This Sunday morning, we will conclude our Christmas-season study of Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth. In Luke 2:22–38, we meet two faithful elderly saints, Simeon and Anna. Simeon is described in verse 25: “Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.” Anna, an eighty-four-year-old widow, is described in verses 37–38: “She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour, she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Israel.”

Both Simeon and Anna lived with deep longing and confident hope that God would deliver Israel just as He promised throughout Scripture. They eagerly awaited the Messiah and refused to lose hope. This is the kind of faith we long for—a hopeful expectation untouched by the world’s evil, cynicism, anger, or anxiety. It is joyful, alert, and ready when Christ appears.

This Sunday, let us pray that the Holy Spirit would use this part of the Christmas story to shape us into Simeons and Annas—people joyfully expectant of the Messiah’s second coming, just as they awaited His first. Our sermon is titled “Expecting Jesus.” May that be true of all of us. See you Sunday—and invite a friend.