Sime\u00adon is a man who lived in Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem at the time of the birth of Christ. He lived an Adven\u00adtist life becau\u00adse he was eager\u00adly wai\u00adting for the Mes\u00adsiah. But then it came to an encoun\u00adter with Christ: he saw Jesus with his eyes and even took him in his arms. The quint\u00adessence of this Christ\u00admas encoun\u00adter is that Sime\u00adon expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced supre\u00adme joy and was able to die in peace. Tho\u00adse who encoun\u00adter Jesus Christ will still expe\u00adri\u00adence this today.<\/p>\n
After the birth of her son Jesus, Mary was con\u00adside\u00adred unclean for for\u00adty days accor\u00adding to Jewish law. During this time she had to \u00abstay at home\u00bb. Regard\u00adless, the child was cir\u00adcumcis\u00aded after eight days and given the name Jesus. After the 40 days, the who\u00adle fami\u00adly tra\u00advel\u00adled to the temp\u00adle in Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem to do two things:<\/p>\n
\tThey brought the puri\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon offe\u00adring (Luke 2:24). Nor\u00admal\u00adly peo\u00adp\u00adle brought a sheep as a burnt offe\u00adring and a dove as a sin offe\u00adring. Poor peo\u00adp\u00adle were allo\u00adwed the che\u00ada\u00adper opti\u00adon: two turt\u00adle\u00addo\u00adves or two young pige\u00adons (Exodus 12:8). Jesus comes to his peo\u00adp\u00adle as a poor Mes\u00adsiah (Zecha\u00adriah 9:9). Far from all the lack of space in the inns and the birth of Jesus in a man\u00adger, far from all the hea\u00adven\u00adly choirs of angels and she\u00adp\u00adherds\u00bb con\u00adver\u00adsa\u00adti\u00adons, far from the arri\u00adval of the magi with their gifts and the kil\u00adling inten\u00adti\u00adons by King Herod, the\u00adre is a man cal\u00adled Simeon. \tHe heard: The name Sime\u00adon means to hear heard by God. Sime\u00adon had a lis\u00adtening rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God. Let us also take time for this! In Eng\u00adlish, lon\u00adging for is trans\u00adla\u00adted as long for. This impli\u00ades terms like per\u00adse\u00adver\u00adance, wai\u00adting or endu\u00adrance. Sime\u00adon wai\u00adted many years until his lon\u00adging for Jesus was satis\u00adfied. Let us persevere! \tWhat lon\u00adgings do you know from your life? How do you satis\u00adfy them? Sime\u00adon is a man who lived in Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem at the time of the birth of Christ. He lived an Adven\u00adtist life becau\u00adse he was eager\u00adly wai\u00adting for the Mes\u00adsiah. But then it came to an encoun\u00adter with Christ: he saw Jesus with his eyes and even took him in his arms. The quint\u00adessence of this Christ\u00admas encoun\u00adter is that Sime\u00adon expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced supre\u00adme joy and was at peace with\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[63],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-wie-du-und-ich","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-3285","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\n\tAccor\u00adding to ano\u00adther law, all male first\u00adborn had to be con\u00adse\u00adcra\u00adted to the LORD<\/span> (Ex 13:2). Accor\u00adding to the Old Coven\u00adant law, all male first\u00adborn among humans and live\u00adstock belongs to God. The human first\u00adborn was trig\u00adge\u00adred by a mone\u00adta\u00adry amount of 5 shekels.<\/p>\n
\nAdvent life
\n\u00abIn Jeru\u00adsa\u00adlem the\u00adre lived a man named Sime\u00adon. He was righ\u00adteous and God-fea\u00adring. Sime\u00adon was fil\u00adled with the Holy Spi\u00adrit and eager\u00adly awai\u00adted the coming of the Christ who would bring com\u00adfort and sal\u00adva\u00adti\u00adon to Isra\u00adel. The Holy Spi\u00adrit had reve\u00ada\u00adled to him that he would not die until he had seen the Christ sent by the Lord\u00bb (Luke 2:25f NL<\/span>). Sime\u00adon lived an advent life. The word advent means arri\u00adval. Sime\u00adon eager\u00adly awaits the coming of the Christ. We too are in the sea\u00adson of Advent. Are we wai\u00adting as eager\u00adly for the coming of Jesus? We no lon\u00adger have to wait for the events that took place 2000 years ago in Beth\u00adle\u00adhem. Nevert\u00adhel\u00adess, this event should be repea\u00adted in our hearts. Are you eager\u00adly wai\u00adting for Jesus or is Advent for you mere\u00adly a roman\u00adtic, annu\u00adal\u00adly recur\u00adring time? God loves peo\u00adp\u00adle who have a lon\u00adging for Him. \u00abIf you seek me, you will find me; inde\u00aded, if you ear\u00adnest\u00adly desi\u00adre me with all your heart, I will let mys\u00adelf be found by you, says the Lord\u00bb (Jere\u00admi\u00adah 29:13f NL<\/span>).
