All I Want For Christmas Is...
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Pastor Dale - December 16, 2012
Scripture Reading: Luke 2: 25 – 38
The theme I am using for this third message
of Advent is this: All
I want for Christmas Is...... The call of the message is for each of us to finish that
statement.
I have read to you a very fascinating story;
it opens with an extremely old man and closes with a very old woman. Both of them
revealed what they wanted for Christmas, and what they wanted revealed the
truth of each of them as to character and heart.
And that is likely the most important thing you
will hear this morning.
What Luke writes about them reveals two very
godly people. In every respect they were two Jewish saints, two amazing saints
of the Old Covenant representing the very best of that long Old Testament order.
That is significant because that entire old order was now giving way to –
finding its complete consummation and fulfilment – in the new order, the new
covenant in the Messiah.
In both the opening and closing verses of
this story we find a key word defining Simeonand Anna.
We are told they were ‘looking.’ This is a strong word and goes far beyond casual curiosity. It
speaks of expectation
– strong expectation, life defining expectation, single-minded expectation,
single-focus expectation; the heart desire that pushes all other desire to the
fringe of consciousness.
Everything else they could live without but this could not be lived
without.
All I want for Christmas begins with the issue of how much I want it.What is the depth of my longing, the purity
of my focus, the conviction of my expectation and the discipline of my passion?
In this story we meet two people– two old people – who instead of thinking
retirement are filled with a sense of mission, a sense of burning expectation.
In these same two verses (25
& 38)we discover what these two people wanted for Christmas. We are told
that Simeon was ‘looking for the consolation of Israel’and Anna
spoke of the child to all who were looking for the redemption of
Jerusalem.
It is safe to assume that in speaking to those who were looking for the
redemption of Jerusalem she was looking for the same thing. In other words she
spoke to those who shared the same burning expectation that lived in her soul.
Question:With whom do you share and
what do you share? The answer to that goes a long way towards completing our
theme: ‘All I want for Christmas
is….’
There are three vital words in this story
regarding the Christmas expectations of an old man and an old woman; verses 25, 30
& 38: consolation, salvation & redemption. We likely have time to deal with only
two.
Notice first it was the consolation
of Israel and the redemption of
Jerusalem. In other words their Christmas expectations were not self-centred
but others-centred. They saw the bigger picture, the larger story and it was
this expanded consciousness that shaped and formed their Christmas expectations.
There was no ‘me, me, me’ in their
Christmas desire.
Here then, is how Simeon
and Anna would have completed
the statement of our Adventtheme:
‘All I
want for Christmas is consolation; all I want for Christmas is redemption.’
To find out what they wanted look at these two
words.
Consolation: while this word (in the original language)
has many shades of meaning the core idea here is someone called alongside another for the purpose of
imparting comfort, encouragement, strength and hope. It must be noted that in this
“coming alongside of” there is
reception and joining.
It is one thing for you to come alongside me but another thing for me to receive
you. If I choose not to receive you I cut myself off from the consolation that
is in you.
Consolation refers to present reality but it
primarily relates to past experience. To gain perspective on this, consider the
words of Isaiah: “Comfort,
O comfort My people,” says your God. “Speak kindly to Jerusalem; and call out to
her, that her warfare
has ended, that her iniquity has been removed, that she has received of the
Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” (Isa.40: 1 -2) The
background is one of warfare,
iniquity and severe discipline.
There is a sense in which Simeon – this very
old man – represents a people corporately; they are war-weary,
sin-sick (tired of the weight of their own iniquity), and tired of labouring
under the disciplinesof God. To such
a people what does consolation mean; what exactly is it they are hungering for?
Consolation means the war is over. Consolation means the iniquity is pardoned:
Micah
7:19... He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, you will cast all their
sins into the depths of the sea. Consolation
means the season of discipline has come to an end: Micah 7:18...He does not retain His anger forever, because
He delights in unchanging love. There is peace, there is no longer crippling guilt, and there
is that rich sense of blessing and favour.
