Waiting to see

My favorite Christmas story is not found in the beginning of Luke 2. While I enjoy the story of the shepherds and the manger scene, this part of the story is my absolute favorite:

"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 upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 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, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."

The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 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, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." (Luke 2:15-38, NIV)

Two years ago, I was also waiting to see at Christmas time. After years of being very shortsighted, I finally scheduled a lasik procedure and was in the pre-operative time frame where I had to wear my heavy, thick glasses for a few weeks. Without my glasses, I could see nothing of the lights and colors of the season - just a massive blur around me. With my glasses, I could see, but I also felt the burden of that ability. My nose hurt and my ears ached from the weight of those "lightweight" lenses. But the excitement of knowing that was going to change gave me the patience to go through that season of waiting. It was going to be a thrilling moment when I could see without any help again.

Both Simeon and Anna had been waiting for a special moment, too. For years, they had felt the burden of their nation's sin and their nation's oppression. For years, they had hoped for the redeemer God had promised through the prophets. For years, they had watched and waited.

And they had to know it wouldn't be long now. Simeon had been told he would live to see the Christ and he knew he was closer to the end of his life than the beginning. Anna, living at the temple for many, many years, also waited for this momentous occasion.

How often do you suppose they scanned the crowds that went through the temple each day, wondering if this might be the day? The temple was a busy place, with animals, worshipers, priests and merchants all crowding around doing business. (Remind you of malls at this time of year?) How often do you suppose they searched the faces around them, waiting for that nudge that told them this was the one?

And then they saw. I am sure that they were among the few that did. But Anna recognized the child of this humble couple as the redemption of Jerusalem. Simeon, prompted by the Spirit, met him and praised God for him: "My eyes have seen your salvation." All their hopes were realized in one eight-day-old child visiting the temple because they recognized the One they had been looking for.

And, really, that sums up my prayer for you this Christmas. I pray that in all the hustle and bustle, the people and the noise, the business and the pleasure that you will see those moments of eternal significance; that you will see the child in the manger and recognize Him for who He is; that you will recognize the love that prompted such an amazing story. And that you, too, will say to God "My eyes have seen your salvation..."

Merry Christmas.

Two Stan Toler books (a review)

Stan Toler is a story teller. And nowhere is it more apparent than in this pair of his books, God Has Never Failed Me, But...: He's Sure Scared Me to Death a Few Timesand The Buzzards Are Circling, But...: God's Not Finished with Me Yet. Each book is filled with stories, quotes and snippets that illustrate the challenges and sometimes laughable dilemmas we can get find ourselves facing.

Toler's writing is light, engaging and an easy read even though the topics he covers may not always be so. My only difficulty, if I was to name one, is that sometimes there are so many stories, they jump from one to the next without maintaining any tangible connection to the topic of the chapter. On occasion it reads more like a Coffee Perks, or one of those snippets-and-quotes papers you find in a diner and it becomes a conscious effort to remember what he is talking about.

But on the whole, both books are worth the read simply because they do treat life with an eye to the humorous that can be found in any situation. And sometimes we have to be able to just laugh at the ironies of life.

Review copies provided by The B&B Media Group.

Past sins

At Bible Study tonight we were in Genesis 44, the story of Joseph and a trap he laid for his brothers. There are a lot of things to learn from that story (and a couple things I have questions about) but this verse struck me tonight. Judah is answering on behalf of his brothers when Joseph tells them they are free to go if Benjamin becomes his slave as the penalty for having stolen a cup. And Judah replies:

'We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.' (verse 20, emphasis mine)

Here's the thing - in today's terms this was a pretty dysfunctional family. Four mothers, twelve brothers, one father and all the rivalry you could imagine tossed in at both the parental and the sibling level. One of the ramifications of this tension was that one day, in a white hot rage, the brothers sold Joseph as a slave.

I cannot imagine that they thought Joseph would have survived the trip with the men that bought him, or even if he did, that he would have survived for twenty years in slavery. That day, they didn't care. Slaves were a commodity, and were not likely to get the best food, the best treatment, the best chances at living to a ripe age. And so to their minds, after twenty years, Joseph was dead. Period.

They watched their father grieve, watched him turn to Joseph's brother to be the favored son, watched how protective he was of Benjamin and eventually had to argue for their very survival against the strength of that one relationship. For twenty years, they had lived with their choice from that desert day. It would seem that they never shared that secret with their parents, but by the time they stood before Joseph, they'd been carrying that guilt for a long time. And they've run out of excuses,

"What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt." (verse 16b)

In fact, while Judah still doesn't tell the truth of what happened to Joseph, he made this double-edged promise to his father (and reports it to Joseph),

"'If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!'" (verse 32b)

Do you see the irony? Judah had already been bearing the blame for the loss of a brother. He had no idea that there may be no need for that burden of guilt. He was convinced that his brother, Joseph, was dead, and there would be no way to be rid of the guilt.

Until Joseph revealed himself to them.

Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

"So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God." (Genesis 45:3-8a)

So let me ask you - is there guilt you've carried because you assume there's just no option? Choices you've made, people you've wronged and it's simply not humanly impossible to make it right? You've committed the crime, now you'll just have to do the time?

Let me assure you that Jesus is waiting to reveal himself to you. And when he does, you will find that he can take that mess and take the guilt and take the past and redeem it. Judah and his brothers couldn't undo what they'd done when they sold Joseph but they could accept Joseph's forgiveness and the hope he offered them.

And you have the same choice. You can't change the past, but you can let God use it to change the future. Turn it over to Him and let Him "use it for good."