On the night after Thanksgiving 2008, a crowd of more than 2,000 people gathered in the parking lot of a suburban New York Wal-Mart. They were waiting for the store to open, with Black Friday savings to be had. As the 5am opening neared, the sleep-deprived crowd began to impatiently jockey for positions closest to the doors, which bowed under the weight of the crowd pressing against them.
Suddenly the glass sliding doors gave way, and the crowd – desperate to get a bargain before someone else beat them to it – surged forward. In the melee that followed, Jdimytai Damour, a temporary holiday worker, was trampled to death. Four others – including a 24-year old woman who was 8 months pregnant – were taken to the hospital for their injuries.
15 miles away, a similar scene played out at another Wal-Mart, where a young woman was trampled as the doors opened. Bleeding and bruised, she continued on. Desperate to grab discounted stuff before others nabbed them before her, she finished her bargain-hunting, before filing the police report.
What are you desperate for?
In Luke 2, we meet a unique man named Simeon. And Simeon had a reputation as a desperate man.
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
I used to imagine Simeon as a grandfatherly guy, sitting in a corner of the temple, waiting patiently for the Messiah. After all, he had a divine promise of immortality until he saw the annointed one. But that doesn’t seem to be the picture. This was THE Temple, after all. Every firstborn in Israel had to come through that place, so every baby in the entire country that was born about the same time Jesus was born would have been there at the same time. The place would have had tons of babies. And in the midst of Roman oppression, seeing the suffering of God’s people, and – maybe most of all – hearing the deafening four-century-long silence from Heaven, Simeon would have been desperate on behalf of his beloved nation to find the One. As the years passed, and he sat in the temple each day, watching Israel’s suffering – and thousands of babies passed through the temple, with no Messiah, no Comforter… I think his vigilance began to take on an edge of desperation. Where is He, Lord?
So my picture has changed. I don’t see Simeon as the dignified, quiet old grandfatherly priest. Now I see Simeon the odd old guy that most people left alone. I see him bent by years, hobbling and elbowing his way through the crowd to get a closer look at every baby that came through the Temple. “Let me see that baby!”
And just as the Lord promised, Simeon did see that baby. No longer desperate, I can imagine Simeon’s old shoulders finally relaxing as he looked up to heaven, Jesus – the promised Consolation of Israel – safely in his aged arms.
“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 glory to your people Israel.”
(Luke 2:29-32)
The Christmas season often takes on a desperate feel, doesn’t it? Whether it’s the time spent with the mobs of people at malls and stores, or trying to get the house ready for Christmas guests, or get all the work done in a shortened, end-of-the-year month, the holiday season can feel pretty desperate. There are a thousand reasons I can think of that you and I feel stressed – even a little bit desperate. The financial stress is often overwhelming this time of year, to say nothing of how we’re all now double- and triple-booking each waking minute to try and get everything done in time. And the to-do list is so long this year.
How desperate are you to see Jesus?
In the crush to get everything done – to make sure each gift is bought, the house and food made ready or travel arrangements completed – is there even time left for you to go and see the baby in the manger? It’s one thing for me to vent about the consumerization of Christmas, or how it’s become such a secular holiday. But the really hard choices come down to this question, don’t they?
Am I desperate to see the Savior?
Advent is a season of preparation, of expectation. The King is coming, but not with the fanfare that usually accompanies politicians. On His mission to save the world – to offer peace and hope to you and me – Jesus snuck in the back door. And if we’re not desperately on the hunt, we’ll miss Him.
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