阅读经文 

准父母要等大约九个月才能见到他们的新生宝宝。当孩子终于出生时，会有一种既放松又兴奋的感觉。九个月是一段漫长的等待期。

现在，想像一下，你正在等待一个将会给全地百姓带来救赎的婴孩的诞生。想像你年复一年地等待这个婴孩诞生的心情。当你终于能够亲眼看见这个孩子时，会有怎样的喜悦和欣慰。这就是西面的经历。

我们不知道西面等待了多长时间。但我们知道，他是一位“素常盼望以色列的安慰者”的老人。神的灵曾启示西面，“未死以前，必看见主所立的基督”。因此，我们一般认为他已经等待了很久。

于是有一天，圣灵感动西面，让他去圣殿里见这个孩子。想像一下，西面一定是很喜悦，很兴奋！他终于能亲眼看到拯救万民的弥赛亚了，他把孩子抱在怀里，称颂神！

“圣徒们当欢欣”是一首中世纪的德国民歌，它呼吁我们为基督的到来而欢欣。它呼唤我们“用心，用灵，用声音”唱出“世人从此蒙主宏恩”。因为“基督为此而生！”——是的，祂是“为拯救而生”！

Expecting parents wait about nine months for the arrival of their newborn baby. When the child finally comes, there is a sense of relief and excitement. Nine months is a long time to wait.

Now, imagine you are waiting for the birth of a baby that would bring salvation to people everywhere. Imagine waiting year after year for this baby to be born. Imagine the sense of joy and relief when you are finally able to set your eyes on this child. That was Simeon’s experience.

We do not know how long Simeon waited. But we do know that he was an old man "waiting for the consolation of Israel." The Spirit of God had revealed to Simeon "that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah." So we tend to assume he was waiting for a long time.

Then one day the Spirit moved Simeon to go and see this child at the temple. Imagine the joy and the excitement Simeon must have felt! At last he was able to see the Messiah who had come to save, and he took the child in his arms and gave praise to God.

"Good Christian Friends, Rejoice" is a medieval German folk song calling us to rejoice that Christ has come. It calls us to sing "with heart and soul and voice" that "we are blest forevermore." For "Jesus Christ was born to save!"—yes, he was "born to save!"