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Well, good morning.
Good morning.
Oh, each of you had a Merry Christmas, Christmas afternoon as we came back to Columbia from
Greenville, kept seeing cars pass by that had snow on it, and I was like, let's turn
around.
Let's go find where that snow is, because, man, I always enjoy seeing snow.
I always enjoy playing in snow.
And ever since we've lived back here in Columbia for the past 20 years, I've only seen snow
one time.
And so, anywho, anywho, it was a Merry Christmas, nonetheless.
We're going to be in Luke chapter 2.
We're going to be starting in verse 22, so turn to Luke chapter 2.
We're wrapping up our Christmas series in Luke that Pastor Bo has been walking us through
over the last several Sundays as we have looked at the prophecy of the birth of Christ, the
angel speaking to Mary, and now we're going to look at a brief time in his life from infant
to about 12 years old.
And so, I start thinking about that time frame there of an infant, 12-year-old.
Over the last few months, I've been thinking, and my wife and I have been talking about it,
whatever happened to our baby boys?
As we look and realize in our house, we now got a 21-year-old and a 17-year-old.
And it's like, what in the world happened?
The statement, time flies, has been so true.
Where has it gone?
And I can only imagine for Mary and Joseph, they probably had similar thoughts of, here's
Jesus, and time is going by.
Time is flying by.
So parents, be sure you take a look at your sons, your daughters, your kids, and realize
time will fly by.
One of the things I go back to quite often is when our boys were about somewhere between
the ages of four and nine, it's like time stood still in that moment.
Their bodily and facial features didn't really change a whole lot.
You know, their mannerisms didn't change a whole lot.
Their interaction with mom and dad didn't change a whole lot.
It was just a unique time in that four to nine years old.
And of course, right around the corner was teenage years, and right around the corner was the
early 20s, and so those all have unique characteristics in and of themselves.
And if you've gone through that time or going through that time, you know exactly what I'm
talking about.
Well, let's look at Luke chapter two together.
Look at verse 22.
It's where we'll begin together.
It's right off of where Jesus had been circumcised at the age of, I mean, at eight months.
And now we begin to see more about, or get a glimpse of, of Jesus' early life.
Verse 22.
And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they, Mary and
Joseph, brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.
As it is written in the law of the Lord, every male who first opens the womb shall be called
holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord,
a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons.
So we quickly see that, that Mary and Joseph are being responsible parents.
We quickly, quickly see that they're doing what God has called them to do, what is laid out
for them to do as parents, and to take Jesus through the various ceremonies that they are
accustomed to as children of Israel to take him through.
Now look with me at verse 25.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon.
I don't know how many times I have read through Luke chapter 2 and I've not seen Simeon.
He's just passed my mind.
We know about the wise men, don't we?
We've talked a lot about the wise men.
We know about the shepherds.
We also know about the angels.
Every single nativity scene that we have has shepherds, have angels, have wise men, don't they?
But where in the world is Simeon?
He's a part of the story.
We see this in Luke chapter 2.
In a moment we're going to see Anna.
Two characters that Luke takes time to point out.
So there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout.
Luke makes it a point to bring out his righteousness and that he was devout.
That Simeon was sure to do the spiritual disciplines that he was to do as a follower of God.
It says there in Luke that waiting for the constellation of Israel, that Simeon was waiting for the comfort of Israel.
The constellation was the idea of comfort that the Messiah would bring to the people of God.
It also says there, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
See, something was unique with Simeon that already he had the Holy Spirit upon him.
It wasn't an angel that the Lord sends to Simeon to communicate to him what we're about to read.
No, it was the Holy Spirit.
Verse 26.
And it had been revealed to him, to Simeon, by the Holy Spirit, that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
So the Holy Spirit comes to Simeon and said, listen, you're going to live up until the point that you see Jesus.
You're going to live up until the point that you see the Messiah.
And so this is what Simeon is holding on to.
This is what Simeon is anticipating.
This is what Simeon is expecting.
And in verse 27, and he came in the Spirit into the temple.
And when the parents brought in the child, Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law.
Once again, Mary and Joseph were doing what is expected of them and being responsible.
Verse 28.
Simeon took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, now as a parent, my mind quickly goes to, that's a little odd.
How would I approach somebody who walks up to my kid and picks them out of my arms and holds on to them?
And I don't know them.
Could you imagine what maybe was going through the minds of Joseph and Mary as that took place?
Chances are they didn't know Simeon.
Yet here is Simeon coming up to them, taking, of all people, taking the Christ child out of their arms.
But yet Mary and Joseph get to witness such an amazing thing.
As it says, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word.
So at that moment, it comes full circle for Simeon that he realizes that the Holy Spirit had made the promise that he would see the Messiah.
He would see the Lord's Christ and then he would die.
But he would hold on to life up until that point.
And at that very moment, Simeon realizes the time has come.
I've received the peace of the Lord because I am now in the presence of his son.
I am now in the presence of the Messiah.
So what the Lord has promised is going to happen.
Again, as children of God, you and I see that what God promises God carries out.
He is faithful.
But I want us to look very carefully at what Simeon, how he responds in this in verse 30.
Simeon says, for my eyes have seen your salvation.
Listen to that for a moment.
Simeon is not necessarily saying, my eyes are seeing the Messiah.
My eyes are seeing the Lord's Christ.
My eyes are seeing Jesus.
No, he goes further than that because he knows who Jesus is.
He says, for my eyes have seen your salvation.
He knew that God's gift of Jesus to the world was salvation for man and for woman.
That was salvation, the forgiveness of our sins.
And Simeon recognized that.
And he expresses that in this song.
In verse 31, that you have prepared in the presence of all people a light for revelation to the Gentiles.
Speaking that Jesus would be a light to the Gentiles, would be the message to the Gentiles.
And for glory to your people Israel.
And then in verse 33, and his father, Jesus' father and mother, Mary and Joseph, marveled at what was said about him.
You know, Mary and Joseph knew that Jesus was special, right?
Because the Lord sends an angel to speak to each one of them individually about the son that they are about to have.
So they had to know something was special about that, wouldn't you?
If an angel comes to you and gives you a message of God, wouldn't you kind of realize, okay, there's something big here, right?
He says, and they marveled at what was said about him from Simeon.
And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother.
In verse 34, behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel.
And for a sign that is opposed.
And a soul will pierce through your own soul also, so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.
Simeon has given them an insight of who Jesus is and what Jesus will bring about to his people.
And then in verse 36, again, another character that Luke brings into this passage that so often is overlooked.
Be it an amazing woman, as we see in the description that Luke gives.
And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phenel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin.
And then as a widow until she was 84.
And here's what stands out to me about her in the second part of verse 37.
Luke says, she did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer day and night.
Listen to that.
She did not depart from the temple, but instead, as she stayed there day and night, she worshiped through fasting.
She worshiped through prayer.
Can you and I wrap our minds around that?
That day and night, we would not leave the sanctuary.
Day and night, we would not leave the temple of the Lord.
But instead, our presence would be known because we would be worshiping God day in and day out.
And not only worshiping, but Luke says here in this passage that she also fasted and she prayed.
It was a constant in her life.
You know, I know sometimes we're caught looking at our watch.
There's a clock in front of me and I'm making sure I finish on time, right?
And we're thinking about where we're going.
But yet, that element didn't even pass through Anna's mind because she was constant in prayer,
constant in worship, constant in fasting.
And as a result of that, we look and see in verse 38, then it coming up at that very hour.
I can only imagine what that phrase is saying there is that at that very hour in which Mary and Joseph bring Jesus in,
and at that very hour when Simeon is there in their presence doing what we just read,
Anna gets to witness all of that in that moment.
Anna gets to see the Messiah enter the temple.
Whatever she had heard, whatever she had been taught, her understanding of the scriptures at that point,
her understanding of the Messiah, her understanding of the birth of Jesus,
it all comes together in that moment.
And what it says to you and I is this.
She began to give thanks to God.
Can you imagine?
You've been told that there is a Messiah, God with us, coming to you and your people.
That there is one who is bringing salvation.
There is one who is bringing comfort.
And in that moment, you're in the temple when he is brought in.
And her response is to give thanks.
Thanking God for his promise.
Thanking God that she was right there in that midst.
How many times when I pray about something, when I'm seeking something and God does it,
that I move on to the next thing that I want God to do and not stop and be thankful for what God did.
You know, it's a challenge for me to realize, you know, David, be in the moment that God is there.
Be in the moment that God delivers.
And be grateful and be thankful to God for who he is and what he does.
But not only that, we also continue to read that giving thanks to God, she also spoke of him to all.
So everybody that's around the temple, everybody that's moving, all the pieces that are going, all the people that are there,
she is speaking to them about God.
