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In today's devotional, Dr. Michael A. Youssef looks at the faithfulness of Simeon and how his trust in God gave him peace.This devotional is adapted from MY Journal, Leading The Way's monthly devotional magazine. Sign up now for a free six-month subscription to MY Journal—Dr. Youssef's gift to you.If you would like more insight into today's devotional topic, watch Dr. Michael A. Youssef's sermon The People Who Missed Christmas: WATCH NOWIf you enjoy listening to the MY Devotional podcast, would you consider partnering with us to proclaim the hope of Christ to a world in darkness by giving a year-end gift? This month, your gift will have double the impact through our December Gift Challenge! Leading The Way is reaching the lost and equipping the saints 24/7 through television, radio, online outreaches, discipleship resources, evangelistic events, Field Teams, and more. Dr. Youssef's Biblically-based messages are broadcast in 28 languages to audiences across six continents — passionately proclaiming uncompromising Truth worldwide.Join us!
Your Hope-Filled Perspective with Dr. Michelle Bengtson podcast
Episode Summary: Have you ever noticed that sometimes the waiting feels almost better than the having? A child counting down the days until Christmas morning… the thrill of planning a vacation… even the little rush when you hear your phone buzz with a new message. That’s anticipation at work. But what if I told you that the very chemical in your brain that makes anticipation so powerful was actually designed by God to teach us something about Advent? Today we’re going to talk about dopamine, anticipation, and the kind of holy hope that not only prepares us for Christmas, but points us to the greater joy of Christ’s return. As we step into this Advent season, I want to share something that’s been on my heart—how anticipation affects our brain chemistry, our spiritual lives, and even the way we approach hope. Specifically, I want us to consider the beautiful connection between anticipation, dopamine, and Advent hope. Quotables from the episode: Did you know your brain starts celebrating before the party even begins? That’s right—long before you open the gift, taste the dessert, or hug the loved one, your brain is already releasing dopamine, the chemical of anticipation. But here’s the deeper truth: God wired us that way on purpose. Advent is the season where science and faith collide, inviting us to see how holy anticipation points our hearts beyond the moment to the eternal. In this episode of Your Hope Filled Perspective, you’ll learn how your brain chemistry mirrors the biblical call to wait with joyful hope. Anticipation is the act of looking forward to something. It’s more than just waiting—it’s waiting with expectancy. It’s that feeling when you know something is coming, and you start to prepare for it in your heart, in your mind, and sometimes even in your body. Think about a child waiting for Christmas morning. They might count down the days, peek under the tree, maybe even have trouble falling asleep on Christmas Eve. That’s anticipation. Anticipation can be both positive and negative. We can anticipate a joyful event—like a wedding, the birth of a child, or a holiday gathering—or we can anticipate something difficult, like a doctor’s appointment or a hard conversation. But here’s the key: anticipation changes the way we think, feel, and behave, even before the actual event takes place. Now let’s bring in a bit of brain science. You’ve probably heard of dopamine. It’s often referred to as the “feel-good chemical,” but that’s not entirely accurate. Dopamine isn’t about pleasure itself—it’s about anticipation of pleasure. When our brains release dopamine, it motivates us to pursue something. It’s tied to the reward system in our brains. For example, when you anticipate a delicious meal, your brain releases dopamine—not when you’re eating the food, but when you think about eating it. Dopamine helps us focus, motivates us to take action, and gives us energy to pursue what we expect will be rewarding. Here’s an example: Have you ever noticed that planning a vacation can be almost as enjoyable as the vacation itself? That’s because anticipation—through dopamine—creates joy, motivation, and excitement. Now here’s where it gets interesting. When we lack healthy anticipation—when we don’t have things to look forward to—dopamine levels can drop, leading to discouragement, low motivation, and even depression. But God, in His wisdom, created us with this system of anticipation for a reason. He designed our brains to look forward, to seek reward, to long for something beyond the present moment. Advent is a season of holy anticipation. For centuries, Christians have marked the four weeks before Christmas as a time of preparation, reflection, and expectation. We look back and remember the long anticipation of Israel waiting for the promised Messiah. And we look forward in anticipation of Christ’s second coming. Advent teaches us not to rush through waiting but to savor it, to sit in it, to let it shape our hearts. In the same way dopamine motivates us to move toward something good, Advent hope motivates us to move toward God’s promises. Think about Simeon and Anna in Luke chapter 2. They spent their lives anticipating the Messiah. The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die before seeing the Lord’s Christ. Imagine the daily anticipation he must have lived with. And then one day, he held the baby Jesus in his arms and declared, “My eyes have seen your salvation.” That is the fulfillment of holy anticipation. And yet, we too live in anticipation. We celebrate Jesus’ birth, yes—but we also anticipate His return. That’s what Advent reminds us: we live between the “already” and the “not yet.” Jesus has come, and Jesus is coming again. Here’s the challenge. In our culture, anticipation often gets hijacked. We anticipate Amazon packages, text message replies, or the next social media notification. Those things give us little dopamine hits, but they don’t satisfy our souls. If we’re not careful, we can train our brains to anticipate the wrong things—things that don’t last, things that can’t fulfill us. But Advent invites us to retrain our anticipation. Instead of craving fleeting rewards, we can learn to anticipate eternal hope. So, let’s ask ourselves: What am I anticipating most right now? Is it something temporary, or is it something eternal? How can I align my anticipation with God’s promises? Romans 8:24–25 says, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” That’s the essence of anticipation: waiting with patience, grounded in hope. Let me suggest a few practical steps: Build rhythms of anticipation. Light an Advent candle each week. Read the Scriptures that point to Christ’s coming. These small practices create anticipation and remind your brain and your spirit of the greater hope to come. Practice gratitude in the waiting. Each time you feel anticipation rising—whether for a holiday gathering or even for your morning coffee—use it as a cue to thank God for something