23rd December
“It had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah”. Luke 2 v.26
Is there anything more exciting than Christmas Eve? Soon we will hopefully be sharing with family and friends, the presents we have lovingly chosen and wrapped will finally be opened. All of our planning and preparation has brought us here and now we wait with anticipation.
Simeon was no stranger to anticipation. The Holy Spirit had promised him that he would not die before seeing the Christ. Maybe he woke each morning thinking ‘today could be the day’. For those of us who long for Him to appear our days are filled with anticipation. For us every night can be like Christmas Eve. Let’s greet each new day with great anticipation knowing Jesus could arrive at any moment.
We Pray –
Lord, as we look forward to Christmas with family and friends help us remember those for whom this season is especially difficult. Those who have lost loved ones, those who are ill or lonely and those who struggle financially every day. May we be aware of those in our Church family and our neighbourhoods that would appreciate a kind word, help financially or invited into our home. As we await the return of Jesus help us to treat everyone as He would have done. Amen
Margaret Lindley – Area Trustee for Liverpool, Chester & Stoke, North Wales and Manchester & Stockport
Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash