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The Eighth Day of Christmas

By January 1, 2016No Comments
SCRIPTURE: LUKE 2:25-28

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation 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. 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.

 REFLECTION by The Rev. Mary Hudak

The Holy Spirit works to show us what we need to see.  Sometimes I don’t want to see what the Holy Spirit wants to show me.  Sometimes I am not able to see it.  Yet we all have yearnings that need fulfillment before we are ready to depart from this earth.  The yearning I feel most profoundly is the yearning to see Jesus in my life, working, playing, and loving.  Simeon needed to see the one who was promised to redeem and save the people of Israel from bondage.  The bonds that held them were complex.  They lived in a Roman occupied territory in which they had to answer to Roman rule.  They lived in a religious system that bound them to rules and regulations that overburdened them to the point in which it was difficult to love themselves and their neighbors.  They lived with the sins of the generations before them that repeatedly turned their back and walked away from God.  

I wonder whom the rulers are in my life that keeps me from God’s rule.  I wonder what systems in the church I am bound by that restricts me from showing love and mercy to the people in my life.  I wonder what sins I carry that have long been forgiven but I can’t seem to overcome their lingering power in my life.

Jesus came to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit, in order that we can, with Her guidance live free of these burdens and live into the Truth, the Light, and the Way to find love and peace.

PRAYER

Praise to you God for all you give to your people.  Praise for the heavens and the earth.  For life, death, and resurrection.  For work, rest, and play.  Help us see the balance of Your will in our lives.   Amen.

BLESSING

The blessing of almighty God be with you always, in the name of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.  Amen.

 

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