The twelfth day of Christmas

Jesus is presented in the Temple
Luke 2: 21-23 
Eight days later when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.
Then it was time for their purification offering, as required by the law according to Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 
The law of the Lord says. “If a woman’s first child is a boy, 
he must be dedicated to the Lord.”
The prophecy of Simeon
Luke 2:25-35 
At the time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. 
He was righteous and devout and eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel.
The Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 
That day the Spirit led him to the temple. 
So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus 
to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there.
He took the child in his arms and praised God saying, 
“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.
I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. 
He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and 
he is the glory of your people Israel.”
Jesus parents were amazed at what was being said about him.
Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother,
“This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, 
but he will be a joy to many others. 
He has been sent as a sign from God, 
but many will oppose him. 
As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. 
And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
Our tenth person of the Christmas story is Simeon.
I don’t believe we have heard of him until this passage in the story.
His age did not discount his significance or value to the prophetic words spoken over Jesus.
He confirmed and revealed the significance of who Jesus was
to Mary and Joseph.
She remembered her conversation with Elizabeth about her baby boy
and the experience with the angels and the shepherds.
They both knew he was a chosen child yet they remained amazed
at the prophetic words from an old man, who waited at the temple.
I wonder what it felt like for them, to have him reach out and hold their precious son and then reveal to them, his future, of leadership, of signs and wonders, and also his death,
as he tells Mary a sword will pierce your soul.
Anyone who has lost a child knows the piercing of the heart that cuts
deep into the soul of a mom and dad. It’s an intense loss.
I don’t believe at the time of his birth did they ever imagine the
depth of pain and agony his death would bring them.
One can never know that kind of sorrow until it surrounds them.
On the twelfth day of Christmas, we learn of Simeon a gentle old man, who waited
patiently year after year for the Messiah to come.