Episode 772 The Song of Simeon
[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: [00:00:00] Thanks for joining me on episode 772 of the inspired stewardship podcast. I'm Derek Guarjardo from strong life coach. I encourage you to find your own journey to building your own strong life. And one way to be inspired to do that is by listening to this, the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend Scott Mader.
[00:00:26] and acted upon it. They then shared that with others. And I think sometimes that's the second half, we get afraid that we feel a call. We feel a direction, we feel something that we're supposed to be doing. And we fail to take action because we're afraid to share it with others. We're afraid of what they'll say.
[00:00:48] We're afraid of how they'll welcome. And thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to [00:01:00] use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling. In the inspired stewardship podcast, we'll learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.
[00:01:22] And today's spiritual foundation episode of out impacting the world. I talk with you about Luke chapter two verses 22 through 40. I also share why listening is part of what we need to do, but why we are also called to share the song that we hear. Luke chapter two, verses 22 through 40, also known as the song of Simeon.
[00:01:48] And it goes like this. When the time came for their purification, according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. This is talking about Mary and Joseph bringing [00:02:00] Jesus up to the temple as it is written in the law of the Lord. Every firstborn male shall be designated as Holy to the Lord.
[00:02:07] And they offered a sacrifice. According to what it is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout looking forward to the constellation of Israel and the Holy spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.
[00:02:32] Guided by the spirit. Simeon came into the temple and when the parents brought in the child, Jesus to do for him, what was customary under the law? Simeon took him in his arms and praised God saying master. Now you are dismissing your servant in peace. According to your word for my eyes have seen your salvation.
[00:02:52] Which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples a light for the revelation to Gentiles and for glory to your people, [00:03:00] Israel and the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother, Mary, this child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed and a sword where will purists your own soul too.
[00:03:21] There was also a prophet Ana, the daughter of FanDuel of the tribe of Asher. She was a great age having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage. Then as a widow to the age of 84, she never left the temple, but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At the moment she came and began to praise God and to speak about the child, to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
[00:03:46] When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew, it became strong, filled with wisdom and the favor of God was upon him. Now this [00:04:00] passage about Jesus coming to the temple, his parents bringing him there to be recognized and consecrated like others were.
[00:04:12] And what happens is sin and an Ana come to recognize Jesus. And one of the things that I love about this passage is it's becomes very clear that Simeon has been listening to the Holy spirit for a long time. It points out that Simeon is there in Jerusalem. It doesn't actually say that he lives there or that he comes to the temple every day or anything else.
[00:04:37] It just says that he's there in Jerusalem because he's been called there. Something has arisen in him that said, I need to go here. And out of that, he was fulfilled his destiny of seeing the Messiah before he died. And Ana is this older woman who just lives there in the [00:05:00] temple, but she also recognizes immediately what's going on here.
[00:05:05] And I think it's important to recognize two parts to these relationships. One is these people were open to listening to the word of God in their life, listening to the calling of the Holy spirit. And I think a lot of times we don't listen to what we're being called to do. We are having a hard time hearing what it is that God wants us to do.
[00:05:31] And we aren't doing a good job of responding to that hearing with action either. And see, I think just like Simeon it is a combination of things. I think one thing that happens is oftentimes we're given messages where we're told something's going to happen, but we're looking for it to happen on our timescale.
[00:05:51] We're looking for it to happen, whatever we want it to happen. And the truth is it doesn't happen on that schedule. It [00:06:00] happens on the schedule that God has called for it to happen on. You have to wonder if Simeon had been looking for the Messiah and waiting for a long time and expecting it to happen and it hadn't happened and it hadn't happened and it happened.
[00:06:15] Hadn't happened. And now he's excited because it has. But he also has to have been frustrated before that been wondering, when was it going to come? And the second half of this relationship is both of them responded Anna and Simeon both responded when they saw what was going on when they had the call come to them and they acted upon it.
[00:06:42] They then shared that with others. And I think sometimes that's the second half, we get afraid that we feel a call. We feel a direction, we feel something that we're supposed to be doing, and we fail to take action because we're [00:07:00] afraid to share it with others. We're afraid of what they'll say. We're afraid of how they'll tell us.
[00:07:04] We're crazy. We're afraid of how they'll tell us that this is not a good idea and they'll push back on us. And because that. We don't take action, but both Ana and Semyon here actually act in response to their calling. They share their song with others. And I think that's really what we're called to do, not just in this season of Christmas, but all of the time.
[00:07:36] Thanks for listening.
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