Are you seeking your Savior? Christmas is a time of celebration for most, but as you put up the tree, take out decorations, and fill your Calander with engagements that keep you overly busy throughout this holiday season, do you take time out to ponder the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?
Each blog post I write always fills me with gratitude that I can reach out to you, my readers. Before I begin and while typing out words, I say prayers, asking for God’s guidance so that my posts resonate with people’s needs. I always feel extra privileged when writing posts to honor Christmas. I pray today’s message adds joy to your Christmas.
Blessings
For many, Thanksgiving ushers in this Holy holiday season. This year we were blessed with an extra special treat. My daughter and her family graced us by traveling halfway across the country to join us for Thanksgiving. As part of our celebration, we combined Thanksgiving with Christmas. When our grandchildren arrived, excitement shone in their eyes when they gazed upon the Christmas tree laden with presents. As any seven and eight-year-old children would, they itched to unwrap their gifts.
Their unbridled anticipation while waiting until after our meal to open presents leads me to think of another, who, approximately two thousand years ago, waited for many years to receive a gift promised to him. Simeon waited much of his life, with a much deeper longing than any starry-eyed child could, to rest his eyes on the Christ Child.
The Legend of Simeon
Certain Biblical scholars believe that during the early first century, Simeon held a position as one of the seventy-one members of the Sanhedrin, a group of Jewish rulers. These rulers daily assembled at the Temple in Jerusalem to debate civil and spiritual law. One year, Simeon labored through translating Isaiah’s writings from Hebrew to Greek. Content with this assigned task, Simeon diligently worked long hours many days on this transcript. However, as Simeon came to chapter seven, verse fourteen, his internal peace turned to frustration.
The manuscript read, “The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’)”. Simeon’s faith in the truth contained within this document plundered. He dropped his pen on the parchment and, filled with doubt, sighed. “That is Impossible! How can a virgin conceive a child?” Now distrusting Isaiah’s words, Simeon hung his head and trudged out of the temple.
The discouragement from that scripted verse stayed with Simeon as he laid his head down to sleep that night. Instead of drifting into a peaceful slumber, Simeon tossed and turned.
A glowing light startled Simeon out of his restlessness. Fully alert, he shot up in bed and gazed at a personage standing over him, the Angel Gabrial. This Heavenly messenger confirmed the truth within Isaiah’s parchment and revealed to Simeon that he would not die before seeing the Christ Child conceived by a virgin. The Angel Gabrial said Simeon would know with absolute certainty when he meets the infant Savior, for the baby would place his small hand on Simeon’s chest. This act would be Simeon’s sign that this child is the foretold Messiah, proclaiming that salvation is near. *
Fast Forward
One day, many years later, as a much older man, an intense urgency overcame Simeon, compelling him to go to the temple. As he entered the court gates, he spotted a couple approaching, carrying a newborn infant. Feeling guided by the Holy Spirit to approach this young family, Simeon walked up to them.
Mary and Joseph had brought their first-born Son, now forty days old, for consecration according to the Law of Mosses. Simeon took the Christ Child into his arms, and the Holy Baby pressed his tiny hand onto Simeon’s chest. Remembering the prophecy given to him many years previous by the Angel Gabrial, joy filled his heart. “Lord, now I can die content! For I have seen Him as you promised me that I would. I have seen the Savior You have given to the world. He is the Light that will shine upon the nations, and He will be the glory of Your people.” (Luke 2:29-31).
The Promise of Peace
When the Lord gave his promise to Simeon over two thousand years ago through the Angel Gabriel, He did not mean it for Simeon alone. It is a pledge extended to each one of us. Take in that Sacred vow as your own as you witness the turbulent events of today’s world. Allow Jesus’s touch to rest upon your bosom with the assurance that regardless of what is happening around you and what you are suffering through, Jesus offers you His peace.
Is peace on Earth a real thing? Recent world events may leave many of us wondering, can peace ever occur? Yet approximately two thousand years ago, on a dark hilltop dotted by sheep, angels of the Lord stood before a group of shepherds and proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” (Luke 2:14).
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For more on, Peace go to https://crystalmmhuntley.com/2023/11/how-to-find-peace-in-a-troubled-world/
From Seeking to Finding
The dormant child within me resurrected as I watched my two grandchildren. Their excitement brought up long-forgotten memories of myself as a child when on Christmas mornings of bygone years, I anxiously awaited to unwrap gifts that lay beneath a decorated Christmas tree.
Fast forward to when my children were young. I did everything I could to make this holiday extra special for them, but due to issues from my past, I couldn’t include Jesus to the level I had wished to. I found it challenging to construct a firm foundation of a Savior for my children while still seeking my Lord for myself. But just as Simeon faithfully waited on the promise the Angel Gabrial gave, I never gave up on pursuing an honest and personal relationship with my Lord and God. I am happy to say that my abiding persistence has paid off, for Jesus’s hand touches my heart also as I continue to grow in closeness to my Savior.
Are You Seeking Your Savior?
The Lord exists for all who seek him. Remember, the most vital part of Christmas isn’t presents, food, or gatherings. It’s opening your heart so Christ can place his Holy hand upon it.
References *
I drew information about The Legend of Simeon from the Salvation Army War Cry Christmas 2015 edition, pages 10 – 11 “Out of Darkness, a Great Light.” To learn more about the War Cry magazine go to https://www.thewarcry.org.
Note to My Readers
My next blog post marks the beginning of a new year. I hope you will join me in “A Chance to Begin Again.”
Hopefully, you have gained value from this blog post. If you have, I would like to offer you the opportunity to purchase my books. You can purchase The Hidden Diamond and Robin’s Gift here at BUY THE BOOK – Crystal MM Huntley.
An additional site where you can find my books is https://bkbookshoppe.com. However, if you prefer to purchase from Amazon, you will find The Hidden Diamond at http://www.amazon.com/The-Hidden-Diamond-Crystal-MM-Huntley/dp/1665573767 and Robin’s Gift at https://www.amazon.com/Robins-Gift-Crystal-MM-Huntley/dp/B0CVL7746N.
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