A Sermon for Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church
29 December 2024
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Luke 2.21-38
Isaiah 40.28-31
Well, we made it through Christmas!
And here we, once again, the faithful few
gathering in worship in the heart of London.
So, how are you doing this week?
How are you finding the quiet yet charged days
between Christmas and New Year?
Is this a time or rest for you?
Or a time of catching up, clearing up, and taking stock?
Certainly in our house, the decorations are still up,
but the initial buzz of celebration has calmed.
And this morning I want to suggest
that this is the perfect moment to pause, to reflect, and to look ahead.
So today, we turn to Luke 2:21-38 and meet Simeon and Anna,
two figures whose lives speak to us about faith, resilience, and hope
as we prepare to step into the unknown of a new year.
Simeon and Anna stand out early in Luke’s narrative of Jesus' life,
as people of deep faith and extraordinary resilience.
Simeon, described as "righteous and devout,"
lived with a promise given by the Holy Spirit:
that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.
Imagine the years of his waiting,
of wondering when or how God’s promise might come to pass.
Yet, we are told, Simeon’s faith did not waver.
And Anna, similarly, had known sorrow
—widowed after just seven years of marriage,
she had spent decades worshiping in the temple
through fasting and prayer.
Her life, though marked by loss,
was also marked by an unwavering hope in God’s redemption.
These two figures from the nativity story in Luke
remind us that faithfulness often involves enduring seasons of waiting.
And today, we can see parallels
in the lives of countless individuals
who hold fast to hope amidst challenges.
Consider those advocating for climate justice,
who persist despite setbacks and slow progress.
Think of communities displaced by conflict,
the refugees from Ukraine, Syria, or Gaza,
who cling to the hope of peace and restoration.
Simeon and Anna’s faithfulness
mirrors the tenacity of those who refuse to give up on hope,
even when the timeline is unclear.
Theologically, their faith challenges us
to rethink what it means to wait for God.
Waiting, in the biblical sense, is not passive resignation
but an active engagement with God’s purposes.
Simeon and Anna’s waiting was filled with prayer,
with worship, and with openness to the Spirit.
In their steadfastness, they model what it means to trust
that God is present and at work, even in the long silences.
The lives of Simeon and Anna were marked
by a profound sense of anticipation.
They lived in a time of Roman occupation,
when the Jewish people longed for liberation
and the fulfilment of God’s covenant promises.
Simeon’s words, when he holds the infant Jesus, are striking:
he sees in this child the salvation of God,
not only for Israel but also for the Gentiles.
His prophetic insight is a radical vision of inclusion
and redemption that transcends boundaries.
And I wonder how do we, as followers of Christ,
live in anticipation of God’s work in our time?
This coming year, as we face global uncertainties
—whether economic instability, the rise of populism,
or the ongoing impact of the climate crisis—
we are called to hold onto hope.
Anticipation, as Simeon and Anna show us,
is not a passive posture.
It involves aligning ourselves with God’s vision for the world
and actively participating in its unfolding.
In our community at Bloomsbury,
we see glimpses of this active anticipation.
Whether it is through our involvement in London Citizens,
striving for social justice,
or our interfaith work promoting peace and mutual understanding,
we are living out the call to be people of hope.
Just as Simeon and Anna waited expectantly for God’s Messiah,
so we are called to anticipate and embody
the kingdom of God in the here and now.
In the midst of their waiting,
Simeon and Anna embody the message of Isaiah 40:28-31.
This ancient passage, written during the Israelite exile in Babylon,
speaks of a God who does not grow weary or faint,
and offers assurance that those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength.
Simeon and Anna’s lives are a testament to this truth.
Despite the years of waiting, their faith did not falter;
instead, it was continually renewed
by their deep connection to God through prayer and worship.
Isaiah’s imagery of soaring on eagles’ wings,
running without growing weary,
and walking without fainting
speaks to the resilience and endurance that come from trusting in God.
For us today, I think this passage offers encouragement
as we face our own seasons of waiting.
Whether we are longing for something in our personal life,
seeking after justice in our communities,
or grappling with global challenges,
Isaiah assures us that in our struggles we can be sustained by God’s strength.
I’m thinking of the countless acts of perseverance we witness in our world:
healthcare workers tirelessly caring for the sick,
activists campaigning for systemic change,
and ordinary individuals offering support to those in need.
These are modern echoes of the strength Isaiah describes,
a strength rooted in the faithful hope
that a better future is worth both waiting and working for.