She is speaking to them about all that she knows.
And it says, she speaks to all who are waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Jesus was special.
We know that.
We're students of God's word.
We understand that.
We see that.
And in this moment, Anna gets to rejoice.
And then in verse 39,
when they had performed, when Mary and Joseph did everything that was a custom for them to do,
and they carried through with it,
according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own town of Nazareth.
In verse 40,
And the child grew, Jesus grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him.
The favor of God was upon him, was upon Jesus.
We'll look at that more at the last verse, verse 52,
as basically Luke restates this in a little bit different way.
But let's keep going in verse 41.
Now, his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover.
Mary and Joseph probably didn't just go to the feast of the Passover,
but they also went to the other two feasts that happened during that year as well.
Again, they were very obedient.
They were very faithful in their relationship with the Lord,
in their understanding of their relationship with the Lord.
It was a practice for them that they showed Jesus.
Again, Jesus was not only God in human form,
His divine aspect, His divine nature,
but yet Jesus was also human.
He came as you and I come into the world.
Verse 42,
And when He was 12 years old,
they went up according to the custom.
In verse 43,
and when the feast was ended,
as they were returning,
the boy Jesus.
And that caught my attention.
Luke states it this way.
Instead of just stating,
Jesus stayed behind,
Luke says,
the boy.
And it gives us the fact that He's 12 years old.
Now, the first place my mind went to
is I started calculating in my head.
12 years old,
okay, that means He would be,
what grade?
7th grade.
My youth minister day goes,
a 7th grade middle school boy?
Okay, now I get the picture, right?
Think about it.
Any teachers in here,
anybody in the school system,
any parents,
any men in here who've been recall,
can recall their 7th grade year,
your mind is filled with all kind of things,
isn't it?
But yet remember,
this is God in human form.
This is divine.
So yes,
He's Jesus' human side,
but yes,
He's God's divine side.
When the feast was ended,
as they were returning,
the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem.
We don't get any indication,
or yes we do get an indication,
that Jesus never told Mary and Joseph
what He was doing.
He never said where He had to go,
and why He had to go there.
He just stayed behind.
And off in the distance,
Mary and Joseph,
His mom and dad go.
And it says there in the last part of verse 43,
His parents did not know it.
In verse 44,
but supposing Him to be in the group,
they went a day's journey.
So they're traveling for a day.
Now it's not uncommon that as they travel together,
it'd be like all of us in this room right now,
when we decide we want to travel to Atlanta.
We're going to pray,
and we're going to get in our cars,
and we're going to go down to Atlanta.
Okay?
Ride with whoever you want to ride with,
because we all trust each other, right?
We know each other for the most part.
We trust each other.
So ride with whoever you want to ride with.
Okay?
Well, that's kind of how it was.
You travel together,
because you're traveling with family.
You're traveling with acquaintances.
And it didn't bother you where your child may be
until you go looking for Him.
But supposing Him to be in the group,
they went a day's journey,
but then they began to search for Him
among their relatives and acquaintances.
And when they did not find Him,
uh-oh, where is Jesus?
Can you imagine that?
You're the parents, and you lost Jesus?
You know?
I might be a little all right
if I don't see my son for a moment,
but I've been given the responsibility of Jesus.
That probably weighs out a little more,
wouldn't you think?
And they look around.
It's like, where is He?
And when they did not,
in verse 45,
and when they did not find Him,
they returned to Jerusalem
searching for Him.
And listen to this, verse 46,
after three days.
Man, I can't imagine.
You know, I've had those moments
in the department store,
in the Walmart, wherever,
and I can't see one of my sons
back when they were young,
and your heart just sinks.
It just drops.
I mean,
I recall a time when,
um,
Mike and Jennifer might remember this.
Mike and Jennifer had gone with me
to Montreal, Canada.
We took a group of students.
It was, I think,
my second trip here.
We took a group of students
to Montreal for a mission trip.
And all my years of youth ministry,
man, I just became
a professional head counter.
I mean, if we were on a bus,
we were on vans,
it's just natural.
You leave with 50,
you return with 50.
No more, no less.
If you return with less,
oh no.
If you return with more,
oh no.
But you always counted heads.
You know,
it's just what you did.
No matter,
however many stops,
calling a van ahead.
You got your 15,
you got your 13,
you got your 12.
You just made sure.
I remember when,
in Montreal,
we,
we were walking on a Wednesday.
We had the Wednesday off,
and I counted heads.
We were ready to leave.
We stopped and got a drink.
Counted heads.
Made sure everybody was good.
We're good to go.
Let's go.
And as soon as we counted heads,
and I turned my back,
I didn't notice that
one of them had slipped away.
After we had already said,
go to the restroom,
everybody go to the restroom,
one of them slips away
to the restroom,
and we're out.
Now we're in Montreal.
Nobody knows where we are.
I mean,
this is the first time
we've ever been there together.
And we're walking
the streets of Montreal.
We had probably gone 30 yards,
and this student comes
running up behind me,
panning with this fear
in his face,
and goes,
you left me.
I went,
what do you mean we left you?
Where were you?
We counted.
Well,
I had to go to the bathroom.
So you go through
all that story.
Just the fear
of realizing
you've left somebody.
I can only imagine
what Mary and Joseph
were thinking and feeling.
So after three days,
they found him.
They searched everywhere.
The place they found him
was in the temple.
And listen to these words.
Students,
kids,
listen to this.
adults,
sitting among the teachers.
Sitting among the ones
who were telling stories
that we now call
the Old Testament.
Teaching about
what the relationship
of God was
with the children
of Israel
and the exes.
All those things
that they would sit
among each other
and talk about
and teach about.
Not only that,
but Luke makes
a point that says
that Jesus
was also listening
to them.
Not only sitting
in their midst,
but listening
at every word
they have to say.
And I get that picture
of Jesus
just sitting
maybe with his elbows
on his knees
looking them in the eye
and just hearing
all that they're saying.
Same time,
he's God.
Yet he's sitting
and listening
to what they're saying.
Luke also says
to us in this verse
in asking them questions.
Man,
wouldn't it be great?
This is one of those,
when I read this
in scriptures,
it's where my mind goes,
Lord,
why didn't you just
give us a few more chapters?
Why didn't you just
give us a few more chapters
of what Jesus' life
was like?
Maybe the questions
that he asked these
that he stood among.
For whatever reason,
Jesus doesn't.
God doesn't.
But Jesus is asking questions.
Verse 43, 47.
And all who heard him
were amazed
at his understanding
and his answers.
We know why
they were amazed.
Because God was sitting
in their midst.
in the form of Jesus.
We know that.
They did not realize that.
And they were amazed
at who he was.
Verse 48.
And when his parents
saw him,
they were astonished.
And his mother said to him,
Son,
why have you treated us
so?
Now,
I don't know about you,
parent,
but I've had those moments
run through my head
thinking,
you know,
why are you acting this way?
Why are you acting this way?
I know how we've taught you.
I know how we've tried
to guide you.
Why are you doing this?
There's that moment
that she has
with Jesus as well.
She goes on to say even,
behold,
your father and I
have been searching for you
in great distress.
You've stressed us out.
I know as a parent,
I've been stressed out
by my sons.
I mean,
if you're a parent,
at some moment in your life,
you have been stressed out
by your kids.
If not,
it will happen.
Okay?
It will happen.
If not,
I want to sit down with you
and know what you've done
because I want to share that
with a bunch of other parents
coming along
because they need to hear it.
But can you imagine
what Mary and Joseph,
we see what they were experiencing.
Verse 49.
And he said to them,
and when I read this,
I don't read this
as if Jesus was being boastful.
I don't read this
as if Jesus was being disrespectful.
I read this
because Jesus knew
what he needed to do.
Verse 49.
And he said to them,
why were you looking for me?
As if they should know,
they should know
that Jesus will be at the temple.
And then Jesus says,
did you not know
that I must be
in my father's house?
Mom, dad,
why are you surprised?
Why are you surprised
that you would find me
of all places
sitting here
in the temple?
Listen to what it says there
in your translation,
hopefully your translation,
the word father
is capitalized,
showing you and I
that his mention
of father here
is father God,
not father Joseph.
He is talking about
his creator.
He is talking about
God the father.
Did you not know
that I must be
in my father's house?
And they did not understand
the saying
that he spoke to them.
Again,
they're just,
you know,
even like young parents,
you're trying
to figure it out.
You're trying to do,
what do I do
with what I have
in my hands now?
And then,
you know,
nine years old,
what am I supposed
to do now?
Teenager,
what am I,
20 year old,
what am I,
what am I supposed
to do now?
And they did not
understand the saying
that he spoke to them.
Verse 51,
And he,
Jesus,
went down with them
and came to Nazareth
and was submissive
to them.
