Advent Reader: Dawning of the Light

Luke 2:21-35

This passage feels like one of those quiet yet earth shaking moments in Scripture. In the temple, the baby Jesus is carried in—small, unknown—and met by Simeon, whose waiting has finally come to an end. When he takes the child in his arms, he says, “My eyes have seen your salvation… a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” It’s such a beautiful picture, yet there’s weight in his words. He tells Mary, “A sword will pierce through your own soul also.” Even here, at the start of the story, we glimpse the cross.

Simeon holds both joy and sorrow in the same breath. He’s not naïve—he knows that light exposes as much as it comforts. That’s the tension of Christmas, isn’t it? Joy that meets us right in the middle of what hurts.

The old carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem line: “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” Simeon embodies that—hope fulfilled, fear faced, peace found. As we wait for Christmas, maybe we’re asked to do the same: to let our waiting form us, so when Christ comes near, we’re ready to recognise Him.Matthew