WEBVTT 00:00:00.980 --> 00:00:03.080 Well, good morning, church. Merry Christmas. 00:00:04.740 --> 00:00:09.140 Turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2. 00:00:10.919 --> 00:00:15.300 We are looking at the Song of Simeon. 00:00:15.380 --> 00:00:20.379 We've looked at the four songs which open up the Gospel of Luke over the four weeks of this month. 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:24.519 And today we are looking at the last one. 00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:29.060 We're actually going to look at two people, both Simeon and Anna. 00:00:29.059 --> 00:00:31.160 That are in this passage. 00:00:31.279 --> 00:00:37.280 We're going to read Luke, chapter 2, from verse 25 to verse 38. 00:00:38.920 --> 00:00:40.100 So you can turn there. 00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:44.399 If you're looking at a pew Bible, it's page 857. 00:00:45.899 --> 00:00:51.099 So Luke, chapter 2, starting at verse 25. 00:00:51.100 --> 00:00:59.520 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:06.000 And this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. 00:01:06.820 --> 00:01:08.840 And the Holy Spirit was upon him. 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:16.620 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. 00:01:16.620 --> 00:01:19.660 And he came in the Spirit into the temple. 00:01:20.340 --> 00:01:26.000 And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him according to the custom of the law, 00:01:26.219 --> 00:01:30.400 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:37.060 Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word. 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:43.100 For my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 00:01:43.900 --> 00:01:49.580 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. 00:01:50.660 --> 00:01:53.800 And his father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 00:01:53.799 --> 00:01:55.920 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 00:01:56.039 --> 00:02:02.739 Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign that is opposed. 00:02:03.519 --> 00:02:09.000 And a sword will pierce through your own soul also, so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. 00:02:10.060 --> 00:02:14.300 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. 00:02:15.099 --> 00:02:19.379 She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin 00:02:19.379 --> 00:02:22.939 and then as a widow until she was 84. 00:02:24.019 --> 00:02:30.840 She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 00:02:31.799 --> 00:02:35.740 And coming up at that very hour, she began to give thanks to God 00:02:35.740 --> 00:02:41.900 and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. 00:02:43.300 --> 00:02:46.019 Christmas is finally here. 00:02:46.020 --> 00:02:53.660 How many kids have been waiting and looking forward to Christmas for a long time? 00:02:54.820 --> 00:02:55.080 Right? 00:02:55.340 --> 00:02:58.860 Anybody been counting down the days through the month of December? 00:02:59.480 --> 00:03:01.719 Looking forward to seeing friends or family? 00:03:02.580 --> 00:03:05.520 Maybe visiting from out of town and eating special foods? 00:03:06.100 --> 00:03:07.540 Giving and receiving presents? 00:03:08.520 --> 00:03:11.360 For the adults, maybe you've been looking forward to Christmas too. 00:03:12.460 --> 00:03:14.840 Perhaps it's the end of all the frantic preparations. 00:03:16.020 --> 00:03:20.420 Making food, buying gifts, delivering gifts, writing cards, mailing cards, cleaning house. 00:03:20.500 --> 00:03:23.200 Now you can finally sit back and relax. 00:03:23.860 --> 00:03:25.420 At least for a little while. 00:03:26.219 --> 00:03:29.879 After all the waiting and preparing, Christmas Day is finally here. 00:03:31.480 --> 00:03:36.960 But what exactly is it about Christmas that makes it worth waiting for? 00:03:38.020 --> 00:03:42.140 What is it that we look for and long for and hope for this time of year? 00:03:42.139 --> 00:03:44.979 Is it just food, presents, getting stuff? 00:03:46.079 --> 00:03:47.439 Is it being with people? 00:03:48.359 --> 00:03:49.539 People we care about? 00:03:50.519 --> 00:03:51.479 Friends and family? 00:03:51.579 --> 00:03:52.559 Or is it something bigger? 00:03:53.479 --> 00:04:01.899 A hope that somehow love and peace would prevail in our fractured and frenzied world? 00:04:01.900 --> 00:04:13.000 You know, Christmas is one of the very few days in the year when you can walk through the city of New Haven and it actually seems to be at rest. 00:04:14.120 --> 00:04:16.500 No rushed drivers running red lights. 00:04:16.639 --> 00:04:19.199 No stressed out students burning the midnight oil. 00:04:19.579 --> 00:04:23.000 No weary workers toiling from early morning to late night. 00:04:23.100 --> 00:04:27.759 For one day in the year, the city finally seems to rest. 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:30.659 The only other day like it, I think, is Thanksgiving. 00:04:32.219 --> 00:04:34.579 But even on Thanksgiving, the stores open at six. 00:04:35.779 --> 00:04:40.159 So really, Christmas is sort of the only full day that the city seems to rest. 00:04:40.740 --> 00:04:45.000 But of course, the rest and joy of the holiday season doesn't seem to last forever. 00:04:45.099 --> 00:04:47.620 To be sure, some of it carries over through the next week. 00:04:47.620 --> 00:04:55.839 Perhaps until the day after New Year's or this year, January 3rd, when the world will go on much as it was before. 00:04:55.839 --> 00:05:01.079 So what is it that we look forward to at Christmas? 00:05:02.279 --> 00:05:07.959 Is it just something temporary and fleeting that comes and goes each year? 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:13.639 Is it a mere projection of our wishes that will inevitably slip out of our grasp? 00:05:13.639 --> 00:05:28.779 Or are the longings and hopes that we experience in this season, the hopes for family and fellowship, for peace and rest, for joy and beauty, 00:05:28.860 --> 00:05:35.979 are those hopes and longings perhaps a window through which we glimpse a more enduring reality? 00:05:35.980 --> 00:05:40.560 Even a transcendent reality, something that's not of this world. 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:46.220 And we hope and long and wait for that. 00:05:46.660 --> 00:05:48.780 And we glimpse it at this time of year. 00:05:49.960 --> 00:05:55.980 The passage we read this morning from the Gospel of Luke, we see a man and a woman who had been waiting a long time. 00:05:56.060 --> 00:06:00.640 In fact, waiting their whole life long for what we celebrate at Christmas. 00:06:00.639 --> 00:06:09.279 Until this moment, Simeon and Anna, their lives were characterized by waiting, longing, hoping, anticipating. 00:06:09.979 --> 00:06:15.279 Verse 25 says, Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. 00:06:15.439 --> 00:06:17.060 Verse 37 describes Anna. 00:06:17.199 --> 00:06:22.819 She did not depart from the temple worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 00:06:22.819 --> 00:06:31.560 The practice of fasting in particular was a sign of longing, literally hungering for God to come and transform this world. 00:06:32.480 --> 00:06:39.659 One person described fasting as a kind of spiritual protest, an assertion that all is not well in this world. 00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:47.839 So Anna and Simeon were among those who, as verse 38 says, were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:54.799 They were waiting for the liberation of their people, praying for the day when those who were mourning would be comforted, 00:06:55.219 --> 00:07:00.879 hoping for the day when God would come, as he had promised long ago. 00:07:02.419 --> 00:07:07.399 By this time, though, both Simeon and Anna were quite advanced in years. 00:07:08.859 --> 00:07:12.159 We don't know Simeon's age, but verse 26 tells us, 00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:21.080 That word Christ just means king or Messiah. 00:07:22.660 --> 00:07:27.660 So it's likely he was getting older, realizing that death might come to him soon. 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:31.840 And Anna, Anna was certainly quite elderly. 00:07:32.120 --> 00:07:34.760 According to verse 36, she had been married for seven years, 00:07:34.960 --> 00:07:37.940 then lived the rest of her life as a widow until she was 84. 00:07:39.180 --> 00:07:41.320 It's also possible that the text could be translated, 00:07:41.319 --> 00:07:43.620 she lived as a widow for 84 years. 00:07:43.860 --> 00:07:45.680 In that case, she would have been over 100. 00:07:46.740 --> 00:07:49.099 Either way, she had lived quite a long time. 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:52.959 She had seen a lot, and she was still waiting. 00:07:55.339 --> 00:07:57.839 But in the child whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, 00:07:58.180 --> 00:08:04.759 what we see this morning is that Simeon and Anna finally found what they had been waiting for. 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:06.959 Their whole life long. 00:08:06.959 --> 00:08:12.579 And I want to look at each of them this morning, Simeon and then Anna, 00:08:13.299 --> 00:08:16.519 what they were waiting for and what they found, 00:08:17.479 --> 00:08:19.899 and what that has to offer us this Christmas. 00:08:21.060 --> 00:08:24.679 So first, I want to look at the rest that Simeon found. 00:08:26.359 --> 00:08:29.699 Simeon's song in verse 29 to 32 is at the heart of this passage. 00:08:29.699 --> 00:08:34.100 It's the last of four songs that open up this gospel. 00:08:34.539 --> 00:08:36.840 We've looked at Mary's song of joyful praise. 00:08:36.960 --> 00:08:39.519 We've looked at Zachariah's song of confident hope. 00:08:39.620 --> 00:08:41.819 We've looked at the angel song of glorious news. 00:08:42.100 --> 00:08:43.460 And finally, Simeon's song. 00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:47.659 And more than anything else, Simeon's song is a song about peace. 00:08:49.159 --> 00:08:52.759 It's a song of someone who finally found rest. 00:08:52.759 --> 00:09:01.740 Now, in order to understand Simeon's song, I want you to imagine a security guard who works third shift. 00:09:02.840 --> 00:09:09.539 Someone who's responsible to watch over a building or a neighborhood or a city through the long night hours 00:09:09.539 --> 00:09:12.460 when most other people are asleep and unaware. 00:09:13.539 --> 00:09:16.139 In the ancient world, the city would often have a night watchman 00:09:16.139 --> 00:09:21.220 whose job it was to patrol the city walls to make sure the city was kept safe 00:09:21.220 --> 00:09:26.679 from potential threats during the most vulnerable and potentially chaotic hours of the night. 00:09:27.939 --> 00:09:33.240 Through the whole long night, the security guard has been pacing back and forth, 00:09:33.939 --> 00:09:38.779 going from station to station, sometimes yawning and trying to stay awake and stay focused, 00:09:39.519 --> 00:09:42.200 sometimes shivering and trying to keep warm, 00:09:42.980 --> 00:09:43.879 sometimes yawning, 00:09:43.879 --> 00:09:48.439 always alert to signs of potential danger, 00:09:49.519 --> 00:09:52.019 all the while waiting and anticipating the time 00:09:52.019 --> 00:09:53.960 when the sky would gradually brighten 00:09:53.960 --> 00:09:56.500 and the sun would rise above the horizon 00:09:56.500 --> 00:09:58.679 and flood the world and the city with light. 00:09:59.100 --> 00:10:01.220 And then he would report to his boss and say, 00:10:02.159 --> 00:10:04.340 Now, my job is done. 00:10:05.500 --> 00:10:07.899 Now, I can go in peace. 00:10:09.220 --> 00:10:10.980 That's how Simeon's song begins. 00:10:12.059 --> 00:10:13.559 Lord, now, 00:10:13.879 --> 00:10:16.899 you are letting your servant depart in peace. 00:10:18.740 --> 00:10:23.360 The word now is actually the first word in the original Greek. 00:10:23.720 --> 00:10:24.439 That's the emphasis. 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:26.299 For my whole life I've been waiting, 00:10:26.740 --> 00:10:27.139 watching, 00:10:27.580 --> 00:10:27.899 hoping, 00:10:28.220 --> 00:10:29.500 looking forward to this moment, 00:10:29.519 --> 00:10:30.220 and now 00:10:30.220 --> 00:10:32.159 I can rest. 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:37.960 Simeon speaks to God as if he's speaking to a trusted boss. 00:10:37.960 --> 00:10:41.060 He addresses God as Lord, 00:10:41.820 --> 00:10:42.780 Master. 00:10:43.379 --> 00:10:45.920 He acknowledges God's rightful authority over him. 00:10:45.980 --> 00:10:48.320 He calls himself your bondservant, 00:10:49.320 --> 00:10:52.480 one who owed everything to God. 00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:57.139 And yet he trusted God to ultimately do him and his people good. 00:10:58.259 --> 00:10:59.920 You are letting your servant depart. 00:10:59.919 --> 00:11:00.299 Literally, 00:11:00.419 --> 00:11:05.099 that means you are releasing me from the duty you have laid upon me. 00:11:05.639 --> 00:11:07.019 Just as you said you would, 00:11:08.120 --> 00:11:09.240 according to your word. 00:11:10.579 --> 00:11:11.740 Your word is good. 00:11:14.019 --> 00:11:17.439 Simeon describes himself as one who has been waiting through the long, 00:11:17.819 --> 00:11:18.179 dark night, 00:11:18.259 --> 00:11:19.579 through years and decades, 00:11:19.580 --> 00:11:21.080 when God seemed distant, 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:22.420 silent, 00:11:22.700 --> 00:11:23.900 or even absent. 00:11:25.020 --> 00:11:29.460 When at times chaos and danger and evil seemed to reign unchecked. 00:11:29.460 --> 00:11:31.700 But now he sees the dawning of a new day. 00:11:32.900 --> 00:11:35.600 And even though the sun was only peeking over the horizon 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:38.080 and beginning to shine its light over the world, 00:11:38.160 --> 00:11:38.460 he says, 00:11:38.540 --> 00:11:39.820 now I can go in peace. 00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:43.200 My eyes have seen your salvation, 00:11:44.280 --> 00:11:46.980 which you have prepared for all the world to see. 00:11:46.980 --> 00:11:52.980 A light for revelation to the nations and the glory of your people Israel. 00:11:54.100 --> 00:11:57.639 Simeon was most likely thinking of words that the prophet Isaiah had spoken 00:11:57.639 --> 00:12:00.399 hundreds of years ago to the watchmen, 00:12:00.500 --> 00:12:03.039 literally the security guards of Jerusalem. 00:12:04.360 --> 00:12:06.940 Isaiah wrote in chapter 52 of his book, 00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:08.100 the voice of your watchmen, 00:12:08.180 --> 00:12:09.320 they lift up their voice. 00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:11.860 Together they sing for joy, 00:12:11.980 --> 00:12:12.740 for eye to eye, 00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:16.060 they see the return of the Lord to Zion. 00:12:16.980 --> 00:12:18.960 Break forth together into singing, 00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:21.500 you waste places of Jerusalem, 00:12:21.659 --> 00:12:23.420 for the Lord has comforted his people. 00:12:24.279 --> 00:12:27.060 He has redeemed Jerusalem. 00:12:27.680 --> 00:12:31.420 The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, 00:12:31.960 --> 00:12:36.519 and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. 00:12:36.519 --> 00:12:41.740 Simeon knew of that prophecy, 00:12:41.740 --> 00:12:42.319 and he said, 00:12:42.460 --> 00:12:44.579 now it's come to pass. 00:12:46.079 --> 00:12:48.079 Now is the day of God's salvation. 00:12:48.299 --> 00:12:54.480 Now God has come and returned to Zion to comfort and redeem, 00:12:54.980 --> 00:12:56.860 to heal and liberate his people. 00:12:57.519 --> 00:12:59.720 And God's light would shine not just on Israel, 00:12:59.840 --> 00:13:01.600 but on all the nations of the world. 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:03.779 Simeon says, 00:13:03.860 --> 00:13:06.540 that's what God is doing through this child, 00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:07.899 Jesus. 00:13:10.259 --> 00:13:11.080 And so Simeon says, 00:13:11.159 --> 00:13:12.019 now my job is done. 00:13:13.399 --> 00:13:17.060 Now I can die happy and at peace, 00:13:17.480 --> 00:13:21.340 because this child has come to do what I never could. 00:13:22.779 --> 00:13:26.300 He's come to complete what I couldn't even start. 00:13:26.299 --> 00:13:29.539 I'm just the night watchman. 00:13:29.639 --> 00:13:31.599 He's the son of righteousness. 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:33.099 I'm not the Messiah. 00:13:33.259 --> 00:13:34.039 He is. 00:13:36.979 --> 00:13:37.539 You know, 00:13:37.579 --> 00:13:38.519 the message of the Bible, 00:13:39.379 --> 00:13:40.919 at the heart of it, 00:13:41.620 --> 00:13:44.839 is not about what we must do 00:13:44.839 --> 00:13:47.240 to draw near to God, 00:13:47.799 --> 00:13:51.939 to fix ourselves and fix our world. 00:13:51.940 --> 00:13:55.520 It's about what God has done for us 00:13:55.520 --> 00:13:58.160 in the person of Jesus Christ. 00:13:59.580 --> 00:14:01.580 And the posture it calls us to is 00:14:01.580 --> 00:14:05.220 the posture that Simeon adopted to receive that. 00:14:06.580 --> 00:14:07.640 Simeon saw the child, 00:14:07.760 --> 00:14:07.940 Jesus, 00:14:08.040 --> 00:14:09.960 and he took him in his arms, 00:14:11.060 --> 00:14:12.600 received him, 00:14:13.380 --> 00:14:13.920 and he said, 00:14:13.980 --> 00:14:14.880 now I can rest, 00:14:15.420 --> 00:14:18.700 because he is going to complete the work 00:14:18.700 --> 00:14:21.020 that I could not do. 00:14:22.180 --> 00:14:23.040 Many years ago, 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:24.840 Timothy Dwight said, 00:14:24.840 --> 00:14:26.060 Christ is the only, 00:14:26.580 --> 00:14:27.160 the true, 00:14:28.020 --> 00:14:28.900 the living way 00:14:28.900 --> 00:14:30.740 of access to God. 00:14:31.680 --> 00:14:32.660 Give up yourselves, 00:14:32.840 --> 00:14:33.020 therefore, 00:14:33.180 --> 00:14:33.620 to him, 00:14:34.540 --> 00:14:36.240 and the great work of life is done. 00:14:38.820 --> 00:14:39.940 Now you can rest. 00:14:41.560 --> 00:14:41.820 You see, 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:43.860 Simeon saw Jesus, 00:14:44.020 --> 00:14:45.100 and he found rest. 00:14:45.100 --> 00:14:49.500 Now it wasn't the 00:14:49.500 --> 00:14:52.240 self-indulgent sloth 00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:54.740 that comes from turning a blind eye 00:14:54.740 --> 00:14:55.540 to the pain 00:14:55.540 --> 00:14:57.159 and anguish 00:14:57.159 --> 00:14:59.460 and brokenness of this world. 00:15:00.279 --> 00:15:01.720 Not that kind of rest. 00:15:01.779 --> 00:15:02.899 That's not true rest. 00:15:04.460 --> 00:15:06.460 Nor was it the deflated weariness 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:07.580 of cynicism 00:15:07.580 --> 00:15:09.740 and resignation 00:15:09.740 --> 00:15:12.279 that makes you want to just 00:15:12.279 --> 00:15:14.080 crumple up and lay down on the floor. 00:15:15.100 --> 00:15:18.540 Not the anxious striving 00:15:18.540 --> 00:15:20.960 and stressful rushing 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:22.139 that characterizes 00:15:22.139 --> 00:15:24.540 so much of our lives, 00:15:25.340 --> 00:15:26.320 so much of the time. 00:15:27.659 --> 00:15:29.899 But Simeon found peaceful rest. 00:15:31.680 --> 00:15:33.560 Knowing that God was in charge, 00:15:33.720 --> 00:15:35.460 knowing that his plans for his people 00:15:35.460 --> 00:15:37.960 and his creation are good, 00:15:39.560 --> 00:15:41.340 and seeing that in Jesus, 00:15:41.500 --> 00:15:41.980 the Messiah, 00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:42.840 he has accomplished 00:15:42.840 --> 00:15:43.960 what he said he would. 00:15:43.960 --> 00:15:47.259 And our lives are in his hands. 00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:48.480 Simeon could say that. 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:51.379 Have you found that peaceful rest? 00:15:54.100 --> 00:15:55.340 Can you say with Simeon, 00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:57.200 now because Jesus has come, 00:15:57.300 --> 00:15:59.540 now I can die in peace. 00:16:01.940 --> 00:16:03.160 Tim Keller in his book, 00:16:03.240 --> 00:16:04.040 Every Good Endeavor, 00:16:04.139 --> 00:16:05.700 tells a story about John Coltrane, 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:07.560 the jazz saxophonist, 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:09.860 and his most celebrated album, 00:16:09.960 --> 00:16:10.680 A Love Supreme, 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:12.200 which he dedicated to God 00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:13.640 as an offering of praise. 00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:17.600 He explained that it was the result 00:16:17.600 --> 00:16:18.660 of a spiritual awakening 00:16:18.660 --> 00:16:19.740 he had experienced 00:16:19.740 --> 00:16:20.840 by God's grace, 00:16:21.620 --> 00:16:22.660 through which he had come 00:16:22.660 --> 00:16:24.460 to acknowledge God's omnipotence 00:16:24.460 --> 00:16:26.620 and our dependence on him, 00:16:26.700 --> 00:16:27.860 the God who is gracious 00:16:27.860 --> 00:16:29.140 and merciful. 00:16:29.139 --> 00:16:32.679 There was only one live recorded performance 00:16:32.679 --> 00:16:34.379 of this piece. 00:16:35.659 --> 00:16:36.919 And at the end of that performance, 00:16:37.059 --> 00:16:38.779 Coltrane stepped down from the stage 00:16:38.779 --> 00:16:40.120 and he said, 00:16:40.899 --> 00:16:42.340 Nunc dimittis. 00:16:43.399 --> 00:16:44.240 That is the Latin 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:46.000 for the first two words 00:16:46.000 --> 00:16:47.519 of Simeon's song. 00:16:48.120 --> 00:16:49.860 Now I can go. 