If you could create your own Messiah, what would he be like? A big, jolly man coming down your chimney bringing the exact gift you asked for? A president who agreed with all your stances and fixed all the country’s problems in the first four years? A superhero with all of the superpowers needed to save the day? A genie that could grant your every wish?

It probably wouldn’t be God becoming an ordinary Jewish man who couldn’t be picked out of a lineup. He certainly wouldn’t have been born in the secrecy of night in a manger destined to live his life as an outcast, suffer in the most gruesome of ways, and die on a cross. That doesn’t seem like the Messiah we would imagine, and it wasn’t the kind of Messiah the people in Jesus’ time were expecting.

Many of the Jewish people in Jesus’ day would have known about the coming Messiah. They would have heard stories passed along from generation to generation—some in line with God’s promises, and some in line with their own ambition. I imagine they were waiting for someone with the riches of Abraham, the insight of Moses, the strength of Gideon, the power of David, and the wisdom of Solomon. Many were looking for relief from their struggles and freedom from their governing authorities. They were looking for a king, a revolutionary leader, a spiritual guide who would be more of a cheerleader. But as we know, they did not get the Messiah they wanted. Instead, they got the Messiah they needed.

There is a difference between wanting and needing something. The people back then may have wanted to make their lives easier here on earth, but what they needed was a Savior from their sin to break the bonds of death, defeat the devil, and reunite them with God. That is just what Jesus did. He became true man to live and die as our substitute. He did all the good we fail to do, resisted the evil we cannot, and endured the suffering of the cross and separation from God so we will never have to. Jesus took our weaknesses, pain, griefs, sufferings, sorrows, rebellion, guilt, and punishment from us and put them on himself. He lifted those heavy yokes from our shoulders and carried them for us so that we could live every day knowing we only have his light yoke to carry. He was willingly stricken, smitten, afflicted, punished, crushed, and chastised because of us.

Did you catch that in the reading? “We thought it was because of God that he was stricken, smitten, and afflicted, but it was because of OUR rebellion that he was pierced.” It was because of the Israelites, it was because of all the people of Jesus’s time, and it was because of us that he suffered on the cross. We needed someone to pay for the sins of all, one time, so that we could have peace and be reunited with God. The only person for that job was this Messiah, Jesus Christ.

In what ways are you held captive? What distresses your broken heart? Yesterday we journeyed through history to the Babylonian captivity, weeping and mourning with the Israelites who were stripped of their everyday lives and held hostage by a truly evil empire. We reflected with them on the root cause of all evil: the world’s sinfulness.

We still face evil and forms of captivity; of this we are all certain. So what holds you down under a heavy weight right now? Could it be generalized stress that prevents you from achieving true rest? Are you overwhelmed or pushing through burnout? Are you stretched thin by an overscheduled life? Perhaps your captivity is physical and you’re recovering from injury or fighting disease. Maybe the sensory overload of technology and entertainment add to the chaos? Or how’s your relational life? Are you dealing with conflict or marital trouble? Have you lost a loved one? Perhaps you’re enduring as a caretaker or even walking with someone through hospice care.

You and I both know that although my list of captivities was long, I could have kept going. The faults, flaws, and forces of evil that we face every day are vile and varied. And we all shoulder the weighty burden. Just as Jesus often healed the physical ailments that afflicted those around him, he has the power to heal you as well. He has the power to release you. But he came for so much more than our earthly comfort! He came to give you the deepest, longest-lasting type of comfort there is: eternal peace with God!

In our Scripture passage for today, Paul reminds us—even in the midst of our sorrows—to shout praises for the very characteristics of God that set us free from all forms of captivity. He is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” He sees your tears. He hears your cries. He listens to your pleas for an end to the trouble. And even when you can’t hear, see, or feel a response, he’s still holding you. He’s with you through all your earthly storms and will calm them in his timing. We can wait through the stormy nights, knowing that “weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

Lift your eyes from the heavy troubles of this earth. Hear God speak to you through Paul: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

Though Israel’s captivity in Babylon was heavy, it was temporary. Though your burdens feel so heavy, like more than you could ever bear, they are temporary. They will not outlast your almighty Father!

deliverance—Jesus had come to heal them.

Can you imagine how awesome it would have been to witness these healings? To watch the blind person suddenly able to see God’s creation, loved ones, and the face of the Healer? To see the lame person walk for the first time? To see the diseased person set free? To see Lazarus emerge from the grave? Each of these accounts provides such a glorious, tangible picture of what it feels like to be delivered from a bodily form of captivity.

Jesus healed many people of their physical hurts, diseases, and even death, but this wasn’t the ultimate form of healing or deliverance for which he came to this world. It was for the spiritually poor who are bankrupted by their sin. It was for broken sinful natures. It was for the lives lived in captivity, imprisonment, and mourning because of defiance against a holy God.

Jesus’ healing was for them, and his healing is for you this Advent season! Instead of despair and darkness, you have deliverance. Instead of helplessness and hopelessness, you are held in the hands of your loving Lord. Praise God for sending his Servant, our Jesus, to proclaim this good news, bind up our broken hearts, declare us free, and give us comfort for all eternity!

If we could share a coffee right now, I would ask you all about the vocations God has called you to. How do you spend your days? Do you teach? Do you operate? Do you counsel? Are you a caretaker? a mentor? Do you create? organize? keep books? Then I would boldly ask this: In which moments do you feel less than adequate for your callings? Is it when you lose your patience? make mistakes? compare yourself to those who shine brighter? Is it when you fail?

Whatever your vocations, I would guess that you have had humbling moments when you wondered, Am I really good enough for this gig? And if you question your ability to live up to the standards of the people around you, you also might ask something more precarious: Am I really good enough for my holy God?

Standing alone before our God is not supposed to end well for sinners like us. Even though the voices around us downplay our shortcomings (“It happens to all of us!”), or worse, try to tell us God won’t mind our sins (“What else could you have done?”), God’s expectations of us don’t falter. Be perfect! Our reflection shows the smudges on our faces. We do not belong in the company of a holy God. It is painful to admit how rotten we are, isn’t it? But friends, it is so worth it.

Here’s the great news: The babe of Bethlehem came to find you just as you are. He does things backwards again and places a crown of life on our small, sorry, sinful heads. Unearned, undeserved, we will be with God in heaven forever because Jesus makes us worthy. That takes care of the more precarious question: Am I really good enough for my God? In Jesus, absolutely!

Now circle back with me to the conversation I wish we were having over coffee. Especially the part where you got real about your inadequacies. I have a few thoughts to share:

• Feeling inadequate is not such a bad thing. It pushes us toward repentance and reminds us that we absolutely depend on Jesus. When you are weak, find strength in him!
• That heavy backpack you are carrying? You know what’s in it because it weighs you down daily. Drop it at the cross as you cast your cares on Jesus. Let go of the sins he has already forgiven.
• Are you traveling a difficult road? Or do you want to implement a challenging change for the better? You can count on your Savior’s support. He will be with you each step.

In spite of your shortcomings, you are still chosen by God to be the mouthpiece of the gospel. You do this as you shine your light for him in your vocations in life. You do this as you serve your family, friends, and neighbors. You also do this as you simply tell others what the Lord has done for you. If we could have that coffee together, I would leave the conversation encouraged, knowing that God has gifted you for a unique part in his plan. He has put you in the exact place where he wants you to be to accomplish great things for his kingdom with the gifts he has given you. May God keep giving you the desire, strength, and courage to share his love in all areas of your life.

Today, we are going to answer this question: How is “God with us” today?

Yesterday, we followed the glory cloud, the Old Testament form of Immanuel, “God with us.” After the fall of Jerusalem in 587 b.c., the ark and glory cloud seem to have disappeared. But there was a period of restoration under Zerubbabel. Ezra and the last group of Jewish exiles under Nehemiah rebuilt the temple and restored worship in approximately 530 b.c.

