"Simeon took [the child Jesus] into his arms and praised God."

How many of your gave or received gift cards this Christmas season? Great gift. Gift of flexibility. The stores love them, too! There were 35 billion dollars in gift card sales this year. And about 5 billion of these dollars will never be redeemed. Pure profit for the companies because people forget to appreciate the gift. Imagine that! A gift is given, and some don't notice or care or remember.

Or how about this?

The musician's name was Josh Bell, one of the finest classical violinists in the world. The Washington Post asked him to stand in a Bethesda, Maryland mall, and play his violin, his Stradivarius, his 3.5 million dollar instrument.

63 people passed before even one slowed down to listen. One woman tossed in a dollar into his violin case without slowing down one bit. Only 7 people stopped at all that day. 27 people gave money. Well over 1000 people passed by.

The master musician was unrecognized and overwhelmingly ignored.

2000 years ago, the Lord of the universe arrived and few people noticed. Many missed the gift. "He was in the world, and although the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him."

God became flesh and dwelt among us. God is one of us --

the very God of very God actually became a human being, taking on the role of a servant. God is One With us -- He is able to understand our joys and sorrows, our fears and festivities. God is One For Us -- He came to save us from the curse and penalty of our sin. Thank you for taking notice! God loves our worship and praise!

We're only halfway through the 12 days of Christmas, but we have New Year's Eve to deal with. Even though the church calendar doesn't spend any time on the new year, society sure does.

Wouldn't it be fun to peek into the new year and see what God has in store for us? But if the future was bright, that would only ruin the surprise. Kind of like sneaking a peak at the presents, it ruins the surprise.

But if the future was a bit turbulent, our hearts would just be filled with worry and fear. Better not to know what the future holds, only that the good Lord holds the future.

Enter Simeon. He's not in any nativity scene. Not on any Christmas card. But Simeon recognized the gift in his arms. In Luke 2 we find Simeon doing some of the things that we find ourselves doing on New Year's Eve. We see Simeon looking backward, looking forward, but focusing on the present.

We know very little about him. We assume he was a priest, though the Bible doesn't tell us so. We assume he was an old man -- but that isn't certain.

We ARE told that Simeon was righteous and devout. He strived to keep the law of Moses. He had a godly reputation. And we are told that the Holy Spirit was upon him and had told him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Christ, the Messiah.

Part of Simeon was looking backward, assessing a whole host of yesterdays that the people of Israel treasured.

• They longed for the good ol' days.
• They longed for the prosperity of King David.
• But the people had been unfaithful to the Lord, and now they were under Roman occupation.
• They longed for deliverance.
• And God promised them a Messiah.

Do you even spend time reliving the past? Sometimes it can be fun:

• Photo albums, for example. We may have to laugh at how we've aged.

• We looked back and relived the past by visiting the Glenn House last week. Life in the 1800s: How did they live without a microwave?

But often, when we look to our past, the devil wants us to see our sin, our guilt, our pain. The devil only wants us to live in regret, anger, and bitterness. That can happen when we dwell on disappointment.

Earlier in the service we kneeled down. We confessed our sins. We received the absolution, the forgiveness, that Jesus earned for us. "God has forgiven our sins and remembers them no more."

Don't dwell on the sins and disappointments of the past. If anything, a believer can see the blessing. A believer can look back and see how "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him." God can empower the believer to forgive those who hurt us. Don't carry bitterness and guilt into the new year.

Simeon was also looking ahead. Simeon was looking ahead to his own eternity. This is no morbid death wish. He is saying, "All that I have lived for, all that I have hoped for, and all that I have waited for, has been accomplished." "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, now dismiss your servant in peace."

That word "dismiss" is a military word. It describes a sentinel who has stood watch during the long hours of the night. Now as the sun rises on the horizon, he knows his work is done and looks forward to going back to the barracks for rest. That's the way Simeon feels. The period of waiting is over. The Sun has risen! His duty is finished. He has seen and held the Lord's Christ.

We all move into the future with a bit of sanctified curiosity. Can we yield our dreams to the Lord? Can we resolve to trust God's will in all circumstances? Can we allow the Holy Spirit to nurture our faith in the Word and Sacraments?

Don't you know….God is already in your future because He goes before us.

Don't you know ….God promises to be with you no matter where He leads you.

Don't you know….If the worst thing that happens this year is that we are called to heaven, that is also the best thing. Isn't heaven the goal of our faith?

But as our Gospel reading takes place, Simeon is living for TODAY. He simply wants to hold onto the Baby Jesus. As he cradles Jesus in his arms, Simeon reminds us that Jesus is the Consolation of Israel, David's Son who would reign on His throne forever.

Jesus is the Savior of the world, "a light of revelation for the Gentiles." Jesus came to save all people from their sins. The forgiveness that Jesus earned through the cross is for all who believe.

Jesus is the Divider of the human race. Some will believe on His name. Some will reject the Savior.

Jesus was born to die. Mary would one day watch her Son die on the cross, and a sword would pierce her soul too.

As Simeon held the Baby Jesus, he knew that his own peaceful exit from this world would soon take place. So be it. That was not Simeon's concern -- he would simply rejoice in the present. Rejoice in today.

That's speaks to us as well. Since we cannot control or manipulate the year that awaits us, why fret? Why worry about what may or may not be?

Until tomorrow, why not treasure today!

• Treasure the gifts God has given to you, for they are many.
• Treasure the time that God has entrust to you, for it is precious.
• Treasure the people with whom God has placed you, for they are beloved.
• Treasure life, treasure faith, treasure hope -- all of which are yours today.

How do we do this? How do we treasure today?

By holding the Christ child close to your heart.

By lifting high the crucified and risen Lord.

By a simple and determined heart of faith, trusting God no matter what the circumstances might be. In other words, be filled with God-given contentment.

There's a certain amount of nostalgia on New Year's Eve. It is a good time to look back in forgiveness and thanksgiving. It is a good time to good forward in trust and in anticipation.

But until tomorrow comes at God's appointed time,

why not Treasure Today.