eternal. Gratitude shifts dopamine toward holy anticipation. Anchor your anticipation in God’s promises. Write down verses about Christ’s return. For example, John 14:3, where Jesus says, “I will come back and take you to be with me.” Let those promises fuel your waiting. Fast from empty anticipations. Maybe that means stepping back from constant scrolling or instant gratification. Fasting helps retrain our brains to anticipate what truly matters. Invite others into your anticipation. Just as Israel anticipated the Messiah together, we’re called to wait together. Share your Advent reflections with a friend or family member. Encourage one another with the hope of Christ’s return. When we put all this together, here’s what we see: Neuroscience shows us that anticipation releases dopamine, motivating us to move toward something good. Scripture shows us that God designed us to live in anticipation of His promises. Advent reminds us to direct our anticipation toward Christ—His birth, His presence in our lives today, and His return. When we align our brains’ natural anticipation system with God’s eternal hope, we experience deeper joy, stronger faith, and renewed strength to endure seasons of waiting. Friend, whatever you’re anticipating right now, I encourage you to lift it before the Lord. Maybe you’re anticipating something wonderful, or maybe you’re anticipating something hard. Either way, God meets us in our waiting. As we journey through Advent, let’s allow anticipation to become not a source of stress or distraction, but a holy reminder that our ultimate hope is in Christ. Would you pray with me? “Heavenly Father, thank You for designing our minds and our hearts to anticipate. Thank You for sending Jesus, the fulfillment of centuries of anticipation, and thank You for the promise that He will come again. Help us, Lord, to direct our anticipation toward what is eternal and true. Strengthen us in seasons of waiting and fill us with hope as we remember that You are faithful to every promise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” As you move through this Advent season, may you live with holy anticipation—not just for the joys of Christmas, but for the greater joy of Christ’s return. Scripture References: Romans 8:24–25 (NIV)“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” Recommended Resources: Sacred Scars: Resting in God’s Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner AWSA 2024 Golden Scroll Christian Living Book of the Year and the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Christian Living and Non-Fiction categories YouVersion 5-Day Devotional Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises from God to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, AWSA Member of the Year, winner of the AWSA 2023 Inspirational Gift Book of the Year Award, the 2024 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in the Devotional category, the 2023 Christian Literary Awards Reader’s Choice Award in four categories, and the Christian Literary Awards Henri Award for Devotionals YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 1 YouVersion Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day version 2 Revive & Thrive Women’s Online Conference Revive & Thrive Summit 2 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 1 Trusting God through Cancer Summit 2 Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the AWSA 2020 Best Christian Living Book First Place, the first place winner for the Best Christian Living Book, the 2020 Carolina Christian Writer’s Conference Contest winner for nonfiction, and winner of the 2021 Christian Literary Award’s Reader’s Choice Award in all four categories for which it was nominated (Non-Fiction Victorious Living, Christian Living Day By Day, Inspirational Breaking Free and Testimonial Justified by Grace categories.) YouVersion Bible Reading Plan for Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Breaking Anxiety’s Grip Free Study Guide Free PDF Resource: How to Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Henri and Reader’s Choice Award Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award Free Webinar: Help for When You’re Feeling Blue Social Media Links for Host: For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at: Order Book Sacred Scars / Order Book The Hem of His Garment / Order Book Today is Going to be a Good Day / Order Book Breaking Anxiety’s Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson) / LinkedIn / Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube / Podcast on Apple Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.
What if the whole of Advent could be summed up in one question: what are you seeking, and how precious is it to you? In Luke 2, we meet a chorus of seekers—shepherds, Simeon, Anna, the temple teachers, and even Mary and Joseph—each revealing a different way hearts move toward Jesus. We start with the shepherds, overlooked but chosen, who drop the lesser assignment to run toward the greater one. Joy meets them in a manger, reminding us that impact is measured by proximity to Christ, not platform. Then Simeon teaches us to see the end in the beginning, to bless a promise while it still looks like a baby. Anna shows how devotion rewires attention; when you make room for what's sacred, you recognize God in places others miss. The temple teachers demonstrate that honest questions can be a doorway to faith, and that knowledge must bow to encounter.Finally, Mary and Joseph offer a wake-up call: you can assume Jesus is with you and still walk on without Him. When routine replaces presence, even good work grows heavy. We talk about faithfulness in your field, recovering wonder in ordinary rhythms, and building practices that keep Jesus at the center of your calendar, your home, and your ministry. By the end, you'll have a clear lens for this Advent: hurry with clarity, wait with hope, seek with devotion, ask with courage, and turn back quickly when you realize you've moved on without Him.My hope is that this podcast helps grow your faith and equips you to accomplish your dreams and goals!Follow me on InstagramFollow me on FacebookFollow me on TikTok
In this Christmas message, we step into the story of Simeon and Anna—two faithful servants whose hope in God's promises turned decades of waiting into a life of worship, devotion, and joyful expectation. Their brief but powerful cameo reminds us that God often uses the overlooked and ordinary to reveal His extraordinary plan.
In Luke 2, Simeon prophesied that baby Jesus was destined for the fall and rising of many. Jesus is a very polarizing figure. He is the most divisive person in human history, attracting some and repelling others like a magnet. How will you respond to the person of Jesus today?
The Waiting Well - Infertility, Faith-based Encouragement, Trying to Conceive, Fertility
A short, powerful reminder from Simeon's story that God is working even when you're still waiting for a baby.
Gabe Hetherington shares the story of Simeon and Anna, who patiently waited for God to work in their lives, and how they responded to God in that season.