Unfortunately, the ghastly curse of sin permeated the people again. Tithes were ignored, the Sabbath was broken, priests were corrupt, and the Israelites intermarried with foreigners. Yet God remained faithful and sent the prophet Malachi, whose name means “my messenger.” Malachi convicted the people of their sin. He pronounced them guilty yet reminded them of this promise: “For you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays” (Malachi 4:2).

Four hundred years of silence ensued. While under the oppressive rule of Herod the Great, the Jews experienced relative peace—the Pax Romana. During this time, the faithful were dispersed throughout Judea. Separated from the temple, they established synagogues in their communities, where they worshiped and taught their children the Old Testament Scriptures. The Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots, and Gentiles populated the countryside. This would become the fertile ground where the fire of the gospel would ignite and spread. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

In one of these small towns, Immanuel chose to return. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2). This ruler, King Jesus, born of a virgin, “will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32).

Here’s the big picture: “God with us” is beyond comprehension. “The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:32,33). Yet he achieves it with a humble maiden, in a simple manger.

But how does he dwell with us today?

At Christmas, Jesus came to earth to establish his kingdom. At the perfect time, he became human. During his life on earth, Jesus was crucified and died. But then, three days later, he returned to life and was seen by some 500 witnesses before ascending to heaven. He left his Holy Spirit to dwell here, in each of us. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). In our baptisms, we are his; through saving faith, his presence is now made known through Word and sacrament.

“God with us,” Immanuel, reigns forever!

I like science, especially medical science. In school, I loved learning about the human body and all its working parts. All the thousands of “hidden” chemical processes going on in our bodies in the blink of an eye are mind-boggling. Even though these processes are “natural,” they still seem miraculous to me. In my mind, I wonder, How does this work?!

Mary asked a similar question. “How can this be?” It was a science kind of question.

Let’s review the story from Luke 1.

Mary was a young Jewish virgin girl betrothed to a man named Joseph. God sent an angel to Mary to give her a special message.

Angel: Greetings! You are very special to the Lord! The Lord is with you!

Mary: Huh?

Angel: Don’t be afraid. You’re going to have a special baby. You will call him Jesus. He’s going to be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. And he’s going to be a king with an everlasting kingdom!

Mary: How can this be, since I am a virgin? 

It was a good question! She didn’t know as much about science as we do today, but she knew enough to know that babies need a mom and a dad.

The angel had an answer. In short, “God.”

Angel: You see, Mary, with God, nothing is impossible. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High God will cover you. The baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God. Not only that, but your cousin Elizabeth will also be having a son in her old age. Everyone thought she couldn’t have a baby, but she’s six months along. Just because you’re a virgin and just because Elizabeth is old doesn’t mean God can’t make things happen. In fact, this was prophesied 700 years ago: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

Even though it was prophesied, the news was most likely shocking to Mary. Not only would she become pregnant in a miraculous way, but her child was going to be the Son of the Most High AND the Son of David. True God and true man. Holy and sinless. The offspring of a woman who will crush Satan’s head.

Does anything in your life seem impossible right now? Maybe, like Mary, you have questions. I’ve been hurt; how can I ever forgive? I made a big mistake; will it ever work out? My life has no purpose; can I still find meaning? I’m filled with fear and anxiety; can I ever be at peace? I feel lost; can I be saved?

With God, all things are possible. God enabled a virgin to conceive in order to take care of our most “impossible” situation: our separation from him because of our sin. Through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, we now have forgiveness, victory over death, and a restored relationship with God.

And this same God promises to be with us through all the “impossible” situations in our lives!

In the corner of our backyard, we have a tree that was not doing well. It was kind of ugly, was an odd shape, and was starting to lean over the fence. It was the hunchback of trees. But, once a year, it would still bloom beautiful green leaves and white flowers, so we let it be.

This past May, we had a terrible storm come through our area, and high winds caused a lot of damage. During this storm, our tree succumbed to the winds; snapped about three-fourths of the way down; and left a very uneven, jagged stump. We thought for sure this was the end for that tree and had plans to cut it down the rest of the way. But we didn’t get around to it, and then, do you know what happened? The tree came back to life! It started blooming green leaves and growing new branches, and now seems like it’s going to make a full recovery.

Things looked bleak for the line of Jesse. After all, it had been about 1,000 years of waiting for this family tree to produce its fruit, and people were starting to doubt if it was going to happen. Then a new root was born, and suddenly this once-dead stump made a full recovery and sprouted life.

Why? Because we have a God who keeps his promises, works things for our good, and always has a purpose. We are reminded of this when we see in the Bible how God kept his promises to Adam and Eve by sending the Savior to crush the serpent’s head, to Noah by saving his family and never flooding the world again, to Moses and the Israelites by giving them the Promised Land, and to David by ensuring that from his line the Messiah would be born. Each of these stories could have had dead ends, but God restored them and used them for his purpose. We can trust he will do the same for us.

Do you have a dead-tree story in your life? Maybe your family is fighting and you don’t think there can ever be a reconciliation. Maybe you’re at a dead-end job and have resigned yourself to being miserable for the rest of your life. Maybe you have a prayer that doesn’t seem like it’s ever going to get answered. Maybe you have an unhappy marriage.

Whatever it is that seems dead, like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, remember the stories of the Bible. Esau forgiving Jacob, Saul turning into Paul, Hannah receiving Samuel, Zechariah and Elizabeth being blessed with John. God used sin, hardships, ailments, sickness, emptiness, and even death for his good and for his purpose. In the Bible, we see the purpose of everyone mentioned: to point to Jesus for our salvation.

The same is true for you! God is using all the dead-tree moments of your life to point you to Jesus, to encourage you to cling to him, and to remind you he is carrying you until that dead tree sprouts new life. Whether that’s in this life or the next, live confidently knowing God will always work for your good and his purpose: to give you life.

I can hardly wait! In these days leading up to Christmas, a child’s anticipation bubbles over and makes it hard for them to concentrate on anything else. They long for time to go by quickly because they know the wonder yet to come. It’s an early experience of an earthly reality—waiting.

I can hardly wait! Adam and Eve must have uttered these words in the early days of humanity. With the birth of each of their many children, I can imagine them wondering each time if this would be the one who was promised. In reality, they wouldn’t see the fulfillment with their own eyes, but they would cling in faith to that first gospel promise of a Savior. It would be worth waiting for.

I can hardly wait! As generations of Israelites came and went, they passed on the continued prophecies that foretold the offspring of Eve who was yet to come and clung tightly in hopeful anticipation to the details revealed to them. Maybe this would be the year the wait would be over.

I can hardly wait! We know the story of his first coming so well that we can practically picture the scene in our minds: the baby Jesus in the manger with the virgin Mary on one side and Joseph standing guard. The little family surrounded by various barn animals who look on, mildly curious and only slightly put off by the intrusion—or is that joy on their faces that their Creator would pick their home for his birth? The shepherds who have just raced down from their posts, perhaps still slightly out of breath and surrounded by a few of their flock that could keep up with them. They stand in awe and wonder if the events of this night could ever be truly expressed. The mysterious light from the sky illuminates the scene, and we agree with those first witnesses to the Word made flesh that this was worth the wait.

I can hardly wait! Are you as tired as I am from living under the curse of sin? Day after day, there’s a battle raging inside of us to do the good we want to do versus the sin we actually keep on doing! It’s exhausting and extremely frustrating. Then there are our relationships and experiences of living in a sinful world that hates God and everything he stands for. “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus” (Revelation 12:17). Thankfully the promise of hope given to Adam and Eve was also meant for us because if God had not intervened in that very moment in the garden, we would still be friends with Satan now. Can you imagine? While we still have battles to fight here on earth, we have an inner peace knowing that our relationship has been made right with God through Jesus. Our anticipation of finally being set free from the curse of sin and the dream of walking in the garden with God like Adam and Eve did before the fall will happen. Hold fast! He is coming! I can hardly wait!

