Saturday, January 13, 2018
Luke 2:29-32 [Simeon said:] "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel."
A CHILD OF HOPE TO HOLD AND SHARE
After waiting for a lifetime to see the fulfillment of the Lord's promises, Simeon was now ready to leave this world whenever the Lord might call him. The Spirit within him testified that the Child in his arms was the Lord's Christ. For the tiny infant voice that arose from the swaddling clothes belonged to the almighty God who would one day pay the full price for our salvation, crying out in triumph: "It is finished!"
When Simeon sang of Jesus as a "light to lighten the Gentiles," he was referring to all the people who are still in need of a personal encounter with the Child of Hope through the Word of the Gospel. And that's where YOU come in. Have you been blessed to see in the Christchild your Savior from sin? Has the light of His Gospel reached your eyes and shown you a clear path to eternal life? Has the message of forgiveness through His death for you on the cross touched you so that you now HOLD the Child of Hope in your heart? Then consider carefully your assignment, from God Himself, to carry the torch of the Gospel to others: "So the Lord has commanded us: 'I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth'" (Acts 13:47). This saving Gospel is a message that the Lord wants to shine in the heart of your neighbor, your co-worker, your friend; and YOU are the best person to SHARE with them what the Child of Hope did for them and for all.
-- Adapted from the "Lutheran Spokesman"