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:52.879 Keller writes, 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:54.399 Coltrane claimed to have had 00:16:54.399 --> 00:16:56.620 an experience of God's love 00:16:56.620 --> 00:16:58.259 that liberated him 00:16:58.259 --> 00:16:59.819 from the tyranny of work. 00:17:00.860 --> 00:17:02.799 From the pursuit of perfectionism 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:04.019 and self-justification, 00:17:04.180 --> 00:17:06.019 he had been given God's power. 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:08.460 He had felt God's pleasure. 00:17:09.559 --> 00:17:10.920 He had experienced God's grace. 00:17:11.019 --> 00:17:12.299 He had responded in praise. 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:14.639 And now he could rest. 00:17:16.440 --> 00:17:17.799 That's what Simeon found 00:17:17.799 --> 00:17:19.379 in the Christ child. 00:17:20.599 --> 00:17:21.059 Rest. 00:17:21.059 --> 00:17:23.659 But now look at Anna 00:17:23.659 --> 00:17:26.460 in verse 36 to 38. 00:17:27.399 --> 00:17:29.220 Notice in verse 38 in particular 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:30.740 how the news of the child Jesus 00:17:30.740 --> 00:17:31.659 affected her. 00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:35.000 Anna didn't say, 00:17:35.759 --> 00:17:37.779 Now I can die in peace. 00:17:39.819 --> 00:17:40.919 Now my work is done. 00:17:40.980 --> 00:17:42.079 Notice how she reacted. 00:17:43.359 --> 00:17:45.319 She began to give thanks to God 00:17:45.319 --> 00:17:46.859 and to speak of him 00:17:46.859 --> 00:17:48.599 to all who were waiting 00:17:48.599 --> 00:17:50.399 for the redemption of Jerusalem. 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:51.920 It's as if the coming of Christ 00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:54.220 gave her a new lease on life 00:17:54.220 --> 00:17:55.920 at the age of 84. 00:17:57.180 --> 00:17:59.580 It awakened and enlivened her. 00:18:01.040 --> 00:18:02.360 She began praising God 00:18:02.360 --> 00:18:03.519 and proclaiming the good news 00:18:03.519 --> 00:18:04.820 to everyone around her. 00:18:05.100 --> 00:18:06.320 And the verb tenses indicate 00:18:06.320 --> 00:18:07.840 this wasn't just a one-time thing. 00:18:07.940 --> 00:18:08.360 It became, 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:09.400 it was a continuous, 00:18:10.080 --> 00:18:10.680 ongoing, 00:18:11.100 --> 00:18:12.160 habitual action. 00:18:13.480 --> 00:18:15.019 Giving thanks to God 00:18:15.019 --> 00:18:17.140 and speaking of Jesus 00:18:17.140 --> 00:18:18.019 to all those 00:18:18.019 --> 00:18:19.500 who would listen to her. 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:21.320 For Simeon, 00:18:21.380 --> 00:18:22.100 the coming of Christ 00:18:22.100 --> 00:18:23.580 made him ready to die in peace. 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:25.740 For Anna, 00:18:25.800 --> 00:18:26.580 the coming of Christ 00:18:26.580 --> 00:18:27.300 gave her energy 00:18:27.300 --> 00:18:28.620 to live with hope 00:18:28.620 --> 00:18:29.340 and joy 00:18:29.340 --> 00:18:30.320 and praise. 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:31.960 Simeon got rest. 00:18:32.360 --> 00:18:33.320 Anna got energy. 00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:36.380 Some of us, 00:18:36.500 --> 00:18:36.900 like Simeon, 00:18:36.940 --> 00:18:38.200 might be ready to die in peace. 00:18:39.259 --> 00:18:40.380 But we need strength, 00:18:40.940 --> 00:18:41.620 like Anna, 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:42.240 to live 00:18:42.240 --> 00:18:43.680 with praise. 00:18:43.680 --> 00:18:46.600 Maybe like Anna, 00:18:46.680 --> 00:18:48.380 you are getting older 00:18:48.380 --> 00:18:50.060 day by day. 00:18:51.400 --> 00:18:52.440 Perhaps your body 00:18:52.440 --> 00:18:53.960 is gradually slowing down. 00:18:55.100 --> 00:18:55.960 Your memory 00:18:55.960 --> 00:18:57.920 is beginning to fade, 00:18:58.140 --> 00:18:59.299 at least at some points. 00:19:00.200 --> 00:19:00.980 Perhaps your eyes 00:19:00.980 --> 00:19:01.700 are growing dim. 00:19:02.680 --> 00:19:03.519 Your hearing 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:04.820 isn't what it used to be. 00:19:05.779 --> 00:19:07.360 You feel not quite as sharp 00:19:07.360 --> 00:19:09.340 as you once were. 00:19:09.339 --> 00:19:12.240 And perhaps you're tempted 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:13.019 to sit back 00:19:13.019 --> 00:19:15.259 and become just 00:19:15.259 --> 00:19:16.619 a passive observer 00:19:16.619 --> 00:19:20.399 of life going on around you. 00:19:20.959 --> 00:19:22.179 Because you're facing 00:19:22.179 --> 00:19:23.619 difficult physical 00:19:23.619 --> 00:19:24.819 and mental limitations 00:19:24.819 --> 00:19:25.659 that you haven't 00:19:25.659 --> 00:19:27.139 had to deal with previously. 00:19:28.980 --> 00:19:30.039 Maybe those of us 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:30.539 who are younger 00:19:30.539 --> 00:19:31.459 or middle-aged 00:19:31.459 --> 00:19:33.019 haven't honored you 00:19:33.019 --> 00:19:34.579 in the way we should. 00:19:34.579 --> 00:19:37.079 Perhaps you feel 00:19:37.079 --> 00:19:37.699 disregarded 00:19:37.699 --> 00:19:39.099 or unnoticed 00:19:39.099 --> 00:19:40.759 or unwanted. 00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:43.119 But let me encourage you. 00:19:44.359 --> 00:19:45.319 The Holy Spirit 00:19:45.319 --> 00:19:47.679 knows no age limit. 