Students,
parents,
I mean students,
kids,
Jesus was submissive
to his earthly parents.
Adults,
if your parents
are still living,
there's moments
that you need
to be submissive
to your mom and dad.
It doesn't change.
And then we see
in the last part of 51,
and his mother
treasured up
all these things
in her heart.
You know,
we get that,
we see that beautiful
saying again earlier
where Mary pondered
what had happened
with what she was
a part of.
You know,
Mary storing up
all these thoughts,
all these emotions,
holding on to them,
learning from them
because God has done
something special
in her life.
we see it
in the scriptures
that God says,
you are my favored one.
Mary,
you are favored.
That's why I'm coming
to you.
Something special
that Mary is experiencing
all every step
of the way.
Last Sunday,
we laughed.
I don't remember
who it was
I was laughing with
about,
you know,
I've got a brother
that's 10 years
older than me,
so he's 64 years old
and growing up,
man,
I saw all about
his life.
I mean,
I saw pictures,
black and whites,
you know,
that's basically
what it was.
You know,
even there's black
and whites of me,
that shows you
how old I am.
You know,
black and whites
of him,
lots of them.
My sister,
maybe a little less
photographs.
Me,
brother might have
had 10 albums
filled with pictures
of him.
I got lucky
if I got three-fourths
through an album.
You know what I'm saying?
It's just,
you know,
the more kids
that come along.
But Mary pondered
all these things
up,
not wanting to forget
what she was experiencing.
But in verse 52,
Luke kind of brings
it all together.
These 12 years
of Jesus' early life,
and I really
lend to think
that in verse 52,
Luke is also
thinking about
all the years
in between,
from age 12
to when Jesus
began his ministry
at age 30.
It culminates that
in verse 52,
and it says,
and Jesus increased
in wisdom
and in stature
and in favor
with God and man.
That's the verse
right there
that just kind of
brings me to a place
to go,
okay,
all that you just
read, Dave,
here's the one
that's really getting.
To a point for you
and to a point
for all of us.
If Jesus is our example,
which I believe he is,
and scripture tells us
that he is,
how am I doing
in those areas
in my life?
Most specifically,
the area of wisdom,
favor of God,
and favor of man.
And that's where
I want to leave us
this morning
is with that.
You see,
Jesus grew,
as Luke says,
Jesus grew
in wisdom.
Jesus' wisdom
grew in his understanding
of humanity,
the humanity
that he walked among,
that he lived with.
He grew in his wisdom
and understanding
of that.
But more importantly,
he grew in his wisdom
and understanding
of the things
of his father,
God.
We see that
because he's set
among the teachers
learning.
I don't think
that aspect
ever changed
with Jesus.
Why do I believe that?
Because Jesus is God.
There is not an aspect
about him
that changes.
It would be safe
to say that
the character
and attributes
and the attitudes
of who Jesus was
at age 12
were the very same
ones of him
at age 30
when he began
his ministry
because he was
who he was,
he is who he is.
He grew in wisdom.
So I ask myself,
David,
are you growing
in wisdom?
Are you wiser today
than you were
three months ago?
Are you wiser today
than you were
five years ago?
Or are you stumbling
over the same things
humanly
as well as spiritually
that you've stumbled
over before?
And so I have to
evaluate and ask
myself honestly,
where am I growing
in my wisdom?
If Jesus grows
in his wisdom,
why shouldn't I?
And it says,
Jesus grew
in favor with God
over the last,
I don't know,
maybe about a year,
the whole idea
of God's favor
just,
it just seems
to keep popping up
in scripture
and popping up
on things that I hear.
And it's like,
you know,
God brings favor
on his people.
Do you realize that?
Even though it says
this about Jesus,
it says in multiple
places in the scripture
that God brings
his favor on others.
That God can bring
his favor on you.
Now,
I don't completely
understand that,
100%.
I've not wrapped
my mind fully
around God's favor
and how that comes
to you and I
as followers of Christ,
but I know it
from what I read
in scripture.
It's not favoritism.
It's like,
God doesn't love me
any more
than he loves
anybody else
in this room.
He's not going to
choose me
just because
I'm his favorite.
But God shows
his favor.
I think God's favor
is connected
to you and I
and how much
we follow him
and how much
we are obedient
to him
and how much
we are living
according to his word.
Because listen
to what it says
in Exodus 33
verses 13.
Verse 13.
