Now through the end of December, a chance to re-examine the gifts of Advent, the arrival of a Savior, and the epiphany of Epiphany.
Luke 2:25, 27-28 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God….
It would be fair to say I’ve put a lot of distance between myself and childhood, but about 10 years ago, while dividing the bitter from the sweet, I found myself in a chancellery, remembering that once upon a time, I had been held there by my Grandfather, a Mennonite pastor, who entered a Methodist church to bless and name me “consecrated.” I picked a pew beneath towering stained-glass and sat crying. What a long, long journey. So much pain; so many falls. Such a faithful God. (For more on that story, you can take a peek into Walking When You’d Rather Fly, available beginning today at www.walkingwhenyoudratherfly.com.)
Jesus had a story of being blessed by a devout man too. Like my Grandfather, Simeon passed on a faith-filled blessing. And whether Jesus remembered it consciously or not, he was probably told stories of his childhood many times, just like I was. How could Simeon – or my Grandfather – have known the incredible, difficult journey that would follow their blessing? They couldn’t; their gift was to bless us on our journey, trusting its end to our Maker.
Prayer: Giver of good gifts, thank you for passing along your blessing to us in a faithful Savior; may we bless the children around us this Advent, remembering that of such is the Kingdom of God.
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