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There are many things that we look forward to during the Christmas season, such as getting together with family and friends, eating mom's special Christmas cookies, watching our favorite Christmas specials, and finding just the right gifts for our loved ones. Yet, what is that one thing that you are not only looking forward to, but longing for?

In Luke 2:25, not long after the birth of Jesus, we are introduced to Simeon. He was a righteous and devout man who was filled with the Holy Spirit. Yet, the most notable thing about Simeon was that he was waiting for the Messiah. He wasn't just hoping that the Messiah would come, rather, his consuming passion was to see the Messiah. So much so, that after he had held baby Jesus, he said that he could now die in peace.

There may come a day when you no longer can enjoy Christmas cookies; your friends and family may be gone, the old movies may have become lackluster, and those treasured gifts long forgotten. Yet, Jesus and his love will remain. In fact, it is the love of Jesus demonstrated on the cross, that will bring all who trust in Him into eternal paradise. There, in heaven, we will find an inexpressible & glorious joy (1 Peter 1:4-9) that far exceeds any joy we experience from the things here on earth. That is why Simeon and the prophetess, Anna, (who was also in the temple that day-Luke 2:36-38) rejoiced so much upon seeing the Messiah.

So why don’t we get that excited about Jesus’s coming? Well, unfortunately, part of the curse of our fleshly nature is that we tend to love the things of this world way too much. Our pursuit of self keeps us deceived and busy. Even things as good as Christmas celebrations, can distract us from the most important thing, Jesus.

Simeon and Anna recognized Jesus as the awesome gift that he is because they both were close to God. Look at how Luke 2:37 describes Anna’ s daily habits: “She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.” In like manor, we need to cultivate a hunger and thirst for our Lord. King David, in Psalm 63, describes this thirst for God, and how in pursuing God we will find that the Lord’s “steadfast love is better than life,…” (vs 3). Then, and only then will we experience the best of Christmas.

Fortunately for us, we don’t have to live in the temple to be close to the Lord. We just need to regularly set aside some time each day to be with our Lord and Savior. During the Christmas season, Advent devotionals are helpful as we spend some quiet time with our Lord. The tradition of Advent is to daily take time to focus our hearts on Christ, to repent of our sins, to praise God for His incredible gift of forgiveness through Jesus. We use the four weeks of Advent to draw near to Jesus as we prepare to celebrate his first coming, and as we wait for his second coming. Advent is a good reminder that like Simeon and Anna, we too are waiting for the coming of Jesus, that is his seconding coming when He will come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

So I ask, what are you waiting for this Christmas? Hopefully it is more than an Amazon package. Hopefully you find yourself waiting and longing for the return of our Lord Jesus, longing to see Him and to be with Him. If not, now is the time to stop waiting to get to know Jesus, and to pursue a relationship with him. The inexpressible & glorious joy promised in 1 Peter 1 isn’t just for heaven, it is for those of us who experience Jesus in this life!

Some Advent devotionals I like: