The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas
This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments. One who says, "I know him,"and doesn't keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth isn't in him. But God's love has most certainly been perfected in whoever keeps his word. This is how we know that we are in him: he who says he remains in him ought himself also to walk just like he walked.
Brothers, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, I write a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light already shines. He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness even until now. He who loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no occasion for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in the darkness, and walks in the darkness, and doesn't know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord! Bless his name! Proclaim his salvation from day to day!
Sing to the Lord! Bless his name! Proclaim his salvation from day to day! Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him. Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
When the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were fulfilled, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ( as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord "), 2:23 Exodus 13:2,12 and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."2:24 Leviticus 12:8
Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. He came in the Spirit into the temple. When the parents brought in the child, Jesus, that they might do concerning him according to the custom of the law, then he received him into his arms and blessed God, and said, "Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples; a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel."
Joseph and his mother were marveling at the things which were spoken concerning him. Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
What strikes me most about Simeon is how he represents that beautiful tension of patient waiting and joyful recognition. Here was a man who had been promised something extraordinary, yet he continued showing up to the temple day after day, trusting that God would fulfill His word in His own time. When that ordinary young couple walked in with their baby to fulfill the law's requirements—offering turtle doves because they couldn't afford a lamb—Simeon's heart recognized what his eyes were seeing.
In first-century Jewish culture, the presentation of the firstborn was both a legal obligation and an act of gratitude, acknowledging that this child belonged first to God. Mary and Joseph were simply doing what faithful parents did. But Simeon saw deeper—this wasn't just any presentation ceremony.
What I find beautiful here is how John's letter connects to this moment. Keeping God's commandments isn't about checking boxes or following rules for their own sake. It's about walking in the light, loving our brothers and sisters, staying close enough to God that we can recognize His presence when it shows up unexpectedly.
Simeon had been walking in that light for years. His faithfulness in small, daily acts of devotion—his righteousness, his devotion, his regular temple attendance—had prepared his heart to see salvation when it arrived as a six-week-old baby.
We live in that same tension today. God is always showing up in our ordinary moments, but are we walking closely enough to Him to notice? Are we cultivating the kind of spiritual attentiveness that recognizes grace in the everyday?
What ordinary moments in your day might God be using to reveal Himself to you? How might your faithfulness in small things be preparing your heart to recognize something greater? Are you walking in enough light to see clearly when God shows up?