“Awaiting with Hope”

Luke 2:25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss[a] your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

Prologue

A few days ago, I saw a painting of 84,000 people on a single canvas. It was a painting painted in ink on Korean paper(Hanji) about two meters long, and people the size of a nail were lined up and prayed. Some prayed while standing, while others prayed with knees or knees down. We talked for a long time with painter Park Chung-yong who painted the picture. Painter Park started a series of “Prayers” when his father suffered from pneumoconiosis more than a decade ago. He couldn't know why his father suffered from illness or the reason he was born, so he expressed his 'want to find myself' as a 'prayer'. The picture contained serious questions about human life and prayers for the little happiness of everyday life. The clue to reading the text of Luke today can also be found in the prayer of painter Park Chung-yong.

Simeon's Wait

According to legend, Shimon ben Hillel was a law-savvy scholar and leader of the Jewish society. Simeon was the son of Jewish rabbi Hillel (110.BC-10.AD) and father of Paul's teacher Rabban Gamaliel I (52.AD). He succeeded his father Hillel around 10 AD to become the head of the San Hedrin (Nasi) and soon passed it on to his son. According to the text, Simeon lived righteously and reverently throughout his life, waiting for the comfort of Israel (Luke 2:25), and believed that he would see the Messiah before his death, who would restore the nation of Israel to fullness by the Spirit (Luke 2:26).

Simeon's faith was the belief that the Messiah would comfort and restore him and his son Gamaliel, who were born in Babylon and moved to Judea, as a stranger, and who became colonists ruled by Rome and Herod. Simeon hopes that Israel will become the complete political, economic, social and religious kingdom of God, and from someday he waited for the Messiah in the Jerusalem Temple. Simeon believes that the Messiah is a descendant of David (Matthew 1:1-16, Luke 3:23-38), who inherited the lineage of the Davidic family, and he kept the temple to meet the firstborn of the tribe of Judah who came to circumcision according to the law. It was the judgment of the head of a family fluent in the law from Hillel to Gamaliel.

Simeon's waiting received an answer. That day, Simeon met Joseph and Mary, who visited Jerusalem to circumcise the baby Jesus. Simeon knew that Joseph was the firstborn of the Judean family, and he believed that Jesus was the Christ by the Holy Spirit. In the 400 years after the prophet Malachi, no prophet appeared in Israel. It was a spiritual dark age, but Simeon waited patiently, convinced of the coming of the Messiah, to discover that the baby Jesus was the Christ. Simeon's long-awaited Messiah's dream came true.

Simeon held the baby Jesus in his arms and declared that “my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:30). Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss[a] your servant in peace. (Luke 2:29), and he turned thanks and glory to God with a song. “31 you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” The nation's hope and God's will for the whole world were at the point of intersection.

Simeon's Hope

Baby Jesus' parents were astonished by Simeon's message. The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him (Luke 2:33). Joseph and Mary could not even dream that the “my son” baby Jesus was the Christ. It's hard to see big pictures when we're stuck in our daily lives. It is understandable that Joseph and Mary were surprised. The Jews were circumcised on the eighth day after the baby was born (Lev. 12:3). Joseph and Mary also went to Jerusalem with the baby Jesus as custom.

Simeon sang to Mary, who was surprised. “34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34b-35) Simeon saw the work of mankind's salvation through Christ. He sang that Jesus will be 'a sign that will be spoken against' and bear the cross, and as for Mary, 'a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Simeon's faith and inspiration are amazing. He showed the path to eternal life by looking ahead to life in darkness such as death. At that time, Israel was the only colony of Rome, the world's only great power. It was difficult to find a hope for the independence of Israel, a small nation. Israel did not see the way of salvation. There must have been many loyal to Rome hoping to become Roman citizens. You may have seen the movie <Assassination>. Two independent soldiers asked Yeom Sang-jin, a Japanese police chief. When asked'why did he betray his country', Yeom answers, 'I didn't know that Chosun would become independent.' But Simeon was different. He did not envy Rome's power and wealth and waited for God's rule. Simeon waited for the Messiah, silently serving God in suffering. Because Simeon had an empty heart, he knew that the baby Jesus was the Messiah. He saw the true restoration of Israel through the baby Jesus.

Isaiah sang, “For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.” (Isaiah 62:1) Already, Israel was destroyed and was taken captive to Babylon. At that time, singing “Zion’s righteousness” and “Jerusalem’s salvation” was not possible without faith. We also need the same faith as Simeon and Isaiah. We need the eyes of faith and the eyes of hope that can see through the dark veil.

Awaiting with Hope

Since the first report of a patient with pneumonia of unknown cause on December 31, 2019, COVID-19 has dominated life around the world. Nearly 80 million people were confirmed, and nearly 1.8 million people died. As you may well know, COVID-19 is a disease caused by human greed. While people were looking for big houses to live comfortably, tunneling or building bridges to get there quickly, the Earth was plagued and a virus from far away entered the heart of the Earth. COVID-19 will pass, but if we don't fix our way of life, a new virus will come. Zika virus, bird flu virus, swine flu virus, Ebola virus, AIDS virus, etc. will come in a different way.

Of course, humanity will continue to move beyond COVID-19. We may encounter a new virus along the way. Just as humans cannot escape the problem of sin and greed, the problem of humanity may continue to grow. Just as our beloved daughters and sons are stuffed with disposable diapers and turned into accomplices of incorruptible death trash for 500 years, we will be inevitable to accompany death. So we have to wait for Christ to come again. The mother and father who broke up in the Ferry Sewol incident cannot have hope of meeting their daughter and son again except for a hope for a new heaven and a new earth. If a new sky and a new earth do not come, Christmas Island, which has become a land of death by the test of atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs, will never become an island of life again. So, we hope for 'Christ's coming again' and'a new heaven and a new earth.'

In the book of Galatians, "God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father." (Galatians 4:6). Thanks to this, we became “heirs made by God” (Galatians 4:7) and became the owners of a new heaven and a new earth. We must believe in this and listen to the small voice of the Spirit of God, His Son, who is near us. As led by the Holy Spirit, we must confess Christ as our Savior, love our neighbors, and live a true and human life.

Today is the first Sunday after Christmas. Not only do we rejoice and remember the birth of the baby Jesus 2000 years ago in Bethlehem, but we must live according to the will of Christ by relying on the Spirit of Jesus and God the Holy Spirit “right today, right here”. In addition, we must earnestly hope for Christ who will come again by forming a new heaven and a new earth on this earth at the end of the world. The words of the prophet Isaiah, “I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.” (Isaiah 61:10b) must be our song. We must not stop in pursuing the little happiness of our daily lives, but serve our neighbors with ultimate faith in “the coming Christ” and “new heaven and new earth”. May we become Christians who love our neighbors as a gift and keep our faith in eternal life.

Let us pray with a prayer of devotion. “Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of Heavenly Peace from the Baby Jesus who came to this earth. Help us to live a true life with hope for a new heaven and a new earth. Help the least in our society by serving them as our neighbors. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen."