What difference did Christmas really make for you? It didn’t seem to have changed very much for Mary and Joseph. Yes, Jesus had been born a week earlier than the events of today’s passage. Yes, a week earlier the shepherds had burst in upon them with their tale of an army of angels singing His praise. And Mary could still remember what Gabriel had told her, that the baby would not only sit on the throne of David, but would be called the Son of God.

But as Mary and Joseph came to the Temple to have Him circumcised, they were still too poor to bring the lamb that was prescribed as an offering for the occasion. All they could afford was a couple of pigeons (see Leviticus 12:1-8). So, even after Christ was born, they were still poor, and still living under the oppression of their Roman overlords.

But Simeon saw something different, for he looked with the eyes of faith. He believed in God’s promise of a Messiah Who would be not only the glory of the people of Israel but also a light to the Gentiles, to all the other nations of the world. So, by the power of the Holy Spirit, he didn’t just see an eight-day-old baby born to a poor and powerless couple – he saw the fulfillment of God’s promise.

Now, it’s likely that Simeon didn’t live to see how Jesus would fulfill the promises of God. Like Abraham, Simeon died in faith, still trusting that God would pour out His salvation on His people sometime in the future. And perhaps this Christmas has left you with the same kind of longing, as the glories of seasons past have dimmed in the face of grief or fear, of poverty or addiction, of broken homes or broken promises.

But even the worst circumstances of our lives can’t change the amazing truth that Simeon glimpsed and that we have seen in the cross and the empty tomb: Christ has come to save us from our sins and to bring light into the darkest corners of our lives. So in spite of our disappointments, let us trust in Him to set all things right and make all things new – in His way, and in His time.

Luke 2:21-35 (NASB)

21 And when eight days were completed so that it was time for His circumcision, He was also named Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
22 And when the days for their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what has been stated in the Law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young doves.”
25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to 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 by the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 “Now, Lord, You are letting Your bond-servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all the peoples:
32 A light for revelation for the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to His mother Mary, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and as a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”