\nThis Advent sea\u00adson could beco\u00adme an expres\u00adsi\u00adon of this desi\u00adre in a spe\u00adcial way. Many child\u00adren have an Advent calen\u00addar. This swee\u00adtens the wait for Christ\u00admas and builds up an exci\u00adte\u00adment. Blai\u00adse Pas\u00adcal affirms that every human being has a lon\u00adging for Jesus within him: \u00abIn the heart of every human being the\u00adre is a God-crea\u00adted vacu\u00adum that can\u00adnot be fil\u00adled by any\u00adthing crea\u00adted but by God the Crea\u00adtor alo\u00adne, as he reve\u00adals hims\u00adelf to us through Christ.\u00bb Augus\u00adti\u00adne holds the same opi\u00adni\u00adon: \u00abWe are crea\u00adted by God and for God. Our heart is rest\u00adless until it finds rest in you, O God.\u00bb
\nThe pro\u00adblem is that we have lear\u00adned to ser\u00adve the\u00adse lon\u00adgings in other ways. When a child is fus\u00adsy and whi\u00adning \u2013 regis\u00adtering their cra\u00advings \u2013 par\u00adents give them a lol\u00adli\u00adpop, sit them in front of the TV<\/span> or let them game on their mobi\u00adle to keep them quiet. A hero\u00adin addict enters a metha\u00addone pro\u00adgram\u00adme to divert their cra\u00advings. In the same way, we often try to meet our deepest needs with a sub\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adte action such as enter\u00adtain\u00adment, con\u00adsump\u00adti\u00adon, work, sport or food. Wri\u00adter G.K. Ches\u00adter\u00adton says: \u00abEvery man who knocks at the door of a brot\u00adhel is in search of God.\u00bb Yet not\u00adhing in this world can ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly satis\u00adfy our lon\u00adging; no suc\u00adcess, not a spou\u00adse, no adre\u00adna\u00adline rush trig\u00adge\u00adred eit\u00adher by sport or sex. We tend to satis\u00adfy our lon\u00adgings through sub\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adte actions. The very fact that our lon\u00adgings are not satis\u00adfied in this world is a strong indi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon of God. C.S. Lewis: \u00abIf we dis\u00adco\u00adver in our\u00adsel\u00adves a need that can\u00adnot be satis\u00adfied by any\u00adthing in this world, we may con\u00adclude that we were crea\u00adted for ano\u00adther world.\u00bb (cf. Eccle\u00adsi\u00adas\u00adtes 3:11) This is the reason why God loves it when peo\u00adp\u00adle have a lon\u00adging for Jesus. The\u00adse peo\u00adp\u00adle are loo\u00adking in the right place. By the way, you can\u00adnot long for any\u00adthing as much as God longs for you!
\nLon\u00adging is the run\u00adway whe\u00adre Jesus visits us per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly. We all have lon\u00adgings. Jesus is the right address for them. He is enough and gives enough. How can we per\u00adcei\u00adve them more as lon\u00adgings for Jesus? How did Sime\u00adon do it?<\/p>\n
\n\tHe was righ\u00adteous and God-fea\u00adring: Sime\u00adon faithful\u00adly kept the ordi\u00adnan\u00adces of God and he knew who he was and who God was. This rather speaks for a distant and sober rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God \u2013 which is also the case wit\u00adhout Jesus.
