Wonder of God’s Love
Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 – 1669), Simeon’s Song of Praise (1631), oil on panel (61 × 48 cm) — 1631, Mauritshuis, The Hague
Waiting in Hope With Simeon
(Advent Series, Part 4)
I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember your wonders of old. I will meditate on all your work and muse on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy…You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the peoples. (Psalm 77:11-14 NRSV)
Throughout the Scriptures, the story of God's love is full of wonder. The creation account in Genesis shows the miraculous act of God creating everything with spoken words out of nothing. The beautiful narratives of relationships between God and His chosen people, prophets, priests, and kings, reveal living testimonies of God's transformative steadfast love. These incredible stories offer hope as we wait for the fullness of God's promises to bring peace and joy to the world.
The love of God is so vast and beyond our complete human understanding. The assurance we have through scripture is that God’s love is abiding and unchanging. To capture the wonder of the miraculous story of "God with us," we need to make room in our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls to believe in the impossible. Spiritual transformation happens when we are open to God, who bridges the gap between the impossible and the possible, between the darkness and the light. To curate space for the wonder of God's love in our lives is to more fully experience the promise that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Allowing margin in our lives for silence, listening, and rest helps us to receive abundant life in Christ with greater joy.
A Royal Priesthood
Throughout most of the Old Testament, being in the presence of God was typically reserved for Israelite prophets and priests. Yet the wonder of God's love and grace transcended these limitations by establishing the royal priesthood, shown in Genesis 14 with Melchizedek, the mysterious priest-king of Salem (meaning "peace"). "King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!" And Abram gave him one-tenth of everything." Genesis 14:18-20
Melchizedek foreshadowed a holy priesthood beyond bloodlines, with no beginning or end, making known God's redemptive plan to rescue His people from the powers of darkness and death through a covenant of peace and righteousness. In offering bread and wine, Melchizedek connects us to the Lord's supper, the meal that Jesus shared with his disciples before his death as a source of comfort and strength in the invitation to participate in the redeeming work of God in the world.
Centuries later, Immanuel enters the world and the Temple, where Simeon is waiting for God's promise to bring light in the darkness and reverse the curse of death. Upon the arrival of Jesus, Simeon walked into the Temple not as an official prophet or priest but as a man led by the Holy Spirit; he recognized the extraordinary in the infant Jesus, who later would miraculously break through the barrier of sin and death, offering Salvation for all. The story of Simeon shows God's inclusive love in allowing His created Image to act as prophets and priests so that others can know the "Good News" of God with us!
In Simeon's prophetic word and blessing over Immanuel, we get to witness the wonder of the Melchizedek priesthood. God came to be with us in the form of an infant, bringing Salvation to the whole world. In this holy moment, Simeon holds the wonder of God's love not just in thought but in the physical body. Today, we hold the wonder of God's love in thought and in our physical beings through the Holy Spirit. The revelation of the incarnation of Christ transforms our waiting with awe, wonder, and celebration and speaks the truth of unconditional love that spans the generations between Adam and Eve and you and me. Immanuel's incredible love knows and redeems everything! This love is something that, even today, many find entirely unbelievable.
The Wonder and Steadfast Love of God
The powers of darkness offer scarcity and confuse us, using fear, anxiety, depression, and loneliness to control our actions. The struggle to hold God's infinite love in our suffering often shadows our ability to hope. Psalm 136 speaks of God's work in Creation and history through the context of abundant, steadfast love enduring forever. Believing that God's heart acts out of love and not control allows us to trust the power of the Spirit and comforts us in our suffering. It also encourages us to accept our invitation to come alongside the God of Love, more fully participating in the royal priesthood, and speaking blessing and truth over others.
As God's chosen people, like Simeon, we, too, are part of a royal priesthood called to receive Jesus and proclaim Christ's excellence, who called us out of darkness and into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9) This incredible gift is best given in offering the words and blessing of the Lord to others. When we seek and follow the words of Jesus to, above all, love God and others, we receive even now our promised futures as heirs of the magnificent Kingdom of Heaven without beginning and end. We live in the in-between with hope, accepting our status as beloved in our relationship with the God of peace, joy, and love, which is what we, as image-bearers, are created for. To behold the steadfast love of the Lord through the priesthood of Melchizedek, Jesus, Simeon, and our royal priesthood as believers is indeed full of wonder.
While God continues restoring Creation, waiting in hope with Simeon in beauty and peace, abundant joy, and the wonder of God's love moves us toward a greater understanding of the incarnation of Christ dwelling with us. As we move closer to the celebration of Christmas, we again get to choose to accept the wonderful gift of Jesus and the incredible invitation from the Lord to continue carrying the Word of Life forward in Spirit and with Love.
We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:19-20 NRSV)
For a child has been born for us, a son given to us. (Isaiah 9:6 NRSV)
Immanuel, God Is With Us!
Merry Christmas!
Reflection Questions:
In recognizing your belovedness and royalty, where is the Lord inviting you to wonder and imagine a better future?
As you consider the gift of God with you, where are you being invited to notice God’s unexpected and wondrous workings in your community?
Considering the whole series on Waiting In Hope With Simeon, what has offered you hope, peace, joy, and love?
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