This takes place when Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple in Luke 2: 22 — 40 for the purification rites of circumcision required by the Law. Simeon is a righteous man on whom the Holy Spirit rests. He is not yet indwelt by the Spirit, as this will only happen to believers after Pentecost.
Simeon had been waiting for this day for a long time. God had promised him that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. The Holy Spirit enables him to recognise the identity of the baby Jesus. Similarly, he is able to understand that this baby is the one they have all been waiting for who would be a light of revelation to the Gentiles.
Rather, when he looked at the baby Jesus, he saw that He was his salvation. This is why he was ready now to depart in peace.
As Kent-Hughes states:. Additionally, Kent-Hughes adds that to receive salvation, all we have to do is be like Simeon. In other words, we should also take Jesus in our arms as Lord in the same way that Simeon did. Is this something we are prepared to do this Christmas as we receive the baby Jesus into the world? Leave me a comment below. This is different to the preview available on my home page. If you do wish to keep in touch, please check the consent box.
Robert is the founder of Drawing on the Word. He also has a degree in Law and was called to the Bar. Robert previously taught religious studies and was a theology lecturer.
You can follow him below. Good piece, Robert! No wonder God chose her. Amazing article, as usual. Thanks very much! Thanks for commenting. If the Savior was sent for the social outcasts like the shepherds, then he truly came for absolutely everyone.
That has just been made more real to me this season. I accept the Privacy Policy. By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website in accordance with the GDPR.
Now check your email to confirm your subscription. You'll be hearing from me shortly. Robert Sang. Published: December 12, 8 Comments Hope and Inspiration. Pin Tweet 8. Share Now check your email to download your free sample. There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again. Email Address. Like this: Like Loading Share this post.
Robert Sang 14 Dec Reply. They all have a great message of hope. Pat 19 Dec Reply. Gary Bourgeault has owned and managed several businesses and has been a financial adviser. In his spare time, he loves writing about music. These 10 timeless Yuletide tunes celebrate the birth of Jesus. Dieter K via Unsplash; Canva. There is so much Christmas music available these days that it can be difficult to choose what to listen to when the festive mood strikes.
Some Christmas songs have endured for longer than others, partially because they focus on the reason for the season—the birth of the savior, Jesus Christ. These songs are my favorite. In this compilation, I've listed 10 holiday favorites that focus on the historical meaning of Christmas.
Some of these selections feature tried-and-true singers from the past, and others are sung by more modern stars that most of us know and enjoy. It is one of my absolute favorite Christmas songs. It was written in by a man with the interesting and unusual name of Jester Hairston, according to Infogalactic. The original calypso rhythm was in response to a request for Hairston to write a song for a birthday.
While that song was never recorded, Walter Schumann, the conductor of the Schumann's Hollywood Choir, asked Hairston to write a new Christmas song for the choir to sing.
Hairston reportedly went back to the rhythm of his former song and wrote new lyrics for it. Being of Caribbean descent, Harry Belafonte enjoyed the song's calypso rhythm after hearing it sung by the choir.
He asked for permission to record it, and the rest is history. Belafonte's version has sold over 1. It charted number one in the UK in November of and was the first single to reach one million sales there. While there are many quality versions of the song, I don't think any come close to Belafonte's; it seems the tune was made for him.
Trisha Yearwood sang it on her album The Sweetest Gift. Similar to "Mary's Boy Child," it has an uplifting and unique beat that complements the lyrics nicely.
The lyrics and tune were revised some over the years, with revivalist George Whitefield changing the opening couplet to the one we're familiar with today. Later, Felix Mendelssohn composed a cantata for a different purpose, which was adapted by William H. Cummings to the song we now know. Mendelssohn's changes came in , approximately years after the hymn first appeared in the original collection. Charles Wesley is considered to be among the most prolific poets in the English-speaking world and is credited with composing more than 6, hymns.
Mariah Carey sings a beautiful version of the song in the video below. While recovering from a severe illness, Dix experienced a personal spiritual renewal that resulted in his writing of several hymns, including "What Child Is This? No one is sure who paired the lyrics with the tune, but some believe it was John Stainer, as suggested in the third edition of The Christmas Encyclopedia by William D.
Josh Groban shares his version of the classic tune in the video below. A number of historians believe it may have been written by more than one person or adapted and changed over the years by multiple people. In its earliest form, the carol was written in Latin as "Adeste Fideles. Regardless of who wrote it, it has remained one of the more commonly performed and consistently enjoyed Christmas hymns for a long time.
For that reason, I chose to include the below video of a traditional choir singing the hymn. It seems fitting. The hymn "Away in a Manger" has an interesting history in that some people, apparently in a marketing scheme, attempted to attribute it to the great reformer Martin Luther. It is now thought to be American in origin, with the first two verses first published in the May issue of a periodical called The Myrtal. It appeared with a tune by Charles H.
Gabriel, pointing to the probability he wrote the third stanza. Gabriel also tried to attribute it to Luther, but as mentioned earlier, that's no longer considered to be a credible source for the hymn. Alan Jackson sings his version of "Away in a Manger" in the video below. It was later introduced by Lawrence Tibbett and has been sung and recorded by numerous performers and choirs since. Probably more than any other artist, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson brought the song from relative obscurity to a mainstream audience with her version.
The soulful feel of the song comes in part from MacGimsey's black nanny, who sang spirituals to him as a young child. It is also surmised by some that the depression had an impact on the way the song was written and sung. I don't think anybody sings the song better than Trisha Yearwood, so I included her version below for you to enjoy. The music was written by his organist, Lewis Redner.
Redner said this about how it came about:. Brooks told me that he had written a simple little carol for the Christmas Sunday-school service, and he asked me to write the tune to it. The simple music was written in great haste and under great pressure. We were to practice it on the following Sunday.
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