Celebrate Jesus

 Amid the twinkling lights and festive cheer, it’s easy to forget why we celebrate Christmas. We can get caught up in the hustle and bustle of it all: parties and programs, gift buying and cookie baking, travel planning and family gatherings. All the activity of the season can crowd out the real meaning and purpose for the holiday itself. While we may say “Jesus is the reason for the season,” what does that really mean for us today? What if an often overlooked Bible story can help us reconnect our celebrations to the true gift of Christmas?

One cold December Sunday when I   was in the first grade, I  got to read my very first verse with my own eyes out of a real Bible. I  still remember it to this day. In Sunday School, we studied a part of the Christmas story that is rarely talked about. The lesson came from Luke 2 and was about Simeon meeting the baby Jesus in the temple. Simeon was a righteous and faithful man who had been waiting for God to send the Messiah to bring salvation to Israel and hope for the world. In fact, the Lord had promised Simeon that he would not die before seeing the Messiah.

We read aloud Luke 2:29-32: “Simeon took him up in his arms, praised God, and said, ‘Now, Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace, as you promised. For my eyes have seen your salvation. You have prepared it in the presence of all peoples—a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory to your people Israel.   And just like that, my eyes were opened to see Jesus as the true gift of Christmas. Here Simeon sees and responds joyously and faithfully to God’s grace in giving Jesus to the world. Can’t you just picture the joy Simeon must have experienced as he lifted baby Jesus, praising God and delighting in his goodness and mercy?!?

Then as Luke 2 continues, we are introduced to Anna, an elderly widow who had dedicated her life to serving the Lord in the temple, to prayer and to fasting. She, too, met baby Jesus that day and began praising God and telling everyone that he was the Messiah, the long-awaited anointed one who had come into this world to bring salvation. I   love the story of Simeon and Anna as it reminds us what Christmas is really about. The world is in desperate need of Jesus, the Messiah. Like Simeon and Anna, we are invited to recognize and rejoice with a deeper appreciation for the gift that Jesus is to the whole world. We rejoice and celebrate this season full of hope and gratitude. Our faithful response in celebrating Jesus’ birth should be like theirs: gleefully praising God and telling others what this means not only for us, but for everyone who calls on His name.

This Christmas, pause and ask: How can my celebrations better reflect the joy of meeting Jesus, the promised Messiah and savior of the world? May our response give glory, honor and thanks to God. And let us share the Good News with a lost and broken world desperately in need of all that Jesus came to give. JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON. So let’s celebrate Jesus!

Pastor Bryce Formwait is the Director of Mission Growth for LCMC Texas District and Program Director of Harvest Workers, an online ministry training program (learn more at www. harvestworkers, net). Residing in Georgetown, Pastor Bryce is available to coach congregations on mission. Please contact him with any questions or comments: 512-942-7776 or bryce@Jcmctexas.org. © 2024 Bryce J. Formwait, All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission.