Pastor Slaughter

12-1-2021

Midweek Advent

Open before Christmas

Text: Luke 2: 29-32

Theme: Open your eyes

Some people have different traditions during advent. My fiancée wraps a book a day for her kids. They have something to look forward to opening each day until Christmas is here. There are those advent calendars where there is a piece of chocolate for each day during advent. There are those special gifts that we want to make sure we wait to open on Christmas but there are other things we can open before Christmas. As we are preparing for Christ to come our Advent series is entitled “Open Before Christmas” we want to open our ears, our hearts and today our focus will be Open your Eyes.

I really do love Simeon’s words in our lesson. Simeon is described as being righteous and devout. He was waiting for the Messiah, the Christ to be revealed to him. The Holy Spirit made to him a very special promise that “he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” What an amazing promise! That you are going to see the Christ with your own eyes!  That you are going to see the one who brings you salvation.

I don’t know how long Simeon was keeping his eyes open and waiting for that salvation to be revealed to him. I don’t know when the Holy Spirit made that promise to him. But the older you are, the more you have seen…the more you have experienced, right? As Simeon was keeping his eyes open for salvation to be revealed, he probably saw things change. Some change for the better. Some things changed for the worse. As we grow older, we start to see the effects of sin in the world around us. As we get older, we also see the effects of sin in our own lives. Looking back on mistakes made, sins committed. And the older we get the closer we are for God to call us home, and the devil will try especially hard to get you to doubt your forgiveness, to doubt your salvation. He tries to make you terrified to stand before the judgment seat of God. I don’t know if Simeon was wrestling with that or not. But I could see it

But there are times when we wrestle with that, don’t we? Where the only the only thing that our eyes are open to is our sin? Where we look at our sins and wonder if God would ever forgive me. Where we might be afraid of death and dying because we will be standing before a holy and just God. During those times we need to keep our eyes open…not to our sins but to keep our eyes open to the salvation revealed to us.

I wish I could have seen Simeon take hold of Jesus in his arms. I wish I could have seen his eyes light up and he looked at this tiny baby. I wonder if his eyes filled with tears as he saw with his owns eyes and held in his arms the very one who would save him.

As Simeon is holding Jesus, he is literally holding his salvation in his arms. His salvation was revealed to him in a special way by the Holy Spirit. It wasn’t like there was some distinguishing characteristic that made Jesus stick out in a crowd as an infant. But as Simeon saw with his own eyes Jesus, this cute, tiny baby, he saw something else with his spiritual eyes, his eyes of faith. He saw a child that was no different from other children, a child in lowliness and humility, but the eye of faith saw in that child the Savior of the World.

Wow. Just think about that! He is holding salvation in his arms. The one that will save him from his sins. The one that will die for the sins of the world. Through those same eyes of faith we see our salvation. For Simeon he did get to see Jesus with his own eyes but nothing about his appearance showed he was the Savior. The only way he knew was through a special revelation from the Holy Spirit. Likewise, we may not be able to see Jesus with our own eyes but the Holy Spirit reveled him through his Word!

As we open our eyes to this salvation, we can’t help but remember why Jesus was born into this world. That baby who Simeon clutched in his arms would end up hanging on a cross.  The salvation was meant for you and me and Simeon, the World would mean that Jesus would have to suffer and die to give forgiveness l life and salvation. Jesus being born in the world and Jesus dying for the world really go hand and hand. As Simeon said in our lesson, “My eyes have seen your salvation..”

Now that our eyes are open to this salvation what does that mean for us? As Simeon he clutched Jesus in his arms he praises God and says, “Lord, you now dismiss your servant in peace, according to your word, because my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel.”

God fulfilled his promise to Simeon and now Simeon has peace. Pease because of what this child would do. Peace because of what this child would give. Peace in what this child assures him of. Now that Simeon has this peace, he is ready to be with his Savior. “Lord, you now dismiss your servant in peace.”

We can eco those same words as well. Peace because of what this child did…God was born into the world to die for the world. Peace because of what this child would give…forgiveness of sins to have that right relationship with God. Peace because of what this child assures us of. That heaven is our home.

This world is no the true home of Christians. There is so much sin and sorrow here. This is much unrest and turmoil. There is much suffering and sadness. What does this salvation mean? Just look at Simeon who said, “You now dismiss your servant in peace.” He was ready to die and to go home to heaven.

Unlike Simeon who kept it eyes open waiting to see Jesus with his two eyes, we keep our eyes open but waiting for Jesus to return in all his glory. We have that same peace that Simeon had because it rests not in what we have done, but in what Jesus has done. Jesus is that light who is our salvation. When our time comes, and death approaches or Jesus returns we have peace. Peace in the forgiveness of sins, peace in knowing that eternal life is ours. And so as we wait, let us make sure to keep our eyes open. Amen