\n\tHe often stay\u00aded at the temp\u00adle: Sime\u00adon loved to be in the place whe\u00adre God dwelt among his peo\u00adp\u00adle. If you want to nur\u00adtu\u00adre your lon\u00adgings for Jesus, it is good to be often in a com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty whe\u00adre God dwells.
\n\tHe knew the pro\u00adphe\u00adci\u00ades: The Mes\u00adsiah was pro\u00admi\u00adsed x times in the Old Tes\u00adta\u00adment. Sime\u00adon built his lon\u00adgings on this. We should also hold on to the pro\u00admi\u00adses of the Bible. The\u00adre are so many pro\u00admi\u00adses like: Jesus fills all your lack, he gives life in abun\u00addance, he is the bread that nou\u00adris\u00adhes us, he is our peace, he gives enough, he is always the\u00adre, etc.
\n\tHe was fil\u00adled with the Holy Spi\u00adrit: When the Holy Spi\u00adrit then meets this bree\u00adding ground, a gre\u00adat lon\u00adging grows out of it. The con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon for the fil\u00adling by the Holy Spi\u00adrit here and now is a per\u00adso\u00adnal rela\u00adti\u00adonship with Jesus Christ, which is mani\u00adfes\u00adted in bap\u00adtism. \u00abYou have belie\u00adved in Christ, and he has con\u00adfirm\u00aded you as his own with the seal of his Holy Spi\u00adrit, whom he pro\u00admi\u00adsed long ago\u00bb (Ephe\u00adsi\u00adans 1:13 NL<\/span>).<\/p>\n
\nLiving Christmas
\nAnd then it beco\u00admes Christ\u00admas: \u00abOn that day the Holy Spi\u00adrit led him into the temp\u00adle. When Mary and Joseph came to con\u00adse\u00adcra\u00adte the child to the Lord, as pre\u00adscri\u00adbed in the Law, Sime\u00adon was the\u00adre. He took the child in his arms and prai\u00adsed God, say\u00ading: \u00abLord, now I can die in peace! As you pro\u00admi\u00adsed me, I have seen the Saviour whom you have given to all peo\u00adp\u00adle. He is a light that will reve\u00adal God to the nati\u00adons, and he is the glo\u00adry of your peo\u00adp\u00adle Isra\u00adel!\u00bb \u00bb (Luke 2:27\u201332 NL<\/span>).
\nJesus is not opi\u00adum for the peo\u00adp\u00adle, as Karl Marx put it. He is not a pipe dream or a crutch for peo\u00adp\u00adle who can\u00adnot cope with life. The key word in Sime\u00adon is see (4x in this text!). Sime\u00adon heard, he gro\u00adped (took Jesus in his arms) and saw him. The divi\u00adne pro\u00admi\u00adse through the Holy Spi\u00adrit to Sime\u00adon was \u00abthat he should not see death until he had seen the Christ of the Lord\u00bb (v.26 Elb). And now Sime\u00adon has \u00abseen the Saviour\u00bb. We should defi\u00adni\u00adte\u00adly see Christ the Lord befo\u00adre death! This is vital becau\u00adse now Sime\u00adon had the assu\u00adrance that he could die in peace. Peace means in essence to have enough. In dying, it is decisi\u00adve whe\u00adther Jesus is enough for us. The ques\u00adti\u00adon after dying, when we then stand befo\u00adre God, is not: \u00abHave I done enough good?\u00bb but: \u00abIs what Jesus did on the cross enough?\u00bb And, \u00abHave I accept\u00aded it for mys\u00adelf per\u00adso\u00adnal\u00adly?\u00bb In Job it sounds like this, \u00abUntil now I knew you only by hear\u00adsay, but now I have seen you with my own eyes\u00bb (Job 42:5 NL<\/span>). Have I seen Jesus or only heard about Him? It\u2019s not about see\u00ading Him face to face, it\u2019s about a per\u00adso\u00adnal rela\u00adti\u00adonship. That is why Christ\u00admas is so important. Ange\u00adlus Sile\u00adsi\u00adus once said, \u00abAnd if Jesus were born a thousand times in Beth\u00adle\u00adhem, and not in you, you would still remain lost.\u00bb Jesus must be born in us. Christ\u00admas turns a britt\u00adle and distant rela\u00adti\u00adonship with God into an emo\u00adtio\u00adnal and ful\u00adfil\u00adling and exis\u00adten\u00adti\u00adal rela\u00adti\u00adonship with Jesus. All distance is bridged. Now God is no lon\u00adger just the Holy One, but also our Dad\u00addy. Christ\u00admas makes God toucha\u00adble and visi\u00adble. Can you die in peace like Sime\u00adon? Jesus also wants to be your peace, your being enough!
\nSime\u00adon knew even then that the Jew Jesus would not only be light to the Jews, but to all nati\u00adons (Isai\u00adah 52:10). All nati\u00adons shall see and know God through Jesus, the light of the world.
\nJesus our destiny
\n\u00abBut Sime\u00adon bles\u00adsed them and said to Mary: \u00abThis child will be rejec\u00adted by many in Isra\u00adel, and that will be their down\u00adfall. But for many other peo\u00adp\u00adle he will be the hig\u00adhest joy. In this way, what moves many in their inner\u00admost being will come to light. But a sword will also pier\u00adce through your soul\u00bb \u00bb (Luke 2:34f NL<\/span>).
\nA life with Jesus does not only mean dying in peace, but also living in supre\u00adme joy. He is also alre\u00ada\u00addy enough in life. And \u2013 the\u00adre is a dif\u00adfe\u00adrence of opi\u00adni\u00adon about Jesus. He is the cor\u00adner\u00adstone on which many will stumb\u00adle. \u00abFor Jesus is the stone you buil\u00adders rejec\u00adted, who has now beco\u00adme the cor\u00adner\u00adstone\u00bb (Acts 4:11 NL<\/span>). This phra\u00adse from Psalm 118:22 is quo\u00adted five times in the New Tes\u00adta\u00adment. It was the rea\u00adli\u00adty in which Jesus lived. Your atti\u00adtu\u00adde towards Jesus also deter\u00admi\u00adnes your fate bet\u00adween supre\u00adme joy and des\u00adtruc\u00adtion. Do you embrace Him \u2013 like Sime\u00adon \u2013 or do you look at Him from a distance? Do you know Jesus only by hear\u00adsay or have your eyes seen Him?
\nAt the end, Sime\u00adon says to Mary: \u00abA sword will also pass through your soul\u00bb. With the Son, the Mother also walks the path of suf\u00adfe\u00adring. The cli\u00admax of this suf\u00adfe\u00adring is rea\u00adched at the cross of Jesus, whe\u00adre every blow of the ham\u00admer beca\u00adme a \u00absword through the soul of Mary. Per\u00adhaps Mary col\u00adlap\u00adsed spi\u00adri\u00adtual\u00adly and phy\u00adsi\u00adcal\u00adly at that time.
\n
\nAdvent and Christ\u00admas living is a cycle. If we direct our lon\u00adging towards Jesus, we will be able to find him and embrace him. This leads to a life of supre\u00adme joy and a dying in peace. Every human being longs for this in their inner\u00admost being. Search in the right place. Search with Jesus!
\n
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups<\/p>\n
\n\tDo you belie\u00adve that Jesus satis\u00adfies all our lon\u00adgings? What does it mean that Jesus is enough?
\n\tHow could we make Advent a time of lon\u00adging for Jesus?
\n\tWhat could it mean for us to expe\u00adri\u00adence Christ\u00admas and to embrace Jesus?
\n\t\u00abJesus divi\u00addes minds and ways.\u00bb To what ext\u00adent is this sen\u00adtence true or not true?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"