Mary must have had a lot of time on her hands. No doubt she sat near the manger, in an idyllic pose, pondering, right?

My guess is no. Joseph had to find a place to live and work to make money to keep a roof over their heads and food in their cupboard. Mary needed a means to clean up her baby boy, not just after birth, but every time he needed to be cleaned. Those swaddling clothes wouldn’t stay clean for long. Water must be fetched, food must be made, and how does one keep a manger clean?

Mary pondered because she took the time to ponder.

To ponder means to think carefully about something. Its Latin root is “to weigh” or “to reflect on.” The old French means “to consider.” Mary considered, weighed, reflected on all God was doing around her.

Sometimes we ruminate on all the wrong things. We notice the ways the people around us aren’t carrying their weight. We consider the sin in this world and the apathy of people who could do something about it. Circumstances, the never-ending laundry or dishes, the illness, the shrinking paycheck, weigh us down.

The apostle Paul suggests we avoid that. “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke about worry, something that consumes a lot of us a lot of the time. After commanding us not to worry and giving us good reason not to worry, he concluded by saying, “Seek first the kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33).

First seek God.

How different would our days be if we were to seek God first?

I have an hour-long commute to work. During the last ten minutes of the commute I put a Christian worship song on, because I’ve noticed that if I do, that song goes through my head all day long.

Reading the Bible right away in the morning sets the tone for the day. Today my reading from 1 Timothy was about avoiding distractions and godless chatter (social media!) and instead focusing on and teaching what is true. Hours later, it is still shaping the direction of my day.

We fall into bad habits, but seeking requires action. You can seek wealth or power or fame or entertainment, but they often leave us as empty as we started.

God says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

When you seek God, you will find him. The effort is rewarded every time.

And what do we get out of it? God’s love is everlasting. It doesn’t wax and wane depending on our attitude or energy. And we’re told God “…will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast” (Isaiah 26:3). Perfect (absolute, complete) peace is ours even in the midst of chaos. And if any of us lacks wisdom (insight as to what to do), James tells us God will freely give it (James 1:5). He does that as we open his Word.

When we don’t make time for God, we are giving ourselves over to the craziness and delusions of the world, the frantic pace, the never-ending striving, the “never enough” mentality.

When we step back and look at it objectively, on the scales of life, it’s so clear to see God lifts us up, encourages us, and gives us strength to endure. The devil, the world, and our sinful flesh drag us down, leave us spinning in negative thoughts and habits, and leave us empty.

Pray. Open the Bible. Worship. They’re the most important things you do each day.

Rarely are we in this kind of life-threatening danger. But if we’re honest, a lot of us find ourselves in seemingly impossible situations all the time.

This child just doesn’t understand potty-training.

That child just doesn’t “get” how to drive.

This marriage seems impossible.

The bills, the job, the health crisis, taking care of mom or dad…

God glories in impossible situations, because our impossibles are completely possible to him. He urges us to “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me” (Psalm 50:15).

Moses knew he wouldn’t be able to lead the children of Israel. But God could lead the children of Israel through Moses (the book of Exodus). Gideon couldn’t defeat the vast Midianite and Amalekite armies. But God could and did defeat the armies while Gideon and his 300 soldiers watched (Judges 6-7). Joshua didn’t chisel the walls of Jericho until they fell. He led the people around the walls, and God toppled the walls, and they became piles of rubble (Joshua 5-6).

We don’t have to lose sleep or wonder how things will fall into place. We can place our heartaches and struggles in God’s capable arms and step out in faith while he brings everything together.