In this message, Pastor Andrew encourages believers to move beyond the commercialized hustle of the season and prioritize the true purpose of Christmas: focusing on the person of Christ. He distinguishes that while the holiday may be cultural, the miracle is biblical, reminding listeners that this is a powerful season to receive the miracle they need. The essential focus is the "spirit in Christmas," emphasizing that the Holy Spirit initiated the miracle of Jesus's birth, causing the Holy One to be born and called the Son of God, as the power of the Highest overshadowed Mary (Luke 1:35). The Holy Spirit also reveals who Jesus truly is, moving the devout Simeon to recognize the child as the Lord's Christ and the salvation prepared for all people (Luke 2:25-30). Ultimately, the Spirit's work makes it possible for us to be reunited to God the Father and be transformed from slaves into sons and heirs of God through Christ (Galatians 4:6-7). This Christmas season, we are challenged to seek "more Christ" and ensure that our hearts reflect the light and glory of the Savior of the world.
Luke 2:25-32Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”
In this message from the When God Moves In series, Will Warren takes us to Luke 2 and the moment Simeon finally sees the Messiah he had spent a lifetime waiting for. Will reminds us that Jesus is the arrival of real, lasting hope — the kind that strengthens us in waiting, steadies us in uncertainty, and reveals the perfection of God's timing. When Christ entered the world, hope didn't just grow…it showed up in person.
FBC Missions Document: Why: Missions is the church's God-glorifying, Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered task of making disciples and planting churches among all the peoples of the earth. Psalm 67:1-7 God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah. 2 That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. 5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 6 Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. 7 God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. Revelation 5:9 9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” John Piper: Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions. It's the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white hot enjoyment of God's glory. How: Missions at FBC is accomplished through sharing the gospel, supporting disciple-making, supplicating in prayer, supplying needs, and sending commissioned pastors and missionaries. Sharing the gospel. 2 Cor. 5:19-21 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Mt. 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Supporting Disciple-Making. Acts 15:36 36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Acts 14:21-22 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God I Thes. 3:1-10 Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith,… 5 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain. 6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— 7 for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10 as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? Acts 28:11-15 11 After three months we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the Twin Brothers, which had wintered at the island. 12 And landing at Syracuse, we stayed three days. 13 From there we circled round and reached Rhegium. And after one day the south wind blew; and the next day we came to Puteoli, 14 where we found brethren, and were invited to stay with them seven days. And so we went toward Rome. 15 And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. 2 Tim. 1:15-18 15 This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. 16 The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; 17 but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. 18 The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day—and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus. Supplicating in Prayer. Luke 11:2 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Eph. 6:18-20 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Supplying Resources. 2 Cor. 9:5-10 10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 3 John v. 5 5 Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, 6 who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. 7 For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. 8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. Phil. 4:14 14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. 18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Sending Commissioned Pastors and Missionaries. Rom. 15: 19-21 so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, 21 but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” Acts 13:1-3 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
In The Waiting: Simeon. Lukeb2:25-35 by Beersheba Church
What are you dreaming of this Christmas? Most believers are not worldly, and we know the reason for this season, are you one of these believers? Praise The Lord! Simeon was a believer just like you who was dreaming of a White Christmas, the promised Messiah who would come and make us white as snow. He was dreaming and hoping in this promise of God, and this beautiful dream and promise was revealed in Jesus as Simeon held The Christ Child in his arms. Today He is not a Child, but the Christ who is knocking on the door of our hearts, to make all of His promises a reality. What are you dreaming of this Christmas? Are you holding on to Christ The Savior? I'm dreaming of a Christmas where the reality of our sins being washed clean shines brighter than snow.Stay tuned, this reality is coming your way.
In this episode, Shanda is joined by author Cynthia Ruchti to explore a part of the Christmas story we often overlook: the Holy Spirit's presence and power throughout the Advent narrative. From the Spirit's overshadowing of Mary to the prophetic words of Elizabeth, Zechariah, and Simeon, Cynthia helps us see that Christmas is not just about a baby in a manger—but about the Spirit preparing hearts to recognize the Savior. If you want to experience the true Spirit of Christmas, this conversation will deepen your wonder and your worship. Get The Spirit of Christmas by Cynthia Ruchti Find Shanda www.shandafulbright.com Instagram & Facebook: @shandafulbright Email: hello@shandafulbright.com Free Resources: https://shandafulbright.com/links YouTube: http://bit.ly/ShandaYT2021 Store: www.Shandafulbright.com/shop
Live from the Morgan Stanley Global Consumer & Retail Conference, our analysts discuss how AI is reshaping the future of shopping in the U.S.Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Michelle Weaver: Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. We're coming to you live from Morgan Stanley's Global Consumer and Retail Conference in New York City, where we have more than 120 leading companies in attendance. Today's episode is the second part of our live discussion of the U.S. consumer and how AI is changing consumer companies. With me on stage, we have Arunima Sinha from the Global and U.S. Economics team, Simeon Guttman, our U.S. Hardlines, Broad Lines, and Food Retail Analyst, and Megan Clap, U.S. Food Producers and Leisure Analyst. It's Friday, December 5th at 10am in New York. So, Simeon, I want to start with you. You recently put out a piece assessing the AI race. Can you take us through how you're assessing current AI implementation? And can you give us some real-world examples of what it looks like when a company significantly integrates AI into their business? Simeon Gutman: Sure. So, the Consumer Discretionary and Staples teams went to each of their covered companies, and we started searching for what those companies have disclosed and communicated regarding their AI. In some cases, we used AI to do this search. But we created a search and created this universe of factors and different ways AI is being implemented. We didn't have a framework until we had the entire universe of all of these AI use cases. Once we did, then we were able to compartmentalize them. And the different groups; we came up with six groups that we were able to cluster. First, personalization and refined search; second, customer acquisition; third product innovation; fourth, labor productivity; fifth, supply chain and logistics. And lastly, inventory management. And using that framework, we were able to rank companies on a 1 to 10 scale. Across – that was the implementation part – across three different dimensions: breadth, how widely the AI is deployed across those categories; the depth, the quality, which we did our best to be able to interpret. And then the last one was proprietary initiatives. So, that's partnerships, could be with leading AI firms. So that helped us differentiate the leaders with others, not necessarily laggards, but those who were ahead of in the race. In some cases, companies that have communicated more would naturally scream more, so there is some potential bias in that. But otherwise, the fact pattern was objective. Walmart has full scale AI deployment. They're integrated across their business. They've introduced GenAI tools. That's like their Sparky shopping assistant. As well as integrated to in-store features. They talked about it. It's been driving a 25 percent increase in average shopper spend. They've recently partnered with OpenAI to enable ChatGPT powered Search and Checkout, positioning where the company, where the customer is shopping. They're also layering on augmented reality for holiday shopping, computer vision for shelf monitoring. LLMs for inventory replenishment. Autonomous lifts, the list goes on and on. But it covers all the functional categories in our framework. Michelle Weaver: And how about a couple examples of the ways companies are using these? Any interesting real world use cases you've seen so far? Simeon Gutman: So, one of them was in marketing personalization, as well as in product cataloging. That was one of the more sided themes at this conference. So, it was good timing. So, the idea is when product is staged on a company's website; I don't think we all appreciate how much time and many hours and people and resources it takes to get the correct information, to get the right pictures and to show all the assortment – those type of functions AI is helping enable. And it sounds like we're on the cusp of a step change in personalization. It sounds like AI, machine learning or algorithm driven suggestions to consumers. We didn't get practical use cases, but a lot of companies talked about the deployment of this into 2026, which sounds like it's something to look forward to. Michelle Weaver: And Megan, how would you describe AI adoption in your space in terms of innings and what kind of criteria are you using to assess the future for AI opportunity and potential? Megan Clapp: Yeah, I would say; I'd characterize adoption in the Food and broader Staples space today is still relatively early innings. I think most companies are still standing up the data infrastructure, experimenting with various tools. We're seeing companies pilot early use cases and start to talk about them, and that was evident in the work we did with the note that Simeon just talked about. And so, the opportunity, I think, going ahead, lies in kind of what we see in terms of scaling those pilots to become more impactful. And for Staples broadly, and Food, you know, ties into this. I think, these companies start with an advantage and that they sit on a tremendous amount of high frequency consumption data. So, the data availability is quite large. The question now is, you know, can these large organizations move with speed and translate that data into action? And that's something that we're focused on when we think about feasibility. I think we think about the opportunity for Food and Staples broadly as we'd put it into kind of two areas. One is what can they do on the top line? Marketing, innovation, R&D, kind of the lifeblood of CPG companies, and that's where we're seeing a lot of the early use cases. I think ultimately that will be the most important driver – driving top line, you know, tends to be the most important thing in most consumer companies. But then on the other side, there are a lot of cost efforts, supply chain savings, labor productivity. Those are honestly a bit easier to quantify. And we're seeing real tangible things come out of that. But overall I think the way we think about it is the large companies with scale and the ability to go after the opportunity because they have the scale and the balance sheet to do so – will be winners here, as well as the smaller, more nimble companies that, you know, can move a little bit faster. And so that's how we're thinking about the opportunity. Michelle Weaver: Can you give us also just a couple examples of AI adoption that's been successful that you've seen so far? Megan Clapp: Yeah, so on the top line side, like I said, kind of marketing innovation, R&D. One quick example on the Food side. Hershey, for example, they're using algorithms to reallocate advertising spend by zip code, based on the real time sell through. So, they can just be much more targeted and more efficient, honestly, with that advertising spend. I think from an innovation perspective too, these companies are able to identify on trend things faster and incorporate that and take the idea to shelf time down significantly. And then on the cost side, you know, General Mills is a company is actually relatively, far ahead, I'd say, in the AI adoption curve in Staples broadly. And what they've done is deployed what they call digital twins across their network, and it has improved forecast accuracy. They've taken their historical productivity savings from 4 percent annually to 5 percent. That's something that's structural. So, seeing real tangible benefits that are showing up in the PNL. And so, I think broadly the theme is these companies are using AI to make faster, and more precise decisions. And then I thought, I'd just mention on the leisure side, something that I felt was interesting that we learned from Shark Ninja yesterday at the conference is – when asked about the role of Agentic AI in future commerce, thinks it'll be huge was how he described; the CEO described it. And what they're doing actively right now is optimizing their D2C website for LLMs like ChatGPT and Gemini. And his point was that what drives conversion on D2C today may not ultimately be what ranks on AI driven search. But he said the expectation is that by Christmas of next year, commerce via these AI platforms will be meaningful; mentioned that OpenAI is already experimenting with curated product transactions. So, they're really focused on optimizing their portfolio. He thinks brands will win; but you have got to get ahead of it as well. Michelle Weaver: And that's great that you just brought up Agentic commerce. We've heard about it quite a bit over the past couple of days, Simeon. And I know