Simeon of Jerusalem (Luke 2:25a) is not described as a priest or a prophet, though he may have been. Scripture does not give us any details about his age, his family, or his social status. The Holy Spirit describes Simeon not by any fleeting external measure, but by the weight of his character: righteous and devout (Luke 2:25b).He loved God. And from that taproot grew a strong and genuine concern for people. Simeon’s soul mirrored God’s passion since “the Holy Spirit was upon him” and he was “looking for the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25c).
It had been 400 long years of silence since the confrontational prophetic dialogue between God and a rebellious people recorded by Malachi. Now the Holy Spirit speaks again, but quietly to a man’s soul, words of solace: “And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 2:26). A man who loves God is given God’s heart for people.
With such souls there is a clarity that is both sad and hopeful, comprehending both sin and salvation. When God shows a man Himself, that light of revelation displays the extent of his own soul’s sickness, against which he is powerless. So, that man is left with a choice: to cast himself on the mercy of God or let the sickness devour him. Simeon, touched by the Lord, displays gratitude for his salvation through devotion to God and a life lived righteously with his fellow man. In short, God gave Simeon hope. And because hope is present in a man who has found God, he is able to have hope for others. Hope is the rope that binds together the need for salvation and the certainty of a Savior.
The vision of God carries a man beyond personal self-awareness. God uses that vision to strip away the facade covering the fallen condition of the world around him too. This transparent view of a broken world is cause for sadness. Yet, this sadness does not lead to despair but rather hope extended—a hopeful watching; an active waiting. Hope is the certainty that just as the Lord’s saving presence has dawned upon my soul, so too the Bright Morning Star will rise upon a weary world. The consolation of Simeon is the salvation of Israel, and of the world. The comfort of Simeon is that he would be witness to the coming of the Savior.
So when the Holy Spirit led Simeon into the temple at the exact moment (Luke 2:27) when Mary and Joseph were bringing baby Jesus in to present Him to the Lord, he immediately recognized Jesus for what He is and joyfully sang, “For my eyes have seen Your salvation…A light of revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:30, 32).
Everything changes when Jesus comes. The harsh human formula now includes forgiveness. The bankrupt moral ledger balances. The ship of society run aground rises on His coming tide. Our winter soul thaws to the spring of our Savior’s love.
So it is that you and I have hope for a mother considering abortion. We have hope for her preborn baby too. For we have been given it and not for ourselves only, but for people in tormented moments just like these. Women are tempted to despair, trying to dodge a crushing blow from the monster of isolation. And the only path she sees is illuminated by the dull red glow emanating from the ravenous jaws of the dragon of death called abortion. But hope calls to her, “There is another way!”
It is your hope manifest through CompassCare that illuminates the path to a way out for her and her baby. Poor decisions brought her to this dangerous precipice. Yet, it is at these places in a person’s journey when the glitter of this world can be stripped of its power to distract us from the truth: our sin is great, yet our Savior is greater.
You are like Simeon holding out hope to women for whom death is the only solution. And now you and I can give her vision, pulling back the shroud to grasp that the coming of her own baby can be a sign pointing the way to salvation found only in the Christ child.
Merry Christmas, for “unto us a Child is born!”
Further spread the hope this Christmas season by making CompassCare part of your year-end giving.