Merry COVID Christmas
My Christmas sermon was ready to be preached. Then I was exposed to COVID, and placed on a fourteen day quarantine. On Saturday evening, I was advised not to preach the following morning – too late for the church to set up the technology for me to deliver the sermon via media. The unpreached sermon was entitled, “What Christmas Meant to a Couple of Senior Adults” from Luke 2:25-38. It is the accounts of Simeon and Anna meeting the Christ-child. Without sharing the entire sermon, here are my final five things that the experiences of Simeon and Anna mean to us. If possible, read Luke 2:25-38 for a better understanding of these five applications. (1) God still uses unknown people. Neither Simeon nor Anna are mentioned anywhere else in the Bible and we know very little about them. (2) Jesus attracted the attention of some that day, but not all. Doubtless crowds were in the Temple, but only two recognized the presence of Jesus. (3) With God, timing is everything. Neither Simeon, nor Anna just happened to be in the Temple when Jesus arrived. They were there by God’s design and on God’s time. (4) One never grows too old to have a fresh encounter with God. (5) No matter one’s age, the message of Jesus is to be shared, acknowledged by both Simeon and Anna. So, whatever your age, what does this Christmas mean to you? Merry COVID Christmas.

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.