00:19:49.559 --> 00:19:50.279 In chapter 1, 00:19:50.339 --> 00:19:50.919 the Holy Spirit 00:19:50.919 --> 00:19:51.980 was at work 00:19:51.980 --> 00:19:52.699 in John the Baptist 00:19:52.699 --> 00:19:53.319 when he was still 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:54.119 in his mother's womb. 00:19:54.220 --> 00:19:54.539 And here, 00:19:54.639 --> 00:19:55.099 the Holy Spirit 00:19:55.099 --> 00:19:56.279 was active in Simeon 00:19:56.279 --> 00:19:56.799 and Anna 00:19:56.799 --> 00:19:57.679 nearing the end 00:19:57.679 --> 00:19:58.460 of their lives. 00:20:01.419 --> 00:20:02.460 Let me encourage you 00:20:02.460 --> 00:20:03.419 not to be idle 00:20:03.419 --> 00:20:04.559 and inactive. 00:20:04.579 --> 00:20:05.299 and silent. 00:20:05.439 --> 00:20:06.039 Be creative 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:08.599 within the limitations 00:20:08.599 --> 00:20:09.539 that you have. 00:20:10.119 --> 00:20:10.960 You might need 00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:11.759 to find new ways 00:20:11.759 --> 00:20:12.679 of doing things. 00:20:13.240 --> 00:20:13.740 You might need 00:20:13.740 --> 00:20:14.480 to ask for help. 00:20:14.559 --> 00:20:15.179 That can actually 00:20:15.179 --> 00:20:16.059 be a way of serving 00:20:16.059 --> 00:20:17.059 someone else 00:20:17.059 --> 00:20:18.179 by allowing them 00:20:18.179 --> 00:20:19.799 to serve you. 00:20:20.019 --> 00:20:21.199 It is actually 00:20:21.199 --> 00:20:21.679 a way that you 00:20:21.679 --> 00:20:22.639 can bless others. 00:20:24.299 --> 00:20:25.259 But let your life 00:20:25.259 --> 00:20:25.879 be characterized 00:20:25.879 --> 00:20:27.500 like Anna's was. 00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:30.359 By giving thanks 00:20:30.359 --> 00:20:31.460 to God continually. 00:20:32.619 --> 00:20:33.460 By speaking 00:20:33.460 --> 00:20:34.179 of the Lord Jesus 00:20:34.180 --> 00:20:35.580 to all who will listen. 00:20:39.140 --> 00:20:40.380 Or perhaps like Anna, 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:42.019 you're on your own. 00:20:43.299 --> 00:20:43.940 Anna was married 00:20:43.940 --> 00:20:44.840 for seven years 00:20:44.840 --> 00:20:46.380 and then she was a widow 00:20:46.380 --> 00:20:47.440 for the rest of her life. 00:20:48.900 --> 00:20:50.060 She lived in a culture 00:20:50.060 --> 00:20:51.259 that even more than ours 00:20:51.259 --> 00:20:52.640 revolved around marriage 00:20:52.640 --> 00:20:53.960 and family 00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:55.360 and children. 00:20:56.720 --> 00:20:58.000 She lived in a society 00:20:58.000 --> 00:20:58.620 where widows 00:20:58.620 --> 00:20:59.820 were particularly vulnerable, 00:20:59.819 --> 00:21:02.119 both economically 00:21:02.119 --> 00:21:03.059 and otherwise. 00:21:04.779 --> 00:21:06.159 But for whatever reason, 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:06.879 Anna had taken 00:21:06.879 --> 00:21:07.399 a harder 00:21:07.399 --> 00:21:08.220 and potentially 00:21:08.220 --> 00:21:09.939 more lonely road. 00:21:12.399 --> 00:21:13.460 Anna knew what it was like 00:21:13.460 --> 00:21:15.960 to spend every holiday 00:21:15.960 --> 00:21:16.859 without a spouse 00:21:16.859 --> 00:21:18.480 and without children. 00:21:19.559 --> 00:21:20.939 She knew what it was like 00:21:20.939 --> 00:21:22.259 to go to bed alone 00:21:22.259 --> 00:21:23.759 every night. 00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:26.400 She knew what it was like 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:27.339 to have lost someone 00:21:27.339 --> 00:21:28.759 so very dear to her. 00:21:31.259 --> 00:21:32.400 Maybe you're wrestling 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:33.079 with one or more 00:21:33.079 --> 00:21:33.700 of those things. 00:21:33.819 --> 00:21:35.960 Loss, loneliness, longing. 00:21:37.319 --> 00:21:38.319 But in all that, 00:21:38.420 --> 00:21:39.500 Anna devoted herself 00:21:39.500 --> 00:21:40.079 to God. 00:21:41.480 --> 00:21:42.379 It says she did not 00:21:42.379 --> 00:21:43.400 depart from the temple. 00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:45.099 Now that doesn't 00:21:45.099 --> 00:21:45.980 literally mean 00:21:45.980 --> 00:21:47.819 that she pitched a tent 00:21:47.819 --> 00:21:49.019 and laid her sleeping bag 00:21:49.019 --> 00:21:49.440 in the temple 00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:50.700 and camped out there 00:21:50.700 --> 00:21:51.059 every night. 00:21:51.140 --> 00:21:51.799 There wasn't space 00:21:51.799 --> 00:21:52.480 for her to do that. 00:21:52.480 --> 00:21:53.440 That wouldn't have been feasible. 00:21:54.839 --> 00:21:55.519 But it means 00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:57.360 she did not isolate herself 00:21:57.360 --> 00:21:59.620 from the people of God. 00:22:01.460 --> 00:22:03.539 She actively engaged herself 00:22:03.539 --> 00:22:05.099 in the community of faith. 00:22:07.180 --> 00:22:08.240 So let me encourage you 00:22:08.240 --> 00:22:08.860 to do that. 00:22:09.539 --> 00:22:10.240 And it also says 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:11.240 she devoted her energies 00:22:11.240 --> 00:22:12.120 to worshiping, 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:14.120 fasting and praying 00:22:14.120 --> 00:22:15.180 night and day. 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:18.500 If you have neither spouse 00:22:18.500 --> 00:22:19.079 nor children, 00:22:19.079 --> 00:22:20.079 that is actually 00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:21.400 one of the great 00:22:21.400 --> 00:22:22.460 spiritual privileges. 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:23.380 you have, 00:22:24.220 --> 00:22:25.160 you can spend 00:22:25.160 --> 00:22:27.299 uninterrupted time 00:22:27.299 --> 00:22:27.940 in prayer 00:22:27.940 --> 00:22:29.980 with no one 00:22:29.980 --> 00:22:31.319 to bother you 00:22:31.319 --> 00:22:33.200 and no one 00:22:33.200 --> 00:22:33.940 who could rightly 00:22:33.940 --> 00:22:34.660 interrupt you 00:22:34.660 --> 00:22:35.920 and claim 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:37.099 your time. 00:22:38.000 --> 00:22:38.799 Well, perhaps someone 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:40.640 would interrupt you, 00:22:41.360 --> 00:22:44.839 but with less interruption. 00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:49.119 the road of sin 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:52.619 or widowhood over the long term, 00:22:52.699 --> 00:22:53.379 the road of loss 00:22:53.379 --> 00:22:53.879 and loneliness 00:22:53.879 --> 00:22:54.500 and longing 00:22:54.500 --> 00:22:55.459 that comes in various 00:22:55.459 --> 00:22:56.480 shapes and forms 00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:57.539 is not an easy road 00:22:57.539 --> 00:22:58.059 to walk 00:22:58.059 --> 00:22:59.819 and often not a path 00:22:59.819 --> 00:23:00.500 that any of us 00:23:00.500 --> 00:23:01.119 would choose 00:23:01.119 --> 00:23:02.579 if it were just 00:23:02.579 --> 00:23:03.339 up to us. 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:06.659 But the Bible says 00:23:06.659 --> 00:23:07.439 that the Holy Spirit 00:23:07.439 --> 00:23:07.819 of God 00:23:07.819 --> 00:23:08.980 can energize us 00:23:08.980 --> 00:23:10.799 to walk on that path 00:23:10.799 --> 00:23:12.460 and that the Lord 00:23:12.460 --> 00:23:13.539 Jesus Christ himself 00:23:13.539 --> 00:23:14.500 accompanies us 00:23:14.500 --> 00:23:15.279 for he walked 00:23:15.279 --> 00:23:15.960 that path, 00:23:16.759 --> 00:23:18.419 the path of loss 00:23:18.419 --> 00:23:19.279 and loneliness 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:20.159 and longing 00:23:20.159 --> 00:23:21.960 when he was on earth. 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:23.960 His life began 00:23:23.960 --> 00:23:24.519 in a manger 00:23:24.519 --> 00:23:26.779 and his life 00:23:26.779 --> 00:23:27.220 would end 00:23:27.220 --> 00:23:27.879 on a cross. 00:23:29.480 --> 00:23:30.440 He was rejected 00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:32.919 so that we could enjoy 00:23:32.919 --> 00:23:33.639 God's acceptance. 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:35.819 He was made poor 00:23:35.819 --> 00:23:37.519 so that we could 00:23:37.519 --> 00:23:38.759 become eternally rich. 00:23:38.759 --> 00:23:40.279 He was forsaken 00:23:40.279 --> 00:23:42.200 so that we might 00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:42.740 be forgiven. 00:23:44.400 --> 00:23:45.119 He died 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:46.099 so that we might live. 00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:49.119 He gave 00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:49.859 so that we might 00:23:49.859 --> 00:23:51.379 receive a gift 00:23:51.379 --> 00:23:52.799 that would never 00:23:52.799 --> 00:23:53.400 pass away. 00:23:55.779 --> 00:23:57.000 And seeing the Christ child, 00:23:57.160 --> 00:23:58.000 Anna found energy 00:23:58.000 --> 00:23:58.519 through which 00:23:58.519 --> 00:23:59.279 she could live. 00:24:00.180 --> 00:24:01.240 Simeon found peace 00:24:01.240 --> 00:24:02.299 in which he could die. 00:24:04.180 --> 00:24:04.920 And isn't that 00:24:04.920 --> 00:24:05.720 all we really need? 00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:09.720 When it comes down to it. 00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:11.859 Isn't that 00:24:11.859 --> 00:24:12.519 what we hope 00:24:12.519 --> 00:24:13.299 and long for 00:24:13.299 --> 00:24:14.460 in this holiday season? 00:24:14.579 --> 00:24:15.019 What we try 00:24:15.019 --> 00:24:15.879 to grasp onto 00:24:15.879 --> 00:24:17.740 in the form 00:24:17.740 --> 00:24:18.759 of beautiful music 00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:20.980 and satisfying food 00:24:20.980 --> 00:24:23.079 and thoughtful presence 00:24:23.079 --> 00:24:24.940 and the comforts 00:24:24.940 --> 00:24:25.519 of a home? 00:24:28.660 --> 00:24:29.220 Of course, 00:24:29.259 --> 00:24:30.119 it never lasts forever. 00:24:32.700 --> 00:24:33.720 Perhaps deep down, 00:24:33.799 --> 00:24:34.440 we're always left 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:35.220 wanting more. 00:24:35.220 --> 00:24:37.860 we're trying 00:24:37.860 --> 00:24:38.420 to soothe 00:24:38.420 --> 00:24:39.360 and silence 00:24:39.360 --> 00:24:40.600 the aching longing 00:24:40.600 --> 00:24:42.059 deep within our soul. 00:24:45.640 --> 00:24:46.559 This Christmas, 00:24:47.660 --> 00:24:49.059 look to Jesus Christ. 00:24:51.120 --> 00:24:51.900 Find in him 00:24:51.900 --> 00:24:52.440 the peace 00:24:52.440 --> 00:24:54.680 in which you can die 00:24:54.680 --> 00:24:56.660 and the energy 00:24:56.660 --> 00:24:57.779 through which 00:24:57.779 --> 00:24:59.160 you can really live. 00:25:01.059 --> 00:25:01.860 Maybe you've never 00:25:01.860 --> 00:25:02.620 done that before. 00:25:02.619 --> 00:25:05.159 Maybe this is 00:25:05.159 --> 00:25:05.979 all new to you. 00:25:08.379 --> 00:25:09.679 You can begin today 00:25:09.679 --> 00:25:11.739 by simply 00:25:11.739 --> 00:25:12.519 receiving him. 00:25:15.739 --> 00:25:16.519 Perhaps you still 00:25:16.519 --> 00:25:17.279 have questions. 00:25:18.539 --> 00:25:19.059 Seek him. 00:25:20.899 --> 00:25:21.979 Seek until you find. 00:25:24.479 --> 00:25:25.279 Maybe you have 00:25:25.279 --> 00:25:26.259 trusted in Christ. 