Luke 2:21-28a

21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God

  Wow, what a great example Mary and Joseph are when it came to this child.  They have been told such great things about Jesus, and they are faithful to what God has already commanded.  If there was anytime taking short cuts or taking a break would be okay, it would seem like being the parents of the Christ child would be the time.  Mary and Joseph did not use that to their advantage like most of us sinners would.  How faithful they were in this case to fulfill the command in Exodus 13.

  Another picture of faithfulness is Simeon.  He is one of my favorite people to read about in scripture.  He said to be “Righteous and Devout.”  This makes me think, what does the Lord think of me?  Where is my focus?  Simeon’s focus was on what the Lord had promised him, the “consolation of Israel.”  What better thing can you say about someone other than “the Holy Spirit was upon him?”  This was a man after the heart of the Lord. 

  One thing that can easily be overlooked is the faithfulness of the Lord.  He promised the coming of the Messiah, and He delivered.  The entire Old Testament points towards this man, this Messiah, this child Jesus.  There are literally hundreds of prophesies that are fulfilled by Jesus.  God is so faithful, even when we are not. 

  Thank you so much Lord for loving us the way we cannot love you.  You are everything we should strive to be.  Lord, please help me to serve you as much as I should.