Christmas is about waiting being fulfilled. The People of God were waiting for Him to do something. It's been centuries of His silence. As the old Christmas carol, “O Little Town of Bethlehem” says, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight.”
In order to fully appreciate the fulfillment, we need to look at who was waiting and how. The Christmas Story is full of examples of people waiting, longing, hoping for God to act. We meet two such people when Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the temple to dedicate him. Their names are Simeon and Anna. They are two people who have been waiting a long time, who meet the newborn king, and who leave praising God because He has done all things well. By looking at their stories, perhaps we too can learn how to have the courage to wait on God.
