In the movie, “A Patch of Blue”, the blind girl asks her grandfather, “Old Paw, what’s green like?” The irritated man answers: “Green is green, stupid. Now stop asking questions.” There follows a poignant scene in which the young girl claws the grass with her hands and gently rubs a leaf against her cheek, trying to experience the reality of “greenness”. That is a parable of the human situation. We want to experience reality. We try to dissect it, claw at it, analyze it, explain it.

God helps us here. When He got ready to communicate His greatest idea, He took that idea and wrapped it in a person. Pause reverently for a moment to consider what just said. When God wanted to communicate His greatest idea, He took that idea and wrapped it in a person. That’s the meaning of the Incarnation.

At Bethlehem, God entered human history and our personal hearts in the form of Jesus Christ. In that revelation - the idea wrapped in a person - deep calls to deep.

Most of us know the power of an idea whose time has come. We know, also, that the most powerful ideas are communicated not by words, but by actions through the elaboration of principles, but through the examples of persons. The old poem stated that truth simply:

The eyes a better pupil
And more willing than the ear
Fine counsel is confusing
But examples always clear

There’s also a line in that poem which says, “I’d rather see a sermon than to hear one any day.” Now, I don’t want you to think that you have no need to hear sermons. If all of you came to that conclusion, I would be without a job! Besides, the Bible is rather clear about the centrality of preaching and hearing the Word of God. What I want us to do during these Sundays of Advent is to see and hear as one act. I want us to look at the cast of the Christmas story, and explore the ideas that were wrapped up in these persons - the thoughts and actions and commitments of their lives which have relevance to us.

God wrapped His big idea in the Person of Jesus, and the way other persons related to that big idea teaches us. So that will be our Advent sermon theme - to look at the different persons in the cast of the Christian drama.

Today, we look at Simeon and Anna. Barclay called them “The quiet of the land.” It will help to see them in that perspective.

“There was no Jew in that day who did not regard his own nation as the chosen people. But the Jews saw quite clearly that by human means their nation could never attain the position of the supreme world greatness which they believed was their destiny. By far, the greater number of them believed that because the Jews were the chosen people they were bound someday to become masters of the world and lords of all the nations. To bring in that day, some believed that some great, celestial champion would descend upon the earth; some believed that there would arise another King of David’s line, and that all the old glories would revive; some believed that God Himself would break directly into history by supernatural means. But in contrast to all that, there were some few people who were known as the Quiet of the Land. They had no dreams of violence and power and of armies with banners; they believed in a life of constant prayer and quiet watchful ness until God came. All their lives, they waited quietly and patiently upon God.” (William Barclay, The Daily Bible Study: The Gospel of Luke, Edinburgh, The Saint Andrew Press, 1953, pages 20—21)

Simeon and Anna were among those “quiet of the land.” So let’s get a brief character sketch of each of these persons. What we know about them is pretty much stated by Luke in our lesson today. Look first at Simeon. “And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” (Luke 2:25 RSV)

Some interpreters have identified Simeon as the Rabbi of the Early First Century who was the son of Hillel and the father of Gamaliel (Acts 5:34; 22:3). This is doubtful. Luke simply identifies him as “a man of Jerusalem.” Now this is worth pausing to ref1ect upon. In the nativity narratives of the Gospels, there are three acts of adoration: that of the shepherds, that of the “heathen Magi”, and that of Simeon and Anna. No representatives of power and position here, no dwelling on the status and importance of those who came to pay homage to Christ. The tribute of the human heart is sufficient for the Son of Man. That’s what we sing about:

What can I give him
Poor as I am
If I were a Shepherd
I would give a lamb.

If I were a rich man
I would do my part
What can I give him
Give him my heart.

So, here is Simeon, an ordinary priest in the temple. Somewhere along the way the Holy Spirit told him that he would not die until he looked upon the Messiah – the promised one of God. So he waited in the temple, knowing that someday it would happen. And when it would happen. And when it did, he responded in the most beautiful commitments recorded in Scripture. Having blessed the Christ child he prayed. Alexander Whyte imagines that Simeon was one of the seventy who labored with scripture in the Jerusalem chamber. They were translating the prophet Isaiah from Hebrew to Greek.

