Reflection: What Are You Waiting For? (December 30, 2012)

The 1st Sunday after Christmas
Micah 5:2-5; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-56


As far as the people in our culture are concerned, Christmas is over. All the things that they had waited for have come to pass and now have passed. Decorations are being packed away, bills will be paid (eventually), and all things Christmas will have to wait until next year. Christmas has come and gone and it seems that nothing has really changed in our world. It makes one wonder what we were waiting for in the first place.

Today’s Gospel lesson tells the stories of Simeon and Anna, two people who knew what they were waiting for. God had told Simeon that he would see the promised Messiah before he died. He was “waiting for the consolation of Israel” that would come through the One who would redeem God’s people and deliver them from the bondage of sin and death. Anna, an elderly widow, was also waiting for the redemption of God’s people. She was so certain that she would see this come to pass that she stayed in the temple day and night. Both Anna and Simeon were waiting for Jesus. When he was brought to the Temple they knew that their waiting was over.

Waiting has its place. But it can also be out of place. Unlike Simeon and Anna, we have not been told to wait for the promised Messiah in anticipation of our redemption. Instead, from Gabriel’s announcements to Mary and Joseph to the multitude of angels proclamation to the shepherds to the magi laying their treasures before the King they came to worship, we have been told that the Messiah has come into our world to redeem us, reconcile us to God, and enable us to live new lives in His grace.

We know that Christmas is not over, but that it has just been renewed in our lives. We also know that even after the Christmas season has ended (today is the sixth day of Christmas), Christmas is not over. Our annual remembrance of Christ’s birth is a reminder to us of the promises that God has made and kept in Jesus. For us, Christmas is never over. It remains with us even though the trappings of our celebrations have been put away. It brings us the joy of redemption, the peace of being reconciled to God, and the power of His love made certain in our lives. It calls us to live every day in that joy, peace, and power that are ours now. What are you waiting for?

Audio file of the sermon "What Are You Waiting For?"