What makes a promise trustworthy? We spent some quality time exploring this question. The gravity of the promise has something to do with it. For instance, marriage vows/promises have more trust invested in them than does an “I’ll call you” from a casual acquaintance. Another factor is the character of the person giving the promise. A person with a nature of following through on his/her word is more likely to fulfill a promise than someone who is disorganized and forgetful about such things.

In our Gospel reading, we find Mary and Joseph bringing the Christ child to the temple 40 days after His birth. This was the ritual of purification for Mary, after childbirth, and the “redemption” of Jesus, as firstborn son. Arriving at the temple, they meet two very interesting prophets, Simeon and Anna. Both have lived long lives in service of our Lord. When Simeon sees Jesus, he gives thanks to God for fulfilling a promise that he would see “the consolation of Israel” (Jesus) before he died. Anna, married for seven years and then a widow until the age of 84, sees Jesus and begins praising God and telling everyone that the “redemption of Israel” has arrived. Mary and Joseph marvel at all these things.

Sometimes we pray fervently over a particular situation, and God answers as we had hoped. Sometimes people follow through on big promises. This pleases us greatly, and sometimes we marvel at the blessing. However, there are times that the blessing has sharp edges. Simeon tells Mary that “a sword will pierce your heart.” This is prophetic reference to her watching her son die a brutal death on the cross. Likewise, our fulfilled promises aren’t always all roses. The new job brings in needed income, but has troublesome aspects. We pray for new people in our organization, but when they come, they don’t value the things we value.

How do we deal with this? Recalling what things were like before the fulfillment of the promise is helpful. Another good exercise is to trust that God is “with us” through the circumstance. John Peterson did an excellent job of expounding upon this thought during the worship service. Immanuel means “God with us.” And this is what Jesus said even as He ascended into heaven: “Lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the age” (Matt 28:20). His promise to us is His presence with us. This promise is a daily advent of hope for us from a VERY reliable source. Amen.