“All went well for the first six chapters of the Evangelical prophet. But when they came to the seventh chapter, and to this verse in that chapter, “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” Simeon at that improbable prophecy, threw down his pen and would write no more. “How could this be?” demanded Simeon. And wit!’ all they could do, the offended scholar would not subscribe his name to the parthenos passage that so satisfied and so delighted all the rest. Till in anger he threw down his pen and went home to his own house. But at midnight, an angel appeared to Simeon, and said to him: “Simeon, I am Gabriel that stands in the presence of God and, behold, thou shalt remain in this thy captivity til thou shalt see with thine own eyes the Lord’s Christ, made of a woman, and til the virgin’s son shall put his little hand into thy aged bosom, and shall there loose thy silver cord.” And it was so. And the same Simeon was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. And he was still waiting in the temple when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law. Then he took him up in his arms and blessed God, and said “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy Word, for mine eyes have seen thy Salvation.” (Alexander Whyte, Bible Characters: The New Testament, London: Marshall, Morgan and Scott, 1952, page 18)

That was Simeon - in prayer, in worship, in humble and patient expectation, waiting for the “consolation” of Israel, the coming of the Messiah.

Now look at Anna. She too was one of the “Quiet of the Land.” We know little about her, only three verses of scripture are given to her - yet the brief sketch provides a revealing picture. She was a prophetess, an 84-year old widow who had lost her husband after seven years of marriage. So she knew the meaning of heartbreak and sorrow and loneliness. She was almost an inmate in the temple. Listen to verse 37: “She did not depart the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.”

I hope you do not think it strange that there was a woman at hand that day - a servant in the temple, an intercessor, one of faithful fasting, prayer, and worship - a woman to join Simeon “in giving thanks” at the presentation of Jesus in the temple...So, give thanks, women, you were represented there that day; and know this - all of us - in the Kingdom of Christ there is neither male nor female, no rank nor station - all have equal access to God.

Now the question: What are the big ideas wrapped in these two persons? What can we learn from them? At least significant truths. One, that holy hopes and obedient worship will be honored and two, that an experience of God should result in praise and witness.

Let’s look at these truths. First, holy hopes and obedient worship will be honored. See that in Simeon and Anna.

Simeon: devout and waiting, living in the confidence that “it was revealed to him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (verse 26).

Anna: she did not depart from the temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer. The primary movements in the life of Simeon and Anna were waiting and worshipping. So much of life is waiting isn’t it? Things don’t happen as we think they should, and certainly things don’t happen when we think they should. How to wait is one of the most important lessons we can learn.

Unfortunately, most of us, after we have waited for awhile - waited for the career break that we deserve, waited for the other person to come around to our point of view, waited for our spouses to see things from our perspective, waited for our children to come to their senses, waited for the investment to pay off, waited for that dream which is the heart of our hearts to be realized - after we have waited for awhile, we begin to lose hope We grow weary of waiting, we may become cynical. Slowly, often imperceptibly, a defeated attitude pervades our living and acting. Therein comes big trouble.

Martin E. Seligman has written a book addressing this problem. He titled it Helplessness: On Depression, Development and Death. Seligman is convinced that a defeatist attitude is both highly contagious and insidious. The more helpless we feel, the more hopeless we become. Can you identify with that? The more helpless we feel, the more hopeless we become. Seligman has demonstrated how a different attitude can easily overtake us, reducing our will to persevere and eroding our hope. In certain studies, he has used control groups, exposing them to what at first were hopeless circumstances. The persons looked for a way to relieve their situation, then gave up when they could not find one. He reports that when they are finally provided with a solution to their dilemma, they overlook it because they do not expect it, and sit in listless resignation.

