Christmas Day by Day

During this time of Advent, Caroline and I have been going through a reading

plan on our Bible app in order to keep our focus more on Christ this month. This can

be an incredibly distracting time, with all the shopping to be done, parties to attend,

and Christmas programs to be a part of. Every year we find ourselves wishing that

our focus had been a little more Christ-centered during the Christmas season. One

night as we were doing our devotion, we read Luke 2:22-38. In this passage, Joseph

and Mary take Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, and have

him circumcised according to the Law of Moses. The Holy Spirit told a man named

Simeon that he would not die until he saw with his own eyes the promised Messiah,

and he met Joseph and Mary in the temple, praising God as he gathered Jesus into

his arms and praised God.

As we reflected on this passage, we started talking about how long Simeon

had known that he would one day hold the savior of the world in his own arms, and

how impatient he must have been at times waiting for this day to come. This

passage really challenged us to think about the promises God has made to us

throughout Scripture. Some are fulfilled, like the forgiveness of our sins through

Jesus’ death on the cross; while others we eagerly await, like His return and eternity

spent in His presence. During Advent, we not only reflect on the incarnation of Jesus,

but we also look forward to the fulfilling of the promise to dwell in His presence

forever. Day by day I’m learning to have more of an attitude like Simeon, and I hope

that by spending some time dwelling on Luke 2:22-38 this Christmas season that

you might as well.

Wes McKinney