Luke 2:25-32 - Looking for Christ in all the Right Places

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.

 

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.

 

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,

 

he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:

 

Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word;

 

For my eyes have seen Your salvation

 

Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,

 

A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.”

Look What I See!
photo by Edward Simpson, used under the creative commons license.
check out more photos at:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/king-edward/ 

 Today the Church celebrates THE MEETING OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, IN THE TEMPLE.   And what sticks out in my mind is that in order for Simeon to receive the promise of God, he had to be in the right place. The Holy Spirit promised Simeon that he would see the Lord's Christ.  The Holy Spirit led him to the temple, for that was where the Christ was to be revealed.  The Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us, but we have to be where He is to be revealed. True, God is everywhere present and fills all things so we can encounter Christ anywhere but, as one Preacher remarked (I believe it was Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick), some places on earth are thinner- that is, the place  between Heaven and Earth is closer and, in certain places, God is more easily revealed.

So where does God reveal Himself easily? Surely, in the Temple! If I neglect meeting with others who Worship Christ, I will be neglecting where Christ can be revealed.  The Church is essential.  While it is true that if a person where stranded on a desert island, with nothing but a Bible, that God would surely meet him and he wouldn't have to "go to Church" but that is not the case for most of us today. It certainly isn't the case for me.

I must not grow slack in going Church. It is true that now, as far as the Eastern Orthodox Church goes, I only attend Vespers on Saturday nights and I someday hope to go there on Sundays but until I feel leave to do so, I must not forsake Saturdays.  And, even on Sundays, I must look for Christ in the church I attend with my family.  Christ is the light that brings God's revelation. May I ever seek that light. Amen.