My eyes have seen your salvation

Sunday was a special day at church.  Not only did we witness the baptism into Christ, of a young lady, our studies on "Contagious Generosity," continued and our guest speaker authored the book by the same name.  There were great scripture passages to our learning how to be a more generous people. 

The highlight of today's assembly was, the sharing we do weekly in remembering the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, as we partake of emblems representing his body and his blood.  Rick spoke to us and advised our communion time was going to be introduced with a New Testament story about a man named Simeon. 

The account I remembered about Simeon occurred when the baby Jesus was a little more than a week old.  So I wondered how an event at that time in his life could be connected to the Memorial Feast of remembering his death. 

 

Actually, Joseph and Mary had taken Jesus to the temple when he was eight days old, to be circumcised, according to the Law of Moses.  A few verses in Luke 2, then tell us about Simon. He was a righteous man, a devout man, and a man whom the Holy Spirit had told he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. 

The story continues by letting us know Simeon was present in the temple courts that day, when the baby Jesus was brought in. The interesting story is worth reading:

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 nations:
     a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”

Simeon celebrated Jesus that day by proclaiming, "My eyes have seen your salvation."  As we all took the bread at the same time, in unison we spoke those same words.  As we drank the fruit of the vine, we recited them again.

  

Some might say, "we never did it that way before."  I, for one, learned that even an event from the infancy of Jesus, proclaimed his power to save the nations through Simeon's revelation that Jesus is the Messiah.  You see, we not only reap the spiritual benefit of knowing salvation through Jesus' death and resurrection, but we learn his entire earthly life from infancy to the cross, speaks loud and clear his salvation-gift for the nations.  Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift. 

<ronbwriting@yahoo.com>