DECEMBER 24 THE FEELING OF ANTICIPATION By Drew Burtis Dean of Students New York, Word of Life Bible Institute
For my eyes have seen your salvation. (Luke 2:30)
Do you remember what it was like as a kid on Christmas Eve night? Not wanting to go to sleep, laying wide awake in your bed, all the gifts you wished for racing through your mind, constantly checking the clock waiting for morning to come? Oh, you still experience that? It’s okay, I do, too. Christmas brings this feeling of anticipation and excitement unlike any other holiday or birthday, especially for those of us who are followers of Jesus. However, we were not the first to feel this. In Luke 2, we read of a man named Simeon. Scripture tells us he was a righteous and devout man with the Holy Spirit upon him. You see, Simeon was promised he would not see death until he laid eyes on Christ. He was waiting at the temple one day, when Joseph and Mary brought their baby to present Him before the Lord. And every year, I read this verse and feel the satisfaction of the anticipation Simeon must have felt. “For my eyes have seen your salvation.” What raw, unfiltered, beautiful words. The Messiah, the Promised One, the Savior of the world, came near. Simeon, who waited patiently in anticipation for so long, was satisfied at the sight of Christ. So, why is Christmas my favorite time of year? Because God came near. He wrapped Himself in flesh to be with us, Emmanuel. The greatest gift ever given, the satisfaction for our anticipation. And Christmas reminds me that He will come again. And so, we who are in Christ, wait in anticipation for His return. Thank you, Jesus, for coming as a baby so long ago, and thank you for promising to come again for us. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
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