Wednesday within the Octave of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord
Posted on December 29, 2021 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 2:25-32 (NKJV)
2:25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation
31 which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
32 a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”
Devotion
One of the important lessons of the Christmas season is the transition of the Church from that of the Old Testament to the New Testament. This does not mean the Old Testament was bad, nor is it obsolete. It was about holy, divine promises. The people of Israel were characterized by God’s promises to give them a kingdom and a land. Their kingdom came in Jesus Christ, and their true Holy Land is clearly identified as the resurrection and the life of the world to come. They were to wait faithfully for these, as Simeon did. And when the Son of God came in flesh and blood at His Nativity, God’s promises from the Old Testament were being fulfilled, and Simeon also faithfully rejoiced in seeing it, as Israel should have!
Our Savior would continue to fulfill the things that God had foretold in the Scriptures of Moses and the Prophets, and the light of salvation in Jesus Christ would grow brighter and brighter as it was shown to the Gentiles and all nations. The New Testament would be characterized by the Gospel of Christ crucified, proclaimed before the face of all peoples. The work of God through His chosen people would expand beyond Moses, beyond the temple in Jerusalem, beyond the people of Israel, and be focused in His holy, catholic Church. The Church of the New Testament proclaims the whole counsel of God; Old and New Testaments, Law and Gospel, Word and Sacrament, forgiveness and life everlasting!
Prayer: Almighty and Everlasting God, direct our actions according to Thy good pleasure, that in the Name of Thy beloved Son, we may be made to abound in good works; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end.
Collect for the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord: Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that the new Birth of Thine Only-Begotten Son in the flesh may set us free who are held in the old bondage under the yoke of sin; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
