Israel as Simeon was. But our world is filled with enough examples of waiting for consolation for other things; we can still learn a thing-or-two from Simeon in this story.

consolation (Greek paraklasis) = comfort, encouragement, but also strong request, appeal, urgent pleading

Let’s understand what the Bible means by consolation. It is the Greek word paraklasis and can be translated as consoling, as in comforting or encouraging. But this word also carries the meaning of a strong request or appeal. In 2 Corinthians 8 it is translated into our English Bibles as, “they urgently pleaded with us.” This is not just consolation which offers sympathy. It is a call to show up and do something. It is not just sending thoughts and prayers as a response to repeated tragedy. It is taking action to prevent tragedy from repeating. This is what Simeon is waiting for. He is not just looking for God to comfort Israel with sympathy. He is waiting for God to show up and take action for his people. But Simeon has not seen it happen yet. He has been waiting his entire life to see God show up, but has yet to see it.

what was Simeon expecting to see? how does the sight of an infant fulfil Simeon’s expectations?

I wonder what exactly Simeon was expecting to see? He yearns for God’s salvation to come to his people, and what shows up? A baby; a helpless child. I might have been expecting to see something more like a mighty warrior king—someone like David. I would have expected to see a show of strength—like a massive army. If the divine salvation I had been waiting my entire life for turns out to be an infant, I must admit, I might be a little let down. I might have been expecting just a bit more. Imagine if you are expecting a wonderfully delicious garden salad, and instead you get packets of seeds for lettuce and tomatoes and cucumbers. I mean, someday these things can all come together to be garden salad after they are planted and grown and harvested, but not right here at this moment. What exactly was Simeon expecting anyway, and how does this tiny baby fulfill and meet his expectations?

This is an important detail of the story because often we might get derailed in trying to apply this Simeon story to our own world in our own time. Our world is full of people who are also waiting for God’s consolation to arrive. We are people who also urgently plead with God for his action to show up on our behalf. And let’s be honest, you and I often have rather specific expectations for what that consolation from God should look like. We have some pretty specific ideas in mind for God to take control of the world in our favor and to our liking and for our advantage. Yet so often, this is not the way God shows up—according to our expectations and wishes and desires.

Simeon receives the Messiah without any of his own expectations or conditions getting in the way

Simeon shows us a heart that was open to receive the promised Messiah of God. Simeon receives the Messiah without any of his own expectations or conditions getting in the way. Simeon sees the salvation of God show up as a helpless baby, and his heart is immediately overflowing with gratitude and worship and love. Simeon himself will not live long enough to see Jesus perform miracles or hear Jesus teach parables; but for Simeon, that does not matter. His response to God is one of submission. He says, “you may now dismiss your servant in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation.” The particulars of how exactly God’s salvation would arrive though this tiny infant is not Simeon’s concern, because Simeon has freed his own heart from expectations and desires of his own making. He simply makes room in his heart to receive the promises of God no matter how that may arrive into his life.

how do we cultivate a heart like Simeon which makes room to see God’s salvation?

Wow! I sure wish I knew how to do that. Because that sounds wonderful. I want us all to be people who can make room in our hearts to receive the promises of God no matter how that may arrive into our lives. Do you see the key here? It is not that God fails to show up for everyone else except Simeon. It is not that God’s promises are left unfulfilled for everyone else except Simeon. God is still faithful to remain steadfast to his covenant people. The difference here has nothing to do with God or his promise or his actions in the world. The difference is that Simeon made room in his heart, so he was able to see the salvation of God right in front of his eyes when everybody else missed it. How do we do that? How do we cultivate a heart like Simeon which makes room to see God’s salvation?

The answer, I think, has to do with love. Simeon was able to see the salvation of God because Simeon made room in his heart for the love of God. Simeon is able to respond with pure joy and worship when he sees the Messiah because his heart had the space for the love of God to be revealed. Simeon shows us what it looks like to live as someone who makes room in our hearts for love.

Simeon is able to see the love of God because he has made room in his heart to see love

Perhaps the most familiar and best known verse in the entire Bible is John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Love. God’s salvation—God’s Messiah—is a gift of love for the world. Jesus came at Christmas because of love, God’s love. The gift of God’s grace is a gift given in love. Simeon is able to see this love of God because he has made room in his heart to see love. If you and I want to be people who see the salvation of God showing up in our world today, it begins with a heart that makes room for love. God’s gift of grace is still just as active and just as evident in our world today because God’s love for the world is just as strong and just as effective today. To see the salvation of God taking place in the world today means we have hearts that make room for the love of God.

What does this look like for us today? How are we people who make room in our hearts for love? The Bible tells us that it begins when we show love to one another. During the last supper on the night when Jesus was betrayed and arrested, he gave this instruction for those who continue as his followers:

John 13:34–35 NIV

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

The apostle John repeats that instruction in his letters for the church:

1 John 4:16–21 NIV

16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

In Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, Jean Valjean did not know what love looked like until there was someone who came along in his life and showed him love. He did not know love till he was able to receive love. In order for Valjean to become a person who could show love to another, he had to first be a person who could receive love from another. In the Broadway musical production of Les Misérables, at the very end of Valjean’s life he summarizes all that he has learned through his experiences in a letter to his daughter, Cosette. As he is about to die and be escorted into glory by the saints who have gone before him, the very last thing he says as he writes his final confession is this: “Remember the truth that once was spoken; to love another person is to see the face of God.”

Simeon was able to see the face of God’s salvation for the world because Simeon was able to make room in his heart for love. You can too. You can make room in your heart for love because it begins by receiving the love of God given for you. At Christmas, we celebrate the gift of God’s love for the world given in the Messiah. Make room in your heart for that gift today by receiving God’s gift of love into your life. And then make that love of God a gift that is evident for all the world to see by making room in your heart to share that love with others.