Moses is having
a conversation
with the Lord.
It says this,
Now therefore,
if I,
Moses,
have found favor
in your sight,
please show me
now your ways
that I may know you
in order to find
favor in your sight.
Two things
that Moses says there.
Your ways.
Show me your ways.
Show me how to live
my life
in relationship
to you.
Show me how to live
my life
in relationship
to the other.
Remember,
what God gives
the people of Israel,
the children of Israel,
he gives them
the Ten Commandments.
The Ten Commandments
are broken down
half towards
the relationship
with God,
the other half
towards relationship
with man
and each other.
Moses says,
Show me your ways.
I want to know you,
Lord.
I want to know you more.
And then he finishes
that off
saying,
That's how I find
favor in your sight.
And then in Psalms
we see this,
For the Lord God
is a sun and a shield.
The Lord bestows
favor and honor.
No good thing
does he withhold
from those
who walk uprightly.
So favor is found
in those
who walk uprightly,
who walk righteously,
who live righteously
obedient to the Lord
and to his word.
The other thing
we see in the last part
of verse 52
is that Jesus grew
in favor with man.
That's easier
for me to understand.
Favor with man
is when
you're that person
that folks
want to come to.
You're that person
that people
want to be around.
You're that person
that when you walk
in a room,
folks are glad
to see you.
Folks want to have
a conversation
with you.
You're that person
that everybody knows
and the reason is
because everything
that is true,
everything that is
trustworthy,
everything is honorable,
that represents you
and you win
favor of others.
Think about that.
In your neighborhood,
you find favor
with your neighbors
when they want
to come to you
and ask for your help
or ask for your assistance
or they know
that there's something
different about you.
You find favor
with your fellow man.
Even before the miracles,
Luke saw and heard
that Jesus connected
with others.
Jesus connected relationally.
That's who he was.
That's how he found favor
because he cared
about others.
He had compassion
for them.
We see later
in Jesus' ministry
that he had compassion
for people.
I guarantee you
at age 12
that still showed up
where he had compassion
for others.
People want to be
around people
they know
care about
who they are.
in 1 Peter
verses 2
I mean chapter 2
verse 21
it's kind of been
a life verse for me
and as I try to think
about wisdom
and favor of God
and favor of man
this is where
my mind went to.
It says,
for to this
you have been called
because Christ
also suffered for you
leaving you an example
so that you might
follow in his steps.
As I look at this verse
the call for my life
the call for your life
our lives as believers
in Christ
is to follow
in the steps of Christ
and one of the ways
in which you and I
can do that
is found in Luke 2 52
grow in wisdom
increase in favor of God
increase in favor of man.
Then the last thing
is this
longing for Jesus
when you think
about Simeon
when you think
about Anna
that's what they did
they longed to see
the Messiah
in the flesh
they longed to be
in his presence
they wanted to take
the things
that they had heard
the prophecy
and see the reality
man what would it be like
for your life
and for my life
if we were marked
with the thoughts
and the attitude
of longing for Jesus
that every morning
every morning
when we wake up
we long to be with him
we long to see him
work in our life
we long to see him
work around our life
the psalmist writes
in chapter 63
verse 1
he writes these words
oh God
you are my God
I earnestly search
for you
my soul
thirsts for you
my whole body
longs for you
in this parched
and weary land
where there is no water
man do you hear
the psalmist's voice
do you hear
his desire
to be in the presence
of God
to walk daily
in the presence
of God
for he to be
consumed
with who God
is
I search
I thirst
I long
because this life
is sucking life
out of me
the weary land
that has no water
Lord I need you
every day
every hour
longing for Jesus
as we look
at a new year
fresh
may we pray
and may we
reach towards
being the persons
that God desires
for us to be
each and every day
of our life
as we continue
to follow him
each and every moment
Lord thank you
for your word
Lord every time
your word is open
it brings truth
it brings
understanding
Lord it gives us
direction
Lord it shows us
who you are
Lord it also
shows us
who we are
it shows us
the things
that we need
to work on
it shows us
the things
that we can
glorify you
with
so Lord
thank you so much
for your love
for us
within that love
you showed us
your word
you showed us
your heart
you brought us
salvation
through your
son Jesus
you also
showed us
how to live
life
through your
son Jesus
so Lord
we thank you
and we ask this
prayer in your name
amen
thanks again for
listening to the
Willow Ridge Church
weekly podcast
we hope that you
enjoyed listening to
this week's message
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