Abide - Luke 2

Podcast Transcript

Welcome to Abide. It's Lizzie Reynolds here, and I'm so glad you've come to join me in this time of prayer. I hope you're in a space that's comfortable and you've been able to pull away whether it's in your room or somewhere beautiful outside. Maybe you've brought a blanket along or have lit a candle. It's wonderful to create a space where you get to rest with God, and so this is a great time to practice that.

So, we're just going to begin this time of prayer noticing our breath- taking a nice deep breath in through the nose and exhaling out- just settling your body right where it is right now.

Noticing the beating of your heart; noticing maybe the sounds around you, in your place of living, the sounds outside. Noticing the warmth of maybe your sweater or the blanket, or the glow of the candle, or the light. And just beginning to notice the sacredness of the here and now, and that Jesus is here with you, with me.

And I'd like to start by reading you a phrase from the Psalms. And I'll read it out, and you can repeat it to yourself, and this will help our bodies and minds and hearts to become still.

“Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am.
Be still and know.
Be still.
Be.”

For our gratitude practice today, I'd love for you to recall something beautiful that you've seen in nature in the last week, or day, or few days. And I want you to just recall one moment, one scene. Just allow that beauty - that moment - to rest upon your heart now, and I'll give you a minute to do this.

How wonderful it is to be still and know that you are God- to be still and see something beautiful in nature, and to know only God could do that. Only God has given me eyes to see it, to hear it, to smell it, to taste it, to feel it. So, God, we marvel in your presence.
Let's take another inhale together and exhale out, just relaxing your shoulders- letting your body really sink into the seat that you're in. Or just, maybe you're laying down, you're letting all the parts of your body relax.

And I'm going to be reading from Chapter 2 in the Gospel of Luke, verses 21 to 40.
“On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

“When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

“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 upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes  have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people: a light for   revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.’

“The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 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, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

“There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, and she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Israel.

“When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.”
Listen for the leading of the Spirit.

These words, this narrative- these are the beginnings of Christ’s story on Earth. We can see all the people that are surrounding him to celebrate and to consecrate. We see Anna and Simeon and Mary and Joseph, and probably many others in the temple that are looking on. All these people are there to support and to love and to bring forward this Jesus.

And I wonder, who are your people? Who are the people that have supported, been near to you, celebrated you, encouraged you? Who are those people, in your childhood- maybe in your high school years? Who are the people that God has surrounded you with, to bring you more deeply into this world more fully?

I give you time now to ponder those precious souls, thanking God for them, praying for them, blessing blessings over them. Spend time now reviewing all the souls that are a part of your story of your becoming.

Hear this word once again, and notice the surrounding people- the love of God bringing Christ into this earthly place:
“On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

“And when the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout, and he was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 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, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes  have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people: a light for   revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.’
“The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 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, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

“There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, and she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

“When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.”
I wonder if you notice that all that are involved in the story are the poor of Israel. Mary and Joseph are poor. They come to bring their son Jesus the Christ, and they barely have an offering: nothing special, just a pair of doves.

We have Simeon who is righteous and devout and is waiting his whole life for the fulfillment of this moment. We have Anna who is a widow, who is poor and has lived in the temple her whole life, waiting for this moment.

Once again, all involved in our God, in our Christ story, here, are poor. They are small; they are insignificant and unseen. And I'm wondering if there are parts of your life or your story that just feel simple, or hidden, or poor, or unnoticed? Maybe there wasn't a lot of finances to build your life. Maybe there weren't a lot of wonderful people to encourage you. Maybe you feel like you don't have a lot of gifts to offer the world.

Whatever it may be where you feel impoverished, I wonder if when you hear this story, you would notice how important each life is- the smallest of lives; the poorest of poor. I wonder if you can notice how these people in this story belong and how they are important - so important.

So, take this time now to see those spaces in you where you feel lack, or there seems to not be a plethora of resources, or maybe you feel your work is unseen and very small. I wonder if you can affirm and celebrate your little life, your little gifts, your small, unseen self. Because you know what? This is how God works. This is where he placed his very own son.

And so, take time now to celebrate the small, the poor, the unseen. And sense the love of God in this place.
“Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout, and he was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.”

We see here in Simeon a surrendered heart- one waiting for the consolation of Israel. God's deliverance will bring comfort to his people; Christ coming into the world will bring consolation spiritually, emotionally, politically, socially- all the elements of life. This Christ child has come to bring consolation.

And we see Simeon being led by the Spirit in this place to recognize this Christ child in what he brings. And I wonder, are there places in your life - physical places - where you're able to sense the Spirit? Here, we have Simeon in the temple. Here, we have Anna in the temple where she spent all of her life in fasting and prayer, waiting and knowing and believing in this unseen Christ that was coming.
And so, I give you time to think about where is your space, or place, or a surrounding, an environment that helps you recognize the Spirit- helps you recognize the consolation of Christ spiritually, emotionally, politically, socially. Where are those spaces for you? And speak to God now how to place yourself in those places, more and more to receive his blessing; to receive his truth; to receive his love.

And we know that this child will bring consolation. And this child will also- as it says here: “The thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.” Where are spaces and times where you're able to be with Jesus, where your heart, and the thoughts of your heart can be revealed, to be nurtured and to be guided? This is what the Christ child is for, and is about.
As we read this passage fully one more time, may you be in the scene surrounded by all these individuals that are bringing Christ to his earthly life, in a loving manner. You too have many surrounding you, encouraging you in the life that you're bringing forward. And these individuals in this story are poor, and unseen, and not noticed, and maybe yours are too. But that is to be celebrated, and it belongs.

And we also get to be taken into this beautiful temple scene, where the Spirit will console, guide, reveal, and bring peoples together. So may our hearts settle in this passage one last time.
“On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.

“And when the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

“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 upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And 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, Simeon took him in his arms and he praised God, saying:

‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes  have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people: a light for   revelation to the Gentiles, and for the glory to your people Israel.’
“The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 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, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

“There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, and she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

“When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong and was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.”
Friends, may our eyes be open to how rich and deep and good is the fellowship around us- is the Spirit around us, consoling us, growing us, strengthening us, revealing the intentions of our hearts so that they might be healed and grown and developed.
God, thank you for Joseph and Mary, for Simeon and for Anna, and that these were the people that you wanted your son Jesus to be held by. May we, like them, be humble- be ones that wait, be ones that are sensitive to your Spirit, and do our part in bringing you into the world.

So, we pray all these things. We say, “Glory be to the Father, to the Son and to the Spirit, as it was in the beginning, as it is now, and as it ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”

Go in peace my friends.

— End of transcript —