In the movie The Incredibles, Mr. Incredible is a super-strong former hero living a government ordered quiet life undercover. One day, furiously frustrated with his life and his car, he picks it up off the ground and is about to hurl it into the air when he hears a small boy behind him. He puts the car down and walks into the house with exaggerated nonchalance. The next day when he comes home, the little boy is there, so he asks "What are you waiting for?"
"I don't know. Something AMAZING I guess."
"Me too, kid. Me too."
I love that scene. It reminds me that I often find myself waiting for something Amazing, too. Especially when there's a tree in my house and wrapped boxes under it!
But look at Simeon. Day after day, week after week, waiting for the revelation of God to come to pass. Was it years, maybe even decades? I get antsy waiting in line at the store! But Simeon endured patiently. Having received God's promise, he believed it and kept watching for it. And one day, Something AMAZING...happened!
[Simeon] took [baby Jesus] up in his arms and blessed God and said,“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation..." Luke 2:28-30
Mr. Incredible spent his days and nights reminiscing about days gone by, his "Glory Days". His dreams of the future are the simple desire to relive the past, but better.
But Simeon has a different perspective. He is keeping his eyes open, and he is putting himself in a position to be part of something New, and yes, something Amazing - the fulfillment of God's Promise.
If you're reading this, the hysteria over the Mayan calendar has gone the way of the Y2K bug and the many other End of the World scenarios that have captured popular imagination over the years. Many times when we think about the Promises of God, that's the kind of scene we think about. Fire from Heaven. Earthquakes. Devastation. Antichrist. Those things WILL happen...in God's good time. But the promises I'm thinking about are pretty Amazing without a Doomsday feel. Promises like "My joy will be in you, and your joy will be complete", or "Lo, I am with you always", or "Peace I give to you. MY peace I give to you," or "Come unto me you weary ones, and you will find rest for your souls."
In this season, we remember Something Amazing because of Some ONE Amazing, the One Simeon found. When you find that carols and trees and lights and packages don't open the Amazing door, come to the One this season is named for. Come to the Lord's Christ, and let the amazement begin!