you recently put out a big piece on this theme. Agentic commerce introduces a lot of possibility for incremental sales, but it also introduces the possibility for cannibalization. Where do you see this shaking out in your space? Are you really concerned about that cannibalization possibility? Simeon Gutman: Yeah, so the larger debate is a little bit of sales cannibalization and a potential bit of retail media cannibalization. So, your first point is Agentic theoretically opens up a bigger e-commerce penetration and just more commerce. And once you go to more e-commerce, that could be beneficial for some of these companies. We can also put the counter argument of when e-commerce came, direct-to-consumer type of selling could disintermediate the captive retailer sales again. Maybe, maybe not. Part of this answer is we created a framework to think about what retailers can protect themselves most from this. Two of them; two of the five I's are infrastructure and inventory. So, the more that your inventory is forward position, the more infrastructure you have; the AI and the agent will still prioritize that retailer within that network. That business will likely not go elsewhere. And that's our premise. Now, retail media is a different can of worms. We don't know what models are going to look like. How this interaction will take place? We don't know who controls the data. The transactions part of this conference is we were hearing, ‘Well, the retailers are going to control some of the data and the transaction.' Will consumers feel comfortable giving personal information, credit card to agents? I'm sure at some point we'll feel comfortable, but there are these inertia points and these are models that are getting worked out today. There's incentives for the hyperscalers to be part of this. There's incentive for the retailers to be part of it. But we ultimately don't know. What we do know is though forward position inventory is still going to win that agent's business if you need to get merchandise quickly, efficiently. And if it's a lot of merchandise at once. Think about the largest platforms that have been investing in long tail of product and speed to getting it to that consumer. Michelle Weaver: And Arunima, I want to bring this back to the macro as well. As AI adoption starts to ramp the labor market then starts to get called into question. Is this going to be automation or is it going to be augmentation as you see a ramp in AI adoption? So how are your expectations for AI being factored into your forecast and what are you expecting there? Arunima Sinha: There are two ways that we think about just sort of AI spending mattering for our growth forecasts. One part is literally the spend, the investment in the data centers and the chips and so on. And then the other is just the rise in productivity. So, does the labor or does the human capital become more productive? And if we sum both of those things together, we think that over 2026 – [20]27, they add anywhere between 40-45 basis points to growth. And just to put things in perspective, our GDP growth estimate for the end of this year in 2026 is 1.8 percent. For 2027, it's 2.0 percent. So, it's an important part of that process. In terms of the labor market itself, the work that you have led, as well as the work that we've been doing – which is this question about adoption at the macro level, that's still fairly low. We look at the census data that tracks larger companies or mid-size companies on a monthly basis to say, ‘How much did you use AI tools in the last couple of weeks.' And that's been slowly increasing, but it's still sort of in the mid-teens in terms of how many companies have been using as a percentage. And so, we think that adoption should continue to increase. And as that does, for now, we think it is going to be a compliment to labor. Although there are some cohorts within sort of demographic cohorts in terms of ages that are probably going to be disproportionately impacted, but we don't think that that's a sort of near term 2026 story. Michelle Weaver: Well, thank you all for joining us and please follow Thoughts on the Market wherever you listen to podcasts. Thank you to our panel participants for this engaging discussion and to our live and podcast audiences. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy Thoughts on the Market, please leave us a review wherever you listen and share the podcast with a friend or colleague today.
One Big Happy Family E. 19 Special Gust: Jake Hall and Jack Keller Story of Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:25-28) Top 5 Favorite Bible Books
Live from the Morgan Stanley Global Consumer & Retail Conference in New York, our analysts discuss the latest macro trends and pressures impacting the U.S. consumer.Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Michelle Weaver: Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. We're coming to you live from Morgan Stanley's Global Consumer and Retail Conference in New York City, where we have more than 120 leading companies in attendance. Today's episode is the first in a two-part special focused on the consumer where we'll focus on the K economy and the health of the U.S. Consumer. Tomorrow for the next episode, we'll turn our attention to AI. My colleagues and I are eager to dig into this discussion. With me on stage, we have Arunima Sinha from the Global and U.S. Economics team, Simeon Guttman, our U.S. Hardlines, Broad Lines, and Food Retail Analyst, and Megan Clap, U.S. Food Producers and Leisure Analyst.It's Thursday, December 4th at 10:00 AM in New York. So, to start, I want to go through the health of the consumer. That's of course been a theme that's been on display at the conference today. And 2025 has really been a year of mixed signals. But overall spending has held up while inflation has weighed on confidence, especially among lower- and middle-income households. Arunima, I want to start with you on the macro front as we head into year end. How would you describe the overall state of the consumer? What are you expecting in terms of real wage growth and spending? Arunima Sinha: If we'll just look at the rearview mirror in terms of Q1 through Q3, this year spending growth on a real basis has been holding up. So, in the first half of this year, about 1.5 percent on average. For the third quarter, given the data that we do now have in hand, we're tracking about 3 percent, quarter-on-quarter, on a real basis. But I think it is important to emphasize that this is already a step down than the numbers that we were seeing last year. So, in 2024 on these Q-on-Q numbers, we were running somewhere between 3.9-4 percent. So there already has been some slowdown. The recurring theme that we've had this year is how are the drivers of consumption going to weigh on different cohorts? And so, how is the labor market going away and how are wealth effects going to play out? And that, sort of, tied in squarely with the narrative that we've been emphasizing this whole year, which is that for the upper income cohorts, those net wealth effects have been very, very supportive. $50 trillion in net wealth that's been created just over the last three years. And that has continued for this year as well. And so, meanwhile the labor market has downshifted and that's had a read through into both just nominal wage growth as well as real wage growth. So, for example, on a three-month, three-month basis, that real wage growth, after we've