Redemption:This too is a great word and deserves a
fuller treatment than we have time to address. It does not mean the same as the
word ‘consolation.’ At core it
means to be bought
back by paying a price. The word ‘bought’
brings us to another word that sounds the same – ‘brought.’ Let us rejoice in this truth: what is ‘bought
back’ is also ‘brought back.’
To be redeemed is to be released from a controlling
power against which you have no power apart from that act of redemption. Through
redemption we are brought back from a controlling enemy and brought back to the
one who redeemed us by paying a price.
Listen to the voice of Simeon as he sings:
‘All I
want for Christmas is the consolation of Israel.’
Listen to Anna’s voice as she sings: ‘All I want for Christmas is the redemption
of Jerusalem.’ Bring the two desires – the two
Christmas expectations together and what do we have? Simply this: the consolation
Simeon hungers for can never be realised apart from the redemption Anna hungers
for. Christmas
consolation is the consequence of Christmas redemption. Isa.52:9... Break forth into singing, you waste places of
Jerusalem; the Lord has consoled His people, He has redeemed
Jerusalem.
Here then, is the final consideration of
this year’s Advent Series. We now
know what both Simeon and Anna
wanted for Christmas; what their Christmas expectations were. All that
remains now is the issue of where they would look to find those Christmas
expectations. Were
their expectations to be found in political policy, religious structure and
social programs? Perhaps they could be found in ongoing education. Perhaps the
key to their expectations was to be found in economics – money, materialism. Or
maybe, they just needed to look inside themselves.
We all know the answer. Consolation was in a person. Redemption was in a person.
In fact to state it properly:
consolation was a person –
redemption wasa person. That
Person was that eight day old, just circumcised and now named baby, Simeon held
in his hands; the holy Son of God and Son of man.
This means that both redemption and consolation are experienced
only in a living relationship with that Person who is redemption and consolation
– Jesus Christ the Lord, the Christ of Christmas.
All I want for Christmas is....... Before we finish that perhaps we should
reflect upon and old man and an old woman’s Christmas expectation from that
first Christmas.
Pastor Dale - December 16, 2012
Scripture Reading: Luke 2: 25 – 38
The theme I am using for this third message
of Advent is this: All
I want for Christmas Is...... The call of the message is for each of us to finish that
statement.
I have read to you a very fascinating story;
it opens with an extremely old man and closes with a very old woman. Both of them
revealed what they wanted for Christmas, and what they wanted revealed the
truth of each of them as to character and heart.
And that is likely the most important thing you
will hear this morning.
What Luke writes about them reveals two very
godly people. In every respect they were two Jewish saints, two amazing saints
of the Old Covenant representing the very best of that long Old Testament order.
That is significant because that entire old order was now giving way to –
finding its complete consummation and fulfilment – in the new order, the new
covenant in the Messiah.
In both the opening and closing verses of
this story we find a key word defining Simeonand Anna.
We are told they were ‘looking.’ This is a strong word and goes far beyond casual curiosity. It
speaks of expectation
– strong expectation, life defining expectation, single-minded expectation,
single-focus expectation; the heart desire that pushes all other desire to the
fringe of consciousness.
Everything else they could live without but this could not be lived
without.
All I want for Christmas begins with the issue of how much I want it.What is the depth of my longing, the purity
of my focus, the conviction of my expectation and the discipline of my passion?
In this story we meet two people– two old people – who instead of thinking
retirement are filled with a sense of mission, a sense of burning expectation.
In these same two verses (25
& 38)we discover what these two people wanted for Christmas. We are told
that Simeon was ‘looking for the consolation of Israel’and Anna
spoke of the child to all who were looking for the redemption of
Jerusalem.
It is safe to assume that in speaking to those who were looking for the
redemption of Jerusalem she was looking for the same thing. In other words she
spoke to those who shared the same burning expectation that lived in her soul.
Question:With whom do you share and
what do you share? The answer to that goes a long way towards completing our
theme: ‘All I want for Christmas
is….’