In a world where cynicism often feels like the default response to life’s challenges,
the assurance of hope articulated by Isaiah during the exile
remains something we need to hear.
Cynicism tells us that things will never change,
that our efforts are futile,
and that it is safer to disengage than to risk disappointment.
Cynicism keeps people from voting, from taking action,
but Isaiah reminds us that God does not grow weary or faint.
God is at work in the world,
calling a new and better future into being.
And this assurance lifts our eyes
beyond the confines of human limitations
to a God whose strength renews and sustains us.
In a time when political failures, environmental crises,
and social injustices can harden hearts,
Isaiah offers an alternative:
the radical choice to trust in God and to live as people of hope.
Hope construed in this way is not naive optimism;
it is rather a defiant declaration that God is still at work,
even in the darkest moments.
As followers of Christ, we are called to reject cynicism
and instead to soar on eagles’ wings,
strengthened by the knowledge that God’s faithfulness endures,
and empowered to participate in the renewal of the world.
And so we find ourselves back at God’s great moment
of intervention in human history,
the birth of Jesus as God with us,
and his presentation in the temple.
One of the most striking aspects of this story
is Simeon and Anna’s ability to recognize the Messiah
in the form of a vulnerable infant.
In the temple’s busy courts,
filled with the noise and activity of daily life,
they saw what others did not.
Their spiritual attentiveness allowed them to discern God’s presence
in the midst of the ordinary.
And I find myself wondering, how often do we miss God’s presence,
how often do we miss God’s intervention,
because we are too distracted
or too focused on what we think salvation should look like?
In our fast-paced lives, particularly in a city like London,
it is easy to overlook the sacred moments that unfold in the everyday.
Yet, as theologian David Lose reminds us,
the Gospel of Luke continually points us
to a God who works through the ordinary
—a baby born in a manger, shepherds on a hillside,
an elderly prophetess in the temple.
Today, we might find God’s presence
in the small acts of kindness we witness:
a neighbour helping another through a crisis,
volunteers at food banks offering dignity and care,
or even the quiet moments of prayer and reflection that ground us.
Like Simeon and Anna, we are called to cultivate a spiritual attentiveness
that allows us to see God’s work in unexpected places and people.
So as we step into the unknown of a new year,
the stories of Simeon and Anna,
alongside the prophetic assurance of Isaiah,
invite us to embrace this moment with hope.
Their faithfulness reminds us that trusting in God’s promises
does not mean ignoring the challenges before us
but rather facing them with resilience and vision.
It means holding onto the belief
that God’s kingdom is breaking into the world,
even when the path is unclear.
In our lives, this might look like committing ourselves
to prayer and action for a cause that reflects God’s justice and mercy
—whether it’s advocating for climate care,
working towards peace, or standing in solidarity with those in need.
Simeon and Anna also challenge us
to seek God’s presence in the midst of the ordinary.
Their attentiveness reminds us to make space in our own lives
for silence, reflection, and worship,
trusting that God speaks in the stillness
and reveals the divine in the unexpected.
This year, we can resolve to cultivate practices
that open our eyes to God’s presence
—whether through moments of daily prayer,
sharing as part of a small group,
or serving in ways that express God’s love.
Isaiah’s words call us to find renewal
in the strength of God’s unwavering presence.
In a world that often leaves us weary,
we are reminded that those who wait for the Lord
will have their strength renewed.
This waiting is not passive but active,
as we draw on God’s power to sustain us
in the work of hope and justice.
When life feels overwhelming,
we are called to lean on God’s grace,
finding rest and renewal in the assurance that God is with us.
Finally, like Anna, we are called to share the good news of hope
with a world longing for redemption.
In our daily lives, we can proclaim Christ’s light
through acts of kindness, hospitality, and courage.
Whether it’s through the welcome we offer to a stranger,
the encouragement we give to a friend,
or the justice we pursue in our communities,
we are invited to embody the hope that Simeon and Anna lived.
So, as we prepare to leave behind one year and step into another,
let us do so with renewed faith,
grounded in the knowledge that God’s promises are sure.
Let us wait with hope, seeking God’s presence, and finding strength in God’s love,
as we proclaim the good news of Christ’s light to the world.
For in the waiting, the seeking, and the sharing,
we will discover that God is faithful, God is present,
and God’s kingdom is already breaking into our midst.
Amen.
“Wait and See (Simeon and Anna)” by Richard Bauckham
https://artandtheology.org/tag/simeon/
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