Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Luke 2:25-32
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  December 27, 2020

It was happening already on Friday morning. The most popular question of the Christmas season was already making its appearance minutes after I walked through the door. What’s interesting is how the same question can produce such a variety of answers with such a wide spectrum of emotions. “What did you get for Christmas?” I bet some of you even asked that question this morning. And you’ll still be asking it in January. What did you get for Christmas?

Think about how you would answer this question. How many of you would answer by listing any number of presents that you received? I think most would. But why is that? I imagine because that’s what’s freshest in our minds is one of the reasons. But that might be putting the best construction on things. Perhaps a more truthful answer is because we get caught up in the giving and getting just as much as everyone else in our country. We’d like to think that commercialism doesn’t play a part in our Christmas celebration, but that’s just not realistic. And all of us are guilty of this, myself included. And unfortunately, those answers, while truthful, are pretty narrow-minded. And even though those answers are more than likely the answers that the questioner was expecting and seeking, do those answers really tell the whole story of “what we got for Christmas?”

X-box’s, PS5’s, drones, clothes, books, video games, electronics of every shape and size, gift cards, cold hard cash; all of those things we received from friends and loved ones just a few days ago. And while every good and perfect gift is from above, we wouldn’t say that we received any of those gifts directly from God himself. This whole Advent and Christmas season, we’ve been seeking to expect more out of Christmas. So why is it that what we received from God, those blessings, why aren’t those the first things to pop into our minds and spill from our lips? Perhaps it’s because we’ve taken those things for granted? Perhaps, other than remembering that Jesus was born, we’re not really sure what we did receive from God this Christmas. Perhaps it’s because God is so gracious and generous all the time that he doesn’t wait until Christmas to bless us and so we just assume that everyone knows that. Perhaps. But God has blessed us with gifts this Christmas. Precious gifts. mMaybe even more than we expected. And Simeon is going to help us recognize and appreciate them anew. With the Holy Spirit’s help, as we eagerly dig into God’s Word, perhaps we can ask a different question this morning. Perhaps we can ask, “Did you get what you expected for Christmas?”

A popular hypothetical question asks, “If you could have just one wish, what would you wish for?” Such a broad and open-ended question elicits a wide range of responses. But an answer that seems to come up often is “world peace.” People would wish for world peace. And while that’s a beautiful sentiment, it’s never going to happen on this side of Judgment Day. The Bible makes that clear. Jesus says about the last days, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must happen; but that is not yet the end. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” World peace is an admirable wish, but it’s an empty one. But that’s not the point. The point is that people, many people, are longing for peace. And while most people would readily admit they’re in favor of world peace, they’re not as likely to admit that they are lacking peace in their hearts. The peace that surppasses all understanding is also something people long for. It’s something that people search for. It’s what drove the philosophers to ask, “who am I, why am I here, where am I going, how do I get there?”

But the Devil doesn’t like us to think about that kind of inner peace. Inner peace is not a good thing for the Devil. He would much rather have us focus on outward peace as the way to solve the problem that we can feel in our hearts. He was pretty successful in his attempts with the Jews of Jesus’ day. 100% of the Jews were looking for the Messiah, 99% of them longed for one who would bring them political peace. The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law had reconstructed their rules so that they believed they could attain that inner peace by what they did, so in their minds there was no need for the Messiah God had promised. But there was a remnant, a small few who had not fallen into the Devil’s trap, who still looked for the Messiah as a Savior from sin. And one of those faithful few was Simeon. We’re not told much about Simeon other than the fact that he was a believer. Righteous, devout, and the Holy Spirit was on him is a good description of any true believer in Jesus. But it seems Simeon had been given a special revelation by God. God had made it clear to Simeon that he would not die without seeing the Christ. It’s at least 40 days after the first Christmas, and Simeon is told by the Holy Spirit to go to the temple courts. And he happens upon an ordinary looking young couple, certainly poor looking at their purification and dedication offering, and an ordinary looking month-old boy. And it’s here that Simeon receives his first Christmas gift, exactly what he was expecting. God kept his promise. In that little baby, Simeon saw the Christ. And listen to how he responds: “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.” 

Simeon received from God what everyone in the world is truly looking for…inner, spiritual peace. He received it because he saw; he held salvation in his very arms. God had kept his promise. He had revealed his salvation to the world so that every eye could see him. He had returned to Zion as Isaiah had foreseen. My dear friends, Simeon was a sinner just like you and me. He was a man of faith, yes. He was devout in his beliefs. He was outwardly righteous. A model Christian to be sure. And yet, Simeon was a sinner. Simeon had a conscience that reminded him of that fact. Simeon had a war waging inside his heart everyday of his life. And you can imagine that battle ground, can’t you? Most people like to picture Simeon as an old man. And while we can’t say for sure, for argument’s sake, let’s imagine him as an elderly man. Can’t you hear the devil whispering in his ear? Everyday that went by that he didn’t see the Messiah, the Devil would tempt him to doubt God’s promise. Everyday that he got older was a day closer to not seeing his salvation before he died. The temptation to doubt God and his gracious promises certainly was there. And the longer he waited, the greater the temptation must have been.

We can relate whole-heartedly to what Simeon must have been dealing with, can’t we? God has given us promises that seem a long-time in coming. And the Devil is right there in our lives too, reminding us that God still hasn’t delivered on what he promised. The temptation to doubt God and his gracious promises is there for us too! But Simeon would not be swayed. He held firm to the Lord and his promises. And when the time had fully come, God kept his promise to Simeon and there he stood with his Messiah in his arms. And he spoke words that are timeless, words that Christians have been speaking and singing ever since. “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.” 

Did you get what you expected for Christmas? Maybe you feel like Simeon got a little more than you did. Simeon saw his Savior with his own eyes, even if he was just a baby. He actually touched his skin and held him in his hands. But my dear friends, we have received the same gifts as Simeon, and in some cases, even more! Simeon received the true, inner peace that comes from knowing that he had been saved. Haven’t we received the same? Simeon saw his salvation with his own eyes. Didn’t we see the same babe earlier this week? Didn’t we see the precious child lying in the mangers? Didn’t we see the angels and the shepherds? We may not have physically seen them, but they practically jumped off the pages of Scripture as we read those precious lessons and sang those sacred songs. Simeon held the Christ in his hands, he touched him. We hold Christ in our hands every time we are blessed to receive the Lord’s Supper. Every time we receive the bread, every time we drink the wine, we are holding the Christ in our hands. We are touching our Savior. And he comes to us for the same reason he came to Simeon, to bring salvation!

And that’s why it’s so fitting that after that same personal encounter with our Savior that Simeon had, we sing the words of his timeless song: “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.” Simeon could depart with a spiritual peace of knowing that God had kept his promise, that his salvation was secure. He could depart in peace! But that doesn’t mean he died the next day. In fact, we’re not told when he died. So too, with us, when we depart from God’s supper in peace, it doesn’t simply mean that we’re ready to die. No, it’s much more than that. When we ask to depart in peace, it’s like we’re saying: “Here, God, is my whole life. You gave it. You saved it. Now use it! Free me to be your servant–free me from the inner conflict, free me from the doubts–free me to serve you in whatever way is pleasing in your sight.”

Did you get what you expected for Christmas? Maybe not a first glance, but a closer look shows that you got even more. You got what the whole world is really looking for. You have received peace with God. You have received peace that the world can’t understand apart from the Christ child. Now that you have that peace, let’s take the encouragement of Paul in our second lesson:    “Let the peace of Christ control your hearts, to which you were also called, in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. And everything you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Amen.