25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.
30 I have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared for all people.
32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel!”
TALK
Simeon trusted that God was going to save him and his people; he trusted because God told him it was going to happen.And so Simeon waited.When Mary & Joseph brought baby Jesus to the Temple for the first time, the Holy Spirit nudged Simeon and he knew Jesus was the Saviour that God had promised.Simeon responded by worshiping God.
Likewise, the Magi from the East see a miraculous sign in the sky and follow this star. When they finally get to the place, they fall down and worship Jesus. (Matthew 2.1-12)
And there were shepherds who heard that a Saviour was born and so they left their sheep and rushed off to see this baby. After seeing him, they left, praising and worshiping God for what they saw. (Luke 2.8-20)
These people knew that something big was happening – that God was doing something that was going to change everything.They were willing to put everything else aside so they could see this miracle that they heard about.For Simeon it was about patiently waiting, listening for God.For the Magi, it was about traveling great distances.And the shepherds left their jobs so that they could worship Jesus.
ASK
Are we willing to get rid of (or put aside) the distractions that can stop us from seeing the miracle this season?
What are some distractions that stand in the way?
If someone who knew nothing about Christmas video-taped all our Christmas celebrations, what would they say is the most important thing about the season for us after watching the video?
RESPOND
Each group in the Christmas story had their own way of worshiping.For Simeon, it was a prayer of praise.For the Magi, it was giving gifts.The shepherds were loud, excited, and told everyone they met.
What does worship look like for your family?If you like to sing, perhaps you can talk about some of your favourite worship songs as a family.Then play the music or get recordings of the music (Pastor Steve can help you out) and sing it out!
Or you can write out prayers that praise God for the gift that we celebrate during this season and then read them together.
Or draw a picture, sculpt an image – something that captures why God is worthy of our worship
