A Meaningful Christmas

They are not in the manger scenes of any Christmas cards, nor do we sing about them in Christmas carols, but two senior adults played a prominent role in the story of Jesus’ birth. Simeon (Luke 2:25-35), a devout Jew had prayed that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. When Jesus was brought by His parents to the Temple, according to the law, Simeon was able to hold Jesus and pronounce a prayer of blessing on Him.  Anna (Luke 2:36-38) was an elderly woman who spent every day at the Temple. She too was able to pray over Jesus and share the experience with all she knew.  There are several applications we can gain from the experiences of these two senior adults. (1) God still uses unknown and little-known people. Apart from the experience recorded in Luke 2, neither is mentioned again in the Bible. (2) Jesus attracts the interest from some, but not all.  There were, no doubt many others in the Temple on the day Jesus was blessed, but only these two are recorded as seeing Him. (3) With God, timing is everything.  Both Simeon and Anna were in the Temple at the right time, directed by the Holy Spirit. (4) One never grows too old to serve God.  Both Simeon and Anna were advanced in age, yet they continued to serve God. (5) No matter one’s age, the message of Jesus is to be shared with all peoples.  This is exactly what Simeon and Anna did, after they met Jesus. These two senior adults had a meaningful Christmas. How about you?