To anticipate something is to expect it. In Luke 2:25-35 we read about a godly man named Simeon who was anticipating the Messiah. He believed in God's promise to him that he would see the Messiah before he died, and he eagerly anticipated the day God would fulfill His promise to him.
"Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 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, 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; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for the glory to your people Israel.""
Simeon was awaiting the Savior. He trusted that God would fulfill His promise to him and allow him to see the Messiah before he died. He had an eager anticipation for the Messiah.
He is not the only example we have of those who celebrated when God fulfilled His promise on that night in Bethlehem.
I think of the angels on that first Christmas night! They were celebrating the fulfillment of God's word! They were praising God. And they were bringing this message, the good news of great joy, to others. They were proclaiming that the long awaited Messiah had come at last! They were excitedly proclaiming the gospel with great joy.
Jesus had been long anticipated. People were waiting for the Messiah to come, longing for God's promises to be fulfilled. And on the night He was born, the angels celebrated! And they proclaimed the good news to the shepherds. As we, like Simeon, await to see the Messiah, may we celebrate His first coming, proclaim the gospel of great joy to others (evenly to the lowly people, like the angels did to the shepherds), and may we eagerly anticipate Jesus' second coming, as Simeon anticipated His first advent.
We can have eager anticipation this advent season! First we can celebrate the truths of the Gospel that Christs birth brings! After all, this is what Simeon was eagerly anticipating, and now that it has come we cannot ignore it. But we can also eagerly anticipate Christ's second coming, when He will return as the conquering King! It doesn't have to be something that overwhelms, confuses, and scares us. There is a lot of debate over the last days and how and when Christ will return, but the important thing is that He will return. In this we hope.
Christ will return. The Messiah will return as King!
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