Sometimes that takes a long time. The path of the Christian is one of faithful obedience in the waiting seasons, even when those seasons tarry.

Abraham continued to worship and obey while waiting 25 years for a son (Genesis 12-21). Daniel faithfully carried out his duties with impeccable morality while serving heathen rulers his entire adult life (the book of Daniel). Hannah knew her only hope was God. And she went to him again, even after suffering for years with infertility and the taunting of her husband’s other wife (1 Samuel 1).

The Canaanite woman didn’t cry out just once for Jesus to heal her daughter. She kept crying out, until the disciples wanted to send her away. Only then did Jesus tell her he was sent to the people of Israel. Still, she knelt before Jesus and begged for help. And when Jesus said it wasn’t right to take the children’s bread and give it to the dogs, she asked for just a crumb—and her daughter was healed (Matthew 15:21-28).

Do not give up on your impossible situations, and do not give up on your prayers. Many great men and women in the Bible found themselves stuck, and for many, deliverance didn’t come at once.

Paul Kretzmann, in his Popular Commentary of the Bible, said, “Even if all experience of man is against a Christian in his prayer, he trusts in the merciful Father for help and, in child-like faith, brings his petition before the throne of God again and again.”¹

Our modern eyes can see rich symbolism in the gifts presented by the Magi. Gold: a royal gift, fit for a king. Frankincense (incense): a religious gift, fit for a god. Myrrh: a loving gift used in embalming, fit for one who would suffer and die. Each of these gifts highlights a particular aspect of Jesus’ character; each conveys a piece of the story about this newborn Messiah.

The Magi, however, almost certainly didn’t intend any of this symbolism. They didn’t know that the one they were seeking, the one who had been born king of the Jews, embodied the union of divinity and humanity. They didn’t fully understand the heavenly (rather than earthly) nature of this King’s rule. They didn’t have any concept of the fate that awaited Jesus approximately 30 years later at the cross. They simply wanted to present Jesus with precious gifts from their homeland, items that meant a great deal to them, treasures to be shared.

I don’t know about you, but it’s not always easy for me to offer my time, talents, and treasures to Jesus. I’m busy—who isn’t?—and relaxing at the end of a long day sounds much more appealing than opening my Bible or devotion book. Yes, I use my musical gifts in service to my church, but sometimes it feels like no one really appreciates all the work I’m putting in. And sure, I support the church financially—except when I look at my stack of offering envelopes and am surprised by how many weeks have passed since I put one in the basket.

It would be easy to turn this devotion into law, to remind you that God has given you the greatest gift possible and that, in return, you have an obligation to give everything back to him. Law isn’t always a bad thing, and sometimes that’s the message that we need to hear. But our gifts are much more joyful, much more treasures to be shared than obligations to be fulfilled, when our giving has a gospel-centered focus. God has indeed given us the greatest gift possible. Therefore, how can we do anything other than present him with our greatest treasures?

And sometimes, we find unexpected blessings that come from presenting God with our greatest treasures. We have the privilege of intentionally considering what those greatest treasures actually are. What do you value the most, and how can you use that which you value in service to God? Presenting our treasures also often takes the form of serving others with love and good works. When we turn outward, when we see how our greatest treasures can be used to benefit our neighbor, we often can’t help but rejoice in the midst of this service.

The Magi took much more with them than they left behind. Yes, they left behind treasures—but they took with them the news and knowledge of God’s greatest treasure, of the One who would give himself for the salvation of the world. When we use our gifts in service to God and to our neighbor, may we also receive far more than we give!

What kind of mental picture do you have of Simeon? Perhaps one of an old, wizened man, with a life extended beyond what could naturally be expected, close to death but still hanging on because of the promise that he would not die before seeing the Messiah? Maybe… but maybe not.

Luke doesn’t tell us anything about how old Simeon was or how long he had been waiting. We know from Luke’s choice of words that Simeon had been waiting expectantly, with eager anticipation, but not necessarily for a long time. And we also don’t know that Simeon’s words in today’s reading indicate that he was ready to die. In fact, they might mean exactly the opposite.

The specific words Simeon used carry the picture of a sentry being relieved from his post, or a slave being dismissed from his duty, or a servant being assigned to a different task now that his current task has been completed. In other words, Simeon may not have been saying, “Lord, I’m ready to die.” He may have been saying, “Lord, I’m ready to live.”

Like Simeon, we too have seen God’s salvation. We see it in the manger on that first Christmas night. We see it in Jesus’ teaching and preaching and miracles throughout his three years of earthly ministry. We see it in the Palm Sunday procession and the Good Friday crucifixion and the Easter Sunday resurrection. We see it in Jesus’ ascension into heaven on the Mount of Olives, and we’ll see it again one day when he comes again in glory.

And here’s the best part: we’ve been given a calling to carry out during our time on this earth, a command to make disciples of all nations, a purpose as we too say, “Lord, I’m ready to live.” We have the best news of all to share with a broken and dying world, and we have the privilege of living out this good news through our words and actions every single day. We have the sure and certain hope of heaven, and we have the joy of strengthening our sisters and brothers in the faith with this hope. We have good works that were prepared in advance for us to do, and we have the spiritual gifts to complete those good works in service to God and to our neighbor. We have so much living to do!

At my church, we use the Compline liturgy during midweek Lent services. I love closing the worship service by singing these words of Simeon in the Nunc Dimittis and then leaving the light and warmth of the church building for the dark and chill of the world. Yes, Simeon may have been an old man close to death. But he may also have had quite a bit of life left, a life that he lived for God. Eventually, we’ll all be called home by God. In the meantime, though, we’re called to live for him now—a calling that we’re privileged to carry out every day.

You just heard the most amazing news but made a promise not to share it. The time isn’t right and it isn’t your news to share, so you hold it close to the vest even though you feel like you could burst. This phenomenon goes against our natural human inclination to share good news with those around us—we just can’t help it!

The shepherds had news to share that was like none other. The long-awaited Messiah, Christ the Lord, had been born in Bethlehem. A multitude of angels announcing the birth had just illuminated the night sky above their sheep in the Judean countryside. The shepherds could hardly contain the news. They journeyed to the manger, found everything just as the angel had said, and spread the word on their way back to their fields that night. They couldn’t help it!

Although the shepherds were not commanded to keep the good news of Jesus to themselves, Peter and John were. After healing a crippled man, they were brought in front of the Sanhedrin and ordered not to speak about Jesus’ death and resurrection anymore. Their response is recorded in Acts 4:20: “As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” In spite of the directive to keep silent, they refused to do so. This message had eternal implications for all who would hear it, so no demand of the Sanhedrin or persecution would stop them from sharing it. They couldn’t help it.

We have this same gospel message to share. We too know this Jesus—born, crucified, and resurrected for us. And astonishingly, he gives this incredible news of grace to flawed, sinful people and uses us to proclaim it. But what about us? Do we find ourselves overflowing with excitement and unable to keep this news to ourselves, or does fear prevent us from sharing? Do we share Jesus unapologetically, or does concern for what others may think get in the way?

This Advent season, we can pray for a heart like the shepherds that is bursting with joy about the news of Jesus. As the joy of Jesus bubbles up in our hearts, we can search for opportunities to let his light shine in our lives and relationships with others. Whatever holds us back from sharing this eternity-changing news, we can pray that those obstacles would be replaced with boldness.

Consider the outcome of the shepherds’ witness testimony of the Savior’s birth that first Christmas night. Luke tells us that all who heard it were amazed. First, as we consider our Savior’s birth, we too revisit a place of marvel and awe at the depths of God’s grace for sinners. Then, as we share that awe, may the Holy Spirit work through our testimony to bring others to faith. The story of God’s grace is too wonderful not to share—we just can’t help it!