00:25:28.059 --> 00:25:28.759 Look to him 00:25:28.759 --> 00:25:29.500 again today 00:25:29.500 --> 00:25:31.859 with renewed 00:25:31.859 --> 00:25:32.900 faith and hope. 00:25:33.019 --> 00:25:33.920 Ask him to fill you 00:25:33.920 --> 00:25:35.079 in a fresh way 00:25:35.079 --> 00:25:36.160 with his Holy Spirit 00:25:36.160 --> 00:25:36.940 who gives us 00:25:36.940 --> 00:25:37.940 his peace 00:25:37.940 --> 00:25:39.480 and his power 00:25:39.480 --> 00:25:42.079 within our souls. 00:25:44.779 --> 00:25:45.680 Many years ago, 00:25:45.759 --> 00:25:46.220 someone wrote 00:25:46.220 --> 00:25:47.220 a very succinct 00:25:47.220 --> 00:25:48.980 but profound 00:25:48.980 --> 00:25:49.440 description 00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:50.539 of what it looks like 00:25:50.539 --> 00:25:52.000 to do this. 00:25:54.619 --> 00:25:55.740 To find the peace 00:25:55.740 --> 00:25:56.299 to die 00:25:56.299 --> 00:25:57.519 and the energy 00:25:57.519 --> 00:25:58.099 to live 00:25:58.099 --> 00:25:59.859 in Christ. 00:26:02.180 --> 00:26:02.700 And it 00:26:02.700 --> 00:26:04.500 made its way 00:26:04.500 --> 00:26:05.139 into a document 00:26:05.139 --> 00:26:05.940 called the Heidelberg 00:26:05.940 --> 00:26:06.519 Catechism 00:26:06.519 --> 00:26:07.240 which has been used 00:26:07.240 --> 00:26:07.799 by Christians 00:26:07.799 --> 00:26:09.139 for hundreds of years 00:26:09.139 --> 00:26:11.220 and this is how it goes. 00:26:11.319 --> 00:26:12.000 It puts it this way. 00:26:12.059 --> 00:26:12.279 It says, 00:26:12.460 --> 00:26:13.500 what is your only comfort 00:26:13.500 --> 00:26:14.480 in life 00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:15.559 and in death? 00:26:16.799 --> 00:26:17.519 In other words, 00:26:17.559 --> 00:26:18.000 what is it 00:26:18.000 --> 00:26:18.740 that gives you energy 00:26:18.740 --> 00:26:19.200 to live 00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:19.680 and peace 00:26:19.680 --> 00:26:20.799 in which to die? 00:26:21.200 --> 00:26:21.799 And the answer 00:26:21.799 --> 00:26:22.539 is as follows. 00:26:23.639 --> 00:26:24.919 That I am not my own. 00:26:24.920 --> 00:26:27.480 But I belong 00:26:27.480 --> 00:26:29.740 body and soul 00:26:29.740 --> 00:26:31.380 in life 00:26:31.380 --> 00:26:32.220 and in death 00:26:32.220 --> 00:26:34.420 to my faithful Savior 00:26:34.420 --> 00:26:35.720 Jesus Christ. 00:26:36.640 --> 00:26:38.160 He has fully paid 00:26:38.160 --> 00:26:39.580 for all my sins 00:26:39.580 --> 00:26:41.460 with his precious blood. 00:26:42.640 --> 00:26:44.160 He has set me free 00:26:44.160 --> 00:26:44.940 from the tyranny 00:26:44.940 --> 00:26:45.580 of the devil. 00:26:46.980 --> 00:26:48.900 He also watches over me 00:26:48.900 --> 00:26:50.840 in such a way 00:26:50.840 --> 00:26:52.420 that not a hair 00:26:52.420 --> 00:26:53.539 can fall from my head 00:26:53.539 --> 00:26:55.099 without the will 00:26:55.099 --> 00:26:55.700 of my Father 00:26:55.700 --> 00:26:56.180 in heaven. 00:26:57.379 --> 00:26:58.000 In fact, 00:26:58.039 --> 00:26:59.079 all things must work 00:26:59.079 --> 00:27:00.440 together for my salvation 00:27:00.440 --> 00:27:02.960 because I belong 00:27:02.960 --> 00:27:03.399 to him. 00:27:04.759 --> 00:27:05.180 Christ, 00:27:05.319 --> 00:27:06.200 by his Holy Spirit, 00:27:06.359 --> 00:27:07.159 assures me 00:27:07.159 --> 00:27:08.259 of eternal life 00:27:08.259 --> 00:27:10.200 and makes me 00:27:10.200 --> 00:27:10.980 wholeheartedly 00:27:10.980 --> 00:27:11.859 willing and ready 00:27:11.859 --> 00:27:12.720 from now on 00:27:12.720 --> 00:27:14.659 to live for him. 00:27:15.940 --> 00:27:16.359 Christmas 00:27:16.359 --> 00:27:17.859 is finally 00:27:17.859 --> 00:27:18.759 here. 00:27:20.299 --> 00:27:21.039 What have you 00:27:21.039 --> 00:27:21.779 been waiting for? 00:27:21.779 --> 00:27:26.559 find it 00:27:26.559 --> 00:27:28.660 in Jesus Christ. 00:27:29.319 --> 00:27:30.119 Let us pray. 00:27:40.119 --> 00:27:40.639 Father, 00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:41.059 we pray 00:27:41.059 --> 00:27:41.359 that 00:27:41.359 --> 00:27:43.480 by your grace 00:27:43.480 --> 00:27:43.759 today 00:27:43.759 --> 00:27:44.559 we would find 00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:45.220 what Simeon 00:27:45.220 --> 00:27:45.700 and Anna 00:27:45.700 --> 00:27:46.279 found 00:27:46.279 --> 00:27:51.220 in Jesus 00:27:51.220 --> 00:27:52.480 whose birth 00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:53.160 we celebrate 00:27:53.160 --> 00:27:54.680 on this day. 00:27:56.680 --> 00:27:57.660 The peace 00:27:57.660 --> 00:28:00.200 in which we can die 00:28:00.200 --> 00:28:03.059 and the energy 00:28:03.059 --> 00:28:03.839 through which we can 00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:04.899 really live. 00:28:08.019 --> 00:28:09.079 Grant us that 00:28:09.079 --> 00:28:10.639 by the power 00:28:10.639 --> 00:28:11.539 of your Holy Spirit. 00:28:11.539 --> 00:28:16.139 perhaps for the first 00:28:16.139 --> 00:28:16.500 time, 00:28:16.619 --> 00:28:17.619 perhaps in a fresh 00:28:17.619 --> 00:28:18.379 way 00:28:18.379 --> 00:28:19.779 today 00:28:19.779 --> 00:28:22.659 and send us out 00:28:22.659 --> 00:28:24.740 with joy 00:28:24.740 --> 00:28:25.379 and praise 00:28:25.379 --> 00:28:28.259 for what you have done. 00:28:29.319 --> 00:28:30.559 We pray in Jesus' name. 00:28:31.019 --> 00:28:31.319 Amen. 00:28:31.319 --> 00:28:31.399 Amen. 00:28:31.400 --> 00:28:31.460 Amen.