The Bible is full of people who gave up, and sat it out. There are the people of Israel wandering in the wilderness who began to believe there is no promise land, and there is the prophet Elijah sitting it out under a Juniper tree, dejectedly convinced that all is lost and that God does not care. The disciple drifted into this mood of defeat- after the crucifixion and returned to their boats and fishing nets. The brooding words of Ecclesiastes describes the attitude:

“I have seen everything that is done under the sun; And behold all is vanity and a striving after the wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight, And what is lacking cannot be numbered.” (Ecclesiastes 1:14-15)

So we try to set it out with jaundiced hopes and sagging dreams.

Simeon and Anna teach us another way holy hopes and obedient worship will be honored.

Now listen – to appreciate the truth and appropriate it - what we must see that what we want and what we need may be vastly different. Many people were waiting for the “consolation” of Israel, but their vision of that was radically different than God’s idea. That’s the reason our waiting and hoping must be in prayer and that God’s Will, not ours, is constantly sought. “Mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation” Simeon said.

Holy hopes and obedient worship will be honored. God’s answer may be delayed for awhile, even sometimes for a long while, but in due time it will come. It is as certain as the rising sun. Those who ask will receive; the seeker will find; the worker will reap; those who knock will have the door opened to them. Holy hopes and obedient worship will be honored.

Then the second truth: An experience of God should result in praise and witness. This is seen clearly in Anna.

Note that one verse that says it all: “And coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” (verse 38)

Inspired by God, Anna recognized the long-awaited Messiah; she immediately broke into praise, and forthwith began to communicate the joyful fact to all whom she could reach.

Now there is even an order and the right procedure suggested here. It had never struck me before - until I began to prepare for this sermon series - that Anna was the first preacher of Christ in Jerusalem, the City of the Great King. She “spoke Him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”

That says a lot – that an 84 year old woman – a widow – would be the first preacher of Christ in Jerusalem. But this is for sure: No one is excluded from the opportunity of praise and witness.

Likewise, there is another equally supported fact: no one is to be excluded from receiving the salvation of the Lord. Note Simeon’s testimony in verses 30-32:

‘For mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.’

A light for the Gentiles and glory for the people of Israel. The love of God is universal, therefore the love of a Christian is a missionary love. Get that, my friends, the love of a Christian is a missionary love. Simeon, the Israelite, seeks the good of the Gentiles sa1vation in which he rejoices is for all people. So the second big idea wrapped in the persons of Simeon and Anna is that an experience of God should result in praise and witness and that all peoples are to be the recipients of love and grace. This is a personal matter, as well as a concern for the whole church. Let me share a story and I close.

In the country of Sri Lanka, which used be called Ceylon , there is a small congregation with an unusual ministry. Sri Lanka is one of the poorest countries on the face of the earth. The congregation began taking the ministry of Jesus seriously. They began by asking, “What is there that we can do to meet the needs of hurting people around us that isn’t being done by anyone else?” They found three great needs. They discovered that the people were so poor that they had no way of getting the sick to the hospitals, or the doctor’s office. They found that there were five cars within their membership. Those cars were dedicated for ministry. They are now being used for taking the poorest of the poor to and from the hospital.

Then they discovered a second thing. The young women in their community wanted to be married. They were too poor to buy a white wedding dress, although they desperately wanted one. The church now owns a number of beautiful white wedding dresses of various sizes. When a young woman comes to be married, she can wear one of those dresses.

A visitor to the church was amazed to see behind the church a little shed, with a tin roof. In that shed were coffins of various sizes. He asked why there should be such a strange building filled with coffins behind the church, and discovered the third area of ministry in that congregation. He was told, “It is because our people are too poor to purchase coffins for their dead. Members of the church make the coffins for the poorest of the poor.” That congregation’s experience of God is being translated into praise, service, and witness. Now our experience in Memphis must be no different than Christians in Sri Lanka. What we do in ministry may be vastly different – indeed it will be – but it will be motivated by the same experience of Christ and its purpose will be the same – to share with others the love of Christ we have experienced and to allow our experience of God to issue in praise and witness.