There are three vital words in this story
regarding the Christmas expectations of an old man and an old woman; verses 25, 30
& 38: consolation, salvation & redemption. We likely have time to deal with only
two.
Notice first it was the consolation
of Israel and the redemption of
Jerusalem. In other words their Christmas expectations were not self-centred
but others-centred. They saw the bigger picture, the larger story and it was
this expanded consciousness that shaped and formed their Christmas expectations.
There was no ‘me, me, me’ in their
Christmas desire.
Here then, is how Simeon
and Anna would have completed
the statement of our Adventtheme:
‘All I
want for Christmas is consolation; all I want for Christmas is redemption.’
To find out what they wanted look at these two
words.
Consolation: while this word (in the original language)
has many shades of meaning the core idea here is someone called alongside another for the purpose of
imparting comfort, encouragement, strength and hope. It must be noted that in this
“coming alongside of” there is
reception and joining.
It is one thing for you to come alongside me but another thing for me to receive
you. If I choose not to receive you I cut myself off from the consolation that
is in you.
Consolation refers to present reality but it
primarily relates to past experience. To gain perspective on this, consider the
words of Isaiah: “Comfort,
O comfort My people,” says your God. “Speak kindly to Jerusalem; and call out to
her, that her warfare
has ended, that her iniquity has been removed, that she has received of the
Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” (Isa.40: 1 -2) The
background is one of warfare,
iniquity and severe discipline.
There is a sense in which Simeon – this very
old man – represents a people corporately; they are war-weary,
sin-sick (tired of the weight of their own iniquity), and tired of labouring
under the disciplinesof God. To such
a people what does consolation mean; what exactly is it they are hungering for?
Consolation means the war is over. Consolation means the iniquity is pardoned:
Micah
7:19... He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, you will cast all their
sins into the depths of the sea. Consolation
means the season of discipline has come to an end: Micah 7:18...He does not retain His anger forever, because
He delights in unchanging love. There is peace, there is no longer crippling guilt, and there
is that rich sense of blessing and favour.
Redemption:This too is a great word and deserves a
fuller treatment than we have time to address. It does not mean the same as the
word ‘consolation.’ At core it
means to be bought
back by paying a price. The word ‘bought’
brings us to another word that sounds the same – ‘brought.’ Let us rejoice in this truth: what is ‘bought
back’ is also ‘brought back.’
To be redeemed is to be released from a controlling
power against which you have no power apart from that act of redemption. Through
redemption we are brought back from a controlling enemy and brought back to the
one who redeemed us by paying a price.
Listen to the voice of Simeon as he sings:
‘All I
want for Christmas is the consolation of Israel.’
Listen to Anna’s voice as she sings: ‘All I want for Christmas is the redemption
of Jerusalem.’ Bring the two desires – the two
Christmas expectations together and what do we have? Simply this: the consolation
Simeon hungers for can never be realised apart from the redemption Anna hungers
for. Christmas
consolation is the consequence of Christmas redemption. Isa.52:9... Break forth into singing, you waste places of
Jerusalem; the Lord has consoled His people, He has redeemed
Jerusalem.
Here then, is the final consideration of
this year’s Advent Series. We now
know what both Simeon and Anna
wanted for Christmas; what their Christmas expectations were. All that
remains now is the issue of where they would look to find those Christmas
expectations. Were
their expectations to be found in political policy, religious structure and
social programs? Perhaps they could be found in ongoing education. Perhaps the
key to their expectations was to be found in economics – money, materialism. Or
maybe, they just needed to look inside themselves.
We all know the answer. Consolation was in a person. Redemption was in a person.
In fact to state it properly:
consolation was a person –
redemption wasa person. That
Person was that eight day old, just circumcised and now named baby, Simeon held
in his hands; the holy Son of God and Son of man.
This means that both redemption and consolation are experienced
only in a living relationship with that Person who is redemption and consolation
– Jesus Christ the Lord, the Christ of Christmas.
All I want for Christmas is....... Before we finish that perhaps we should
reflect upon and old man and an old woman’s Christmas expectation from that
first Christmas.