Waiting with Faithful Hope

At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him.

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.”

Luke 2:25; 28-32

 

As I travel around during the summer, I’ll sometimes see children lined up waiting to get into the church or school gym for VBS. The air is filled with excitement and anticipation about what they’re going to do, what games they’ll play or crafts they’ll construct and the songs they’ll sing. 

At one program, as a mother dropped off her children, she commented that they had been waiting for this for weeks and were so excited. Before the week is even up, kids will be asking our volunteers “When are you coming back?”, already waiting for next year.

Many years, LAMP’s VBS curriculum will include the Christmas story, a story that is very much about waiting. In a part of that story, we learn of Simeon, who had waited his whole life for the coming of the Messiah, trusting in God’s promise that he would live to see the day of His arrival. The children lined up outside of the doors, in their waiting and excitement, mirroring Simeon’s eager anticipation of encountering Jesus.

 

When he saw the promise made to him fulfilled and held Jesus as a baby, he proclaimed that he had seen God’s salvation, a light for all nations. That includes the isolated communities we serve in northern Canada, where the light of Christ shines through simple songs, puppet shows, Bible stories, and the faithful presence of His people. 

We may not always see the full impact of these VBS programs right away, but we must also wait, trusting that God will continue to work faithfully in the hearts of these children and that the seeds planted will grow. 

As we start the Advent season, we enter a time of waiting, as we look forward to celebrate the birth of Christ and to the day He will come again.  In this time of waiting, may God give us the same excitement as the children at VBS and the same faithful hope as Simeon, trusting that the light of Jesus is still shining into every community we serve.

As this year comes to a close, we want to thank you for helping to make all of this possible, as this work could not continue without your faithful prayers and support.  So, from our family to yours, we hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!