During Advent 2024 (a few weeks ago), I followed the
devotional distributed to subscribers of Christianity Today magazine. It’s
called A Time for Wonder. The entry that spoke most profoundly to me is
written by Lily Journey. Her focus is on Simeon who we meet in Luke 2:25-35. “Now
there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and
devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit
rested on him. It had been revealed to him that he would not see death before
he had seen the Lord’s Messiah” (v.25-26).
What was Simeon’s job? Luke doesn’t say. How old
was he? Luke offers no clue. From what family and tribe did he hail? We don’t
know. His social class? Luke doesn’t tell us.
All we know of Simeon is that he was waiting for God to
deliver on the promise; he, Simeon, would see the Messiah with his own eyes.
How long did Simeon wait? What was his day-to-day life like while he waited? It’s
impossible to fill in those blanks, but I believe that whatever Simeon’s life
was, it included a responsive, committed prayer life. Verse 27 says he was
guided by the Holy Spirit to the temple on the day Mary and Joseph brought baby
Jesus to be dedicated. A lot parents brought their babies. How could he know
which was the correct family? The Spirit directed Simeon to Mary and Joseph.
I pause in his story here because Simeon is going to be
before me as a character and a muse throughout 2025. I want to become someone
who prays like Simeon, believing God will act. Then, I want to live my faith
conscientiously and compassionately as I wait for God to act. I want to be such
profound spiritual attentiveness that when the Spirit guides, I am ready to
follow.
Simeon exuded determined, expectant waiting. He modeled
faith in the way I want to live. In 2025, I will strive to fill the role he
occupied, that of expectant, faithful waiting on God.
I encourage you, in 2025, to select someone from the
Bible who models faith in the way you would like to live it. People will say they
want to “grow closer to God in the new year.” That’s too vague. How do you know
you’ve accomplished this goal? I propose that you zero in on a specific person
from scripture, identify the qualities that individual has that you’d like, and
then try to develop those qualities in your life.
I will read and reread the 11 verses in Luke 2 that tell
Simeon’s story and write about my own spiritual journey as I try to embody the
values and strengths of Simeon in my own life. Find someone in the Bible to be
your role model as you follow Jesus in 2025.
