An era of Hope and Peace

<p>AN ERA OF HOPE AND PEACE  Forty days after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph had to bring Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem at that prescribed time for dedication and purification according to Jewish Law.  A man named Simeon was also in the Temple, The Holy Spirit having prompted him to go to the Temple that day. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen Jesus, God's anointed King, which was Simeon’s lifelong prayer, forever waiting and expecting the Messiah to come soon. And so when Mary and Joseph arrived to present the baby Jesus to the Lord in obedience to the law, The Spirit bore witness to Simeon that his prayer had been answered, and he greeted them, taking the child in his arms and began praising God. ‘Lord’ he said, I have seen him as you promised me I would. I have seen the Saviour you have given to the world. He is the Light that will shine upon the nations, and he will be the glory of your people Israel! now I can die in peace. (Luke 2:29) On that day this prophetic man Simeon took his place in entering the era of new hope and peace that had come upon all of humanity. </p> <p>Joseph and Mary stood there, marvelling at what was being said about Jesus. Then Simeon blessed them all and said to Mary about her blessed child; ‘This one is assigned for the fall and rise of many in Israel and as a sign that will be opposed and denied by multitudes in all the earth, so that the thoughts of their hearts might be revealed.  This momentous prophesy declares Jesus as the one who stands at the centre of the scales of every life, where we weigh the major decisions of our lives. This challenges us to either respond to or reject the truth of his virgin birth, his perfect life, his voluntary sacrificial death and his glorious resurrection. These truths are the challenges that provoke opposition and denial in the human heart, where all inner conflicts between light and darkness are deliberated and judged, bringing every human heart to account.  Jesus now stands in