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Tuesday, December 28, 2004
One of the most interesting places I've ever visited is Sedona, Arizona. Tracy and I wanted to go to the Grand Canyon as we've only seen it from an airplane, but it was too far a drive for too short of a time. We were at a conference in Phoenix and had the day off.
We told the concierge at the hotel we wanted to go do something and the time frame we had. He immediately recommended Sedona. We had a rented convertible and went to Target to get some driving music (she chose a movie soundtrack, and I found a Kiss CD in a bargain bin), and we were off.
Sure enough, the concierge was very helpful. We saw, and took photos of, some incredible scenery and we took a couple of small hikes to several of the desert rock formations. All very cool and a nice way to spend the day.
Before all of that, however, we went to an area that had several "mom & pop" restaurants and shops which sort of fed off the area's motif, with Native American art in all forms (including a hoop dancing exhibition) and crafts and such. The restaurant we wanted to go to had a bit of a wait so we headed off to browse some shops to kill time.
It was incredible the number of ways you could get your fortune told. We had both taken some psychology classes in college that debunked a lot of fortune-telling as basically carnival games in which the fortune-teller could make observations about you based on the way you dressed or your rings or hairstyle...whatever.
But people were standing in line to get their fortunes told by special cards, or by tea leaves or with a palm reading and several other ways. We thought it'd be fun to do, but it was really pricey so we just listened to others get their fortunes told.
To me, it was all very vague and did indeed remind me of a carnival game. Maybe everyone else was doing it because they wanted to kill 20 minutes before lunch. Maybe they were taking it seriously. I don't know. But people were paying more than I was comfortable with to play a game.
But what if it wasn't a game? What if one of those people wasn't trying to make a few bucks, and walked up to me and told me something about my children? What if I could know that this was true? What would that be like?
That's what happened to this young peasant woman who had been through a great deal in the last year-and-a-half. Everything from angelic visits to both her and her relatives and her husband. Travel to her husband's hometown for a census, and giving birth in the parking lot of a hotel. A visit from some shepherds who she hardly knew, giving her all sorts of things to think about.
And now, here she is, being obedient to the Law by going to the Temple to offer offerings to purify herself from ceremonial uncleanliness:
"And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 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."
Now, remember the Holy Spirit had a different role before the death of Christ. God the Father would actually give the Holy Spirit for a temporary stay in people, while after the death of Christ the Holy Spirit indwells each believer continually...in Old Testament times the Spirit was more like a messenger or prophet. And Simeon was the recipient of God's grace, and knew that he would see the Messiah before he died.
Wouldn't that be interesting information to have? We don't know when Simeon was told this, and we don't know all the specifics, but let's say it was only a month previous to this day just for fun. We know he was righteous. We know he was devout. So he was one of those members of the remnant that remained faithful to God while the overwhelming majority of the nation failed to walk with God.
And God told him he wouldn't die before he saw the Messiah.
He'd read the books.
He heard the stories.
He knew the Messiah was a key player in redeeming the Jews from their oppression.
And now he knows that, before he dies, he will see the Messiah. What do you think it was like for him to wake up each and every day? Would this be the day? Every time he bumped into a couple with a baby during that month he would get all excited and wonder if this was the Redeemer. When he went to bed at night, he was probably all disappointed that it didn't happen that day. He probably didn't sleep much or well during however long this span of time was from when he got the information until he would see the Messiah.
This information likely changed the way he viewed everything. Now, the stuff that happened here on this earth didn't seem so important. The Messiah is coming! He'll be here soon! Get ready! God is back at work in our lives in an active way! Makes everything else pale in comparison doesn't it? The Good News'll do that. He probably woke up and got himself to the logical place to look for first-born males...hang out at the Temple. He probably didn't even bother to bathe or get ready. Just wake up, go to the Temple and look for couples with a baby boy. Eventually, one of them will be The Messiah. It changed everything in his life. He now lived urgently.
What's interesting is we have a very similar prophecy given to us by the God-breathed Scripture we call The Bible. It's not a carnival game at all. It is very real: Christ, our Redeemer, will return at any moment (the fancy seminary word I learned for that is that the return of Christ is "imminent"--could happen at any time).
And today, I'm wondering how that fact affects our moment by moment living...How does having God tell us that Christ is returning any minute affect the way we look at life? The way we interact with people? The way we choose to spend our time? The way perceive the events around us in the moment?
He will return.
At any minute.
It isn't a carnival game.
It really is our "fortune" being told.
I feel like I should be living more urgently, like Simeon did. And I feel like I should be living this temporary life in a very eternal way.
What does that look like for you? For me? For us?
More on Simeon tomorrow.
Brent 4:19 AM
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