Scripture: Luke 2:25-38
Key Words: longing, waiting, promises
Big Idea: We are waiting on the Kingdom of God to come. Simeon and Anna give us an example of waiting with joy, hope, prayer, and fellowship with other believers.

Last time, we learned about how the people of God were waiting a long time for the fulfillment of all his promises. Today we’ll meet two people who knew God’s promises and lived their lives waiting and longing and hoping to see that day.

After Jesus was born, his parents took him to the temple, as was the custom. While they were there, they met a man named Simeon and a woman named Anna. We don’t know much about these two characters, but the Bible tells us exactly what God wants us to know.

What words does the Bible use to describe Simeon? (righteous, devout)

What does the Bible say that Anna did in the temple (stayed, worshiped, fasted, prayed)?

Luke tells us that Simeon and Anna both loved the Lord, and it showed in the way they lived their lives. We find that Simeon and Anna spent their time waiting, longing for something really important. Luke says that Simeon was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” Consolation is a long word that means “Hope”. Simeon was waiting for the hope of Israel.

What does the word Hope mean?

The dictionary says hope is a “feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” Hope is waiting with excitement. Knowing that something good is coming. That sounds a lot like Christmas doesn’t it?! Christmas is full of hope.

What are some things you are expecting, desiring, hoping for this Christmas?
Simeon was waiting for the hope of Israel – the good thing that was coming through all the darkness that had been. He was waiting on God’s Rescue Plan, the plan that was promised all those years ago. The hope that the prophet spoke about in Isaiah 9:6-7:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

We already talked about how we wait this time of year. We wait for Christmas cookies to cool, wait for the Christmas movie to start, wait for Christmas morning to be here, wait to see if we got that special gift we desire. We wait with excitement and joy. Anna and Simeon were waiting, but it wasn’t simply a season – it was their whole lives. They had spent their lives waiting, because they believed it was worth it. They waited with joy. They waited with prayer. They waited in the house of God, among his people.

As followers of Christ, we are also waiting for more than just a season. We wait on the Kingdom of Christ to come in our hearts, our lives, our church, our culture, our community, and our world. We wait for his return. We wait on the total defeat of all the bad things in the world. We wait for the real and eternal happy ending of all happy endings. Are we waiting for these things as we wait for Christmas? Are we waiting as Simeon and Anna waited all those years ago? Are waiting with joy? Are we waiting with hope? Are we waiting in prayer? Are we spending time in the house of God with his people as we wait?