THAT OUR EYES MIGHT SEE

When we used to keep sheep on my farm, late January or early February was always lambing time. Our flock was a little flock of a dozen ewes, so the chances of something going wrong were not all that great. Especially since we chose our handful of ewes carefully. However, there were farmers in our area who had very very many ewes. For them lambing time was especially difficult. One acquaintance of mine spent six weeks every winter sleeping and waking every two hours or so right in the sheep stable.

With a handful of sheep there are ways you can usually tell if lambing is near and preparations that could be made. On those nights we would go out and check every so often. Sometimes our little lambs needed assistance and also sometimes needed to be fed. When that happens you have to spend about three nights feeding every two to four hours so that the little lamb has a chance for survival. If you haven't already guessed, shepherds and farmers do a lot of waiting for things to happen at lambing time.

So we should not be surprised that the shepherds in Luke's Gospel were living out in the fields. They were keeping watch over their flocks at night. They were expecting lambs. But, we know what happened instead! The long expected lamb of God was born that very night. Certainly, we know from scriptures that the lamb image was familiar. After all, God had emphasized that this lamb was the one who would die for the people's sins. Cain, Adam's son, brought a lamb as a worshipful sacrifice just as God instructed him. Noah too knew about the lamb as did Abraham. Moses too explained clearly the importance of the lamb in saving people from death. Isaiah, makes it absolutely clear, seven hundred years before Jesus was born, that the coming Messiah was to be the lamb of God. The people of Israel were familiar with the passages of Scripture, so we should not be surprised that the Shepherds understood what the Angels were talking about.

If you came to a shepherd's house in February to see a new baby lamb, would you go into the living room or a bedroom? No, you would expect to look in the stable. So you see how appropriate was the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Behold the Lamb of God was come into the world. And he was born in a stable and the first people to visit him were the Shepherds who expected His birth.

But, it was not only the shepherds who expected the Lord's Anointed. The expectation for His coming was very widespread. In fact the whole ancient world at that time lived in expectation of some great historic event. "Messiah shall come" was the promise, and all the world awaited in some way His coming. But many, including the Jews, waited for a great conquering king. Most of the world would not have come to a lonely stable on the back side of a hill. Most of the world would not accept such a unexpected king.

And yet, there were others, who like the shepherds were awaiting the Lamb of God. Doctor Luke shares the witness of two others who had awaited the Anointed One for many years. First, there was Simeon. Did he just happen to be in the Temple when Jesus was brought in the eighth day after His birth? No, as in all of our lives we see the lesson taught that we are guided by God.

We are meant to understand that God is able to lead his children to be in the place he wants them to be, at the time he wants them there. And God has a purpose in leading us so that we may meet other people or do things that God wants us to do. Our Father in heaven is able to do all things, but when we become his children, he does not move us around like checkers on a board. No, but as we ask him to lead us and help us, he does answer. Simeon was the sort of man who was close to the Lord, and he allowed himself to be led by God's Spirit.

So Simeon saw and held the Lord's promised savior. We also see from Simeon's words that he also understood what Jesus had come to do. See there in verse thirty-two:

a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.

This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel.

Like Anna, Simeon and the Shepherd these other people knew their Old Testament well enough to recognize the very Lamb of God. How different are these people from the characters in a classic modernistic play from our own century. The play in question is one which illustrates the spiritual poverty of our day. It's name is Waiting for Godet. The best version of the play was performed by Robin Williams and two other contemporary comics. In this play two tramps are waiting beside a road.

As the play develops it soon becomes evident that their is no purpose to their wait. Nor is their any purpose to their lives either! This play more than any other mirrors the soul of contemporary man. Tragically the common soul is empty today just as were the many in the time of Christ as well.

As we close this morning let us each personally reflect upon this thought. For Whom are you waiting? Are you like the shepherds, Simeon and Anna? Are you waiting for the Lamb of God, the Lord's own Anointed? Or, are you like the contemporary tramps? Are you waiting by the side of the road for something or anything to happen? The common crowd will always sing the secular shopping songs of Christmas and yet they will miss the Christ of Christmas. We do pray that God's messengers will reveal His gracious Son, Jesus the Christ whom we worship to those who earnestly await Him.

If a person wants a bus or a plane it is common knowledge that it is best to wait at a bus stop or a airport. It is equally true that if a person wants to know more about Jesus Christ, then there are better places to wait than others. Isaiah and the other Old Testament Saints knew from the Old Testament instructions how and where to wait. That place was in the Temple in the presence of God's people. Even today those principles still apply.

One of my students once wanted to get to meet a special young man. She was very shy. One of our retired teacher's went out of his way to have an FFA party so that he could introduce her to the boy of her hopes and dreams. Of course the young man wanted to meet a special young lady as well. I am happy to report that they are now happily married.

Once a year, our Father in heaven allows us to host a party in the Name of His Son Jesus Christ. Now the party in some places gets a little wild and very much off track. It comes at a season of the year when most people have great expectations. That time of the year is now all but over. We do not have a stable to invite you to in the coming year, but if any one does not yet know Christ our King, we earnestly invite you to wait on Him. We invite you to read about Him in the Holy Scriptures. We invite you to hear us tell the many many stories of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords during the coming year. If you will wait on Him in the midst of His people, if you will earnestly seek to know if He is all we say He is, we are confident that He will reveal Himself to you.