adjusted for the nominal for inflation, has slowed down essentially to stall speed. It used to run, somewhere between 2-2.5 percent, in the first part of this year. And that we think is going to have a read through as we go into this upcoming quarter of Q4, as well as in the first quarter of next year. So just this lagged effect from the slowdown on labor market income is going to weigh; continue to weigh on the middle-income and sort of the upper-, lower- part of the income cohort. So, in terms of our growth forecasts for spending, over this quarter in Q4 and over next quarter in Q1, we are expecting about 1 percent real growth for consumption. That is a two-percentage point step down from where we were in Q3. And then just in terms of disposable income, we're also thinking this particular quarter in Q4 is going to be fairly weak. Michelle Weaver: You spoke a little bit about the different income cohorts there, but I want to double click on that. The K economy has been a really persistent theme as higher income households have benefited from strong market returns. But higher price levels have weighed on lower-income households. What are your expectations for the high versus low-income consumer next year? Arunima Sinha: So next year, we do think that there could be some broadening out in consumption growth. Just overall we have a sequential step up in growth that begins to take place, starting in the second quarter of [20]26. So, we have consumption growth that starts to slowly inch up from about just under 1 percent in the first quarter of [20]26 – all the way up to about 2 percent by the end of the year. What that's going to be driven by, we think that there are going to be some lessening of pressures on the middle-income cohorts. And where is that going to come from? It's going to come from perhaps a still moderate labor market. So, we're not – we don't think we're going to be seeing these big 100,000-150,000 plus jobs being added every month. We're thinking maybe about 60,000 on average per month, for most of next year. But just less policy uncertainty, some boost from the fiscal bill, the fact that monetary policy is going to be heading towards neutral. All of those things should be supportive. Given that the upper-income didn't really slow down this year, we'd also don't think there's going to be a giant acceleration next year. And so, some of that uptick in consumption growth, we think could actually come from the middle-income. And we also think that some of those tariff pressures on inflation are going to start to dissipate after peaking in the first quarter next year. Michelle Weaver: And Simeon, I want to bring the company side into the conversation. What's the early read you've gotten on Black Friday? Expectations into the shopping season were pretty weak. Do you think things could turn out to be better than feared? And are you seeing any differences by income cohort there? Simeon Gutman: The overall take is, it's mixed – to maybe slightly a little worse. I'll answer it in a few different ways. First, the old-fashioned tire kicking that the retail analysts have done during the holiday season. In our hard line, broad line, food retail space mixed to slightly a little worse. In Alex Straton's softline world sounded a little bit better. And then if we combine the takeaways that we've had from companies, at least who presented yesterday, Walmart, Target and some other category killer retailers, it sounded about inline. Underlying trend is relatively stable.I sat on a panel earlier today, with a data aggregator who suggested that the holiday was a little underwhelming. What we don't see; and the underwhelming being at a minus 2 percent run rate for the – I guess, the November to date period, that doesn't include Cyber Monday. What this doesn't account for is the market share shifts. So, one of the ongoing themes across the entire retail landscape has been this big, getting bigger – we say it a lot – but the narrowing funnel of market share. So, the inline updates are probably coming from some of the largest companies, even if the overall holiday was a little underwhelming. Now inline is not anything to write home about. It's harder to get to an inline holiday if you started out below. So inline's okay but not gangbusters. That's probably the right way to characterize it. Michelle Weaver: Megan, same question to you. How is holiday shopping tracking in your space? Have you learned anything surprising about holiday during the conference? Megan Clap: Yeah, I would agree with Simeon relatively inline. I'd say kind of so far so good is what we heard from companies at the conference. We had both Mattel and Shark Ninja product companies that sell into many of the larger retailers that are winning that – that Simeon talked about.Holiday matters a lot for both of them. So, we're still many weeks ahead of us in terms of POS, but Mattel talked about positive POS continuing through the Black Friday season. They left their guidance unchanged today. They're seeing replenishment from their retailers and orders in line with expectations, which was a question just given some of the uncertainty in the landscape. Shark Ninja sells small appliances. They spoke to a strong Black Friday – again, seeing the fourth quarter and holiday play out in line with their expectations. Maybe a couple themes that stood out and one of them was particularly interesting to me. You talked about the K economy, I think, you know, it was very clear the higher end consumer continues to spend and outperform. Value and innovation continue to be things that consumers are looking for. Online seem to do better than in stores. That's what we heard from a lot of companies coming out of last week. And then newer channels like TikTok Shop are coming into the mix and, and brands are seeing, you know, strong growth from those channels as well. Michelle Weaver: And Arunima, I want to wrap this section on Fed policy. How do you expect Fed policy in 2026 to influence consumer spending and recovery, especially for those middle- and lower-income households? Arunima Sinha: We still have the Fed on an easing path into the first half of 2026. So we think 75 basis points and additional policy cuts into next year. But that more or less just takes monetary policy to some estimate of neutral. So, the point is that it's not monetary policy's becoming easier, it is simply just getting too neutral. And so, if we think about the most interest sensitive types of consumption, it's going to come from Housing and it's going to come from Durables. And what our housing strategists are thinking is that given this sort of front end of the curve, our tenure forecast for the middle of next year is still at about 3.75. And so, mortgage rates could dip below 6 percent. So, it's not the front end of the curve. It is that sort of belly of the curve there that's important there. And so there could be some pickup in housing that's going to be important. I think for the middle-income consumer affordability, we think it's still going to be an important concern for housing, but perhaps the middle-income could benefit from some of those lower mortgage rates that are going to come in. Michelle Weaver: Arunima, Simeon, and Megan, thanks for all your insights. And to our live and podcast audiences, thanks for listening. If you enjoy Thoughts on the Market, please leave us a review wherever you listen to the show and share the podcast with a friend or colleague today.
Simeon, an ordinary man, was anointed by God and given prophetic words about Jesus… just 8 days after He was born! Find out what his message meant for Mary… and for us.
Preachers Talk - A podcast by 9Marks & The Charles Simeon Trust
Where did the Simeon Trust come from? Why does it exist? Where is it headed? Listen in as Dave, Ed, and Jeremy reminisce and thank God together for what he has done.We'd love to hear from you! Let us know what topics you'd like us to cover on the podcast—send your ideas to feedback@preacherstalk.org. We'll select one person to receive a bundle of preaching resources from 9Marks and Simeon Trust.
In this message, Pastor Neal Nolan is speaking a message during our midweek service entitled "Simeon's Spirit-Filled Hope". This sermon was recorded on December 3rd, 2025 at our main campus in Florence, SC Support the show
Simeon was an ordinary man who had the extraordinary privilege of holding Jesus in his arms... eight days after he was born. Hear his testimony and discover what he said about the Son of God, as Pastor Colin delivers a first-person message from Simeon.
Happy Tuesday! Topics today include giving Tuesday, praying through Luke 2, the sovereignty of God, the most repeated command in the Bible, the promise of peace to every believer, sharing of the good news like the shepherds, accomplishing the will of God according to the Word of God like Joseph and Mary, being filled with the Holy Spirit like Simeon, staying faithful through the years like Anna and more. The Faith Music christmas concert is this Saturday! Get your tickets for Faith Music Christmas here! Janice's books What Do I Have to Lose? Books 1 and 2 are available NOW!! The complete set is just $25. Check it out at FaithMusicRadio.com. >> Also, featuring A Word of Encouragement with Vicky Mutchler, CW Today with Loretta Walker and The Teacher's Key with Cathy Sandiford. Be sure to subscribe to this podcast and please share this podcast with your friends so we may be an encouragement to them through the music and programming on Faith Music Radio. Music is brought to you by Faith Music Missions. Learn more here >>> https://www.faithmusicmissions.org Eleven2One Facebook Eleven2One on Instagram Faith Music Radio is a listener supported Christian station.
What does it mean to wait with hope? Gemma Ryan explores the story of Simeon—a man who waited decades for the Messiah—and invites us into three transformative questions: What are you waiting for? Who are you becoming as you wait? And what is sustaining you in the waiting? She shows us how waiting isn't passive but active, and how our seasons of in-between can become the very places where God refines and transforms us.Key Scripture Passages: Luke 2v1-7, 22-35; Psalm 130; Isaiah 40; Galatians 4v4This podcast and its episodes are paid for by The Circle, our community of monthly givers. Special thanks for this episode goes to: Kathleen from Dallas, Texas; Shailaja from Cranbury, New Jersey; Edward from Pacific Palisades, California; Jeremy from Shoreview, Minnesota; and David from Hove, East Sussex. Thank you all so much!If you'd like to pay it forward and contribute toward future resources, you can learn more at practicingtheway.org/give.
As we journey toward Christmas, we're reflecting on the stories of who Jesus is. This week, we go to Luke 2 for Simeon's account of meeting the Lord's Messiah and the hope found in Him. Together, we ask the question: Do You Know Him? So settle in and let your heart lean towards our King.Let's tune in and listen.Connect with us: @ascentchurchvaConnect with our Lead Pastor: @pastor.tlaneIf you've just made a decision for Christ, we'd love to celebrate with you. Please connect with us through our A-Card here: https://www.liinks.co/ascentchurch
He was a Galilean of the tribe of Simeon. The Old Testament book that bears his name foretells the destruction of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, by the Medes, and the restoration of the Kingdom of Judah; all of this came to pass. Nahum is counted as the seventh of the Minor Prophets. He reposed in peace. His name means 'consolation' or 'repose.' Five of the Prophets (Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, and Daniel) are commemorated in December. At one time a Feast of the Twelve Prophets was celebrated on December 4 at the Church of the Resurrection, but this feast is no longer on the calendar. The days leading up to Christ's Nativity contain many commemorations of the faithful remnant of Israel, all of whose hopes were fulfilled in the birth of the Messiah.
He was a Galilean of the tribe of Simeon. The Old Testament book that bears his name foretells the destruction of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, by the Medes, and the restoration of the Kingdom of Judah; all of this came to pass. Nahum is counted as the seventh of the Minor Prophets. He reposed in peace. His name means 'consolation' or 'repose.' Five of the Prophets (Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, and Daniel) are commemorated in December. At one time a Feast of the Twelve Prophets was celebrated on December 4 at the Church of the Resurrection, but this feast is no longer on the calendar. The days leading up to Christ's Nativity contain many commemorations of the faithful remnant of Israel, all of whose hopes were fulfilled in the birth of the Messiah.
Join us as we look at the different people who make up the Christmas story, how God used them, and how we can apply their stories to our lives.
We hope you are inspired and fulfilled by this week's message from Pastor Neil Hopper. https://www.instagram.com/cedarlake_cc/
God's presence comes in many ways—through praise, through longing, and through God's grace—and it reaches all people, regardless of status or background. From Mary's song of worship to the shepherds' encounter, and from Simeon and Anna's patient waiting to the magi's journey of grace, Christmas reveals God drawing near. This series explores how Jesus makes His presence known to each of us today.Part 1Mary responds to God's work in her life with praise, recognizing His faithfulness and mercy. Her song shows how worship draws our hearts into God's presence. Praise opens our eyes to what God is doing around us.Check out thisisfoundry.com for more information about Foundry Church!Follow @thisisfoundry on social media for updates.
In this episode we examine Luke 1–2 to show that the true Spirit of Christmas is worship — an inward, Godward response as seen in Mary, Elizabeth, Zacharias, the angels, the shepherds, Simeon, and Anna. We contrast superficial holiday rituals with heartfelt praise, and this highlights Mary's recognition that this child was her Savior, and points listeners to Christ as Savior who brings peace and redemption. (Remastered).
Jesus is born. Wonder, peace and joy accompany. Mom and dad present their first born son as a servant to the Lord, a dedication of sorts at the temple. A sacrifice. What we see is generosity is a sacrifice. Then we meet some seekers. Simeon and Ana, and they see with their own eyes what they had been searching for their whole lives. A lifetime of seeking. What we also see is what you seek sets the course of your life.
When we think about reading Luke 2, our thoughts naturally turn to the story of Jesus' birth. But what follows is the account of a man named Simeon, a man who marveled at the sight of Jesus because he knew that at last, salvation had come. In this week's message, Pastor John takes us through Simeon's story, showing us what we all should marvel at: the wonder of Jesus.
Post-Thanksgiving vibes in the bomb shelter! Dan and Frank swap holiday stories (Easton–P'burg memories and a new family baby on the way), then crank up the Hot Stove: the Mets' infield shuffle (Simeon for Nimmo talk), what it could mean for Tucker/Bellinger/Realmuto targets, plus the Phillies' quiet start.College football hits Rivalry Week: Texas–A&M, conference title games on deck, and who's really got a path in the new 12-team playoff.Then a full NFL Week 12 whiparound:Chiefs 23, Colts 20 (OT): KC escapes to keep the playoff door cracked.Bears 31, Steelers 28: Chicago steals one; NFC North stays spicy.Patriots 26, Bengals 20: Drake May keeps stacking wins.Ravens 23, Jets 10; Seahawks 27, Titans 24; Packers 27, Vikings 13Lions 34, Giants 27: Jamir Gibbs goes video-game mode late.Jaguars 27, Cardinals 24; Browns 24, Raiders 10; Falcons 24, Saints 10Rams 34, Bucs 7: LA looks hotter by the week.49ers 20, Panthers 9: Turnovers galore, CMC cleans it up.Cowboys 24, Eagles 21: Down 21–0, Dallas storms back—Pickens shines, Dak cooks.Plus: pick standings, lone-wolf chaos, and the Survivor Pool down to three (could this be the week it ends?).Special Thanks to:Fox Brothers Alarms - https://foxbrothersalarms.com First Baptist church of Phillipsburg NJ http://www.fbcpburg.org/
This Sunday marks the beginning of the Advent season, a time of anticipation, reflection, and preparation as we remember Christ's first coming and look forward to His return. Our sermon will focus on the theme of hope - not wishful thinking, but the confident expectation of God's promises fulfilled. We'll explore the story of Simeon, the righteous man in Luke 2 who waited patiently for the Messiah and finally saw God's salvation with his own eyes. His example reminds us that hope is active, shaping how we live and respond to the world around us. We'll also see how hope transforms our daily lives, whether in our marriages, work, parenting, and friendships. Just as Simeon's hope brought clarity and joy in the ordinary moment of seeing a baby in the temple, the hope we have in Christ gives us strength, perspective, and courage in the challenges we face every day. We'll look at biblical examples, like the woman at Bethany who poured costly perfume on Jesus, and modern examples of faith lived with hope, to see how this assurance in God changes everything. Finally, we'll consider how this hope is more than a feeling. It is an anchor for our souls, firm and secure. Through Scripture, we'll reflect on God's promises, the gift of the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance, and the assurance that the best is yet to come. My prayer is that each of us will leave this Sunday renewed in hope, confident in Christ's presence in our lives, and inspired to live in light of the great salvation God has promised.
Join us for the inaugural sermon of our 2025 Advent teaching series, "Advent in the Psalms." This week, pastor Matthew teaches about Hope through the life of Simeon and Anna in Luke 2.
This week Pastor Brent walks through the story of Simeon and Anna to show how Jesus brings the gift of true, confident hope. Their expectant faith points us to the promises of God we can trust today—promises fulfilled in Christ and anchored in His love, truth, and faithfulness.
Do You See What I See (What Simeon Saw) - Pastor Brent Ingersoll
Christmas is coming! That news may conjure mixed emotions for many of us as adults, but for the original hearers it was overwhelmingly wonderful news. When joy erupts in our lives that strongly, it often spills out of us in other ways. (There's a reason stores and radio stations start playing certain songs.) Repeatedly in the Gospel of Luke, the response was spontaneous songs of joy - from Zechariah, Mary, the angels and even Simeon. For the next four weeks, as we prepare to celebrate the Incarnation, we're going to reflect on the joy that led them to erupt in hymns of joy and deliverance. We begin this week with the Benedictus: "The Songs of Advent: Zechariah" (Luke 1:67-80).
Join us as we continue our Advent reflection series Introduction. In this second reflection, Dan looks at Simeon and the “peace of recognition”—the kind of peace that comes not from circumstances resolving, but from seeing Christ in the middle of our lostness. A full description of the episode with detailed information. Episode Note A formatted description of this episode, supported by Apple Podcasts. Other podcasting platforms may display this description differently. Episode Type Full (default) A complete episode. Season Number Apple Podcasts only displays season numbers for podcasts with more than one season. Episode Number An episode number. This sets the recommended order for your podcast episodes. Episode Duration (hh:mm:ss) The duration of this episode. Explicit Content This episode contains explicit content. Podcast Analytics URL To track analytics for this episode using a third-party service, enter its URL. Learn more.
The season of Advent makes us contend with waiting. In our struggle, hope gives shape to our waiting and keeps us from giving up. Using the story of Simeon found in Luke 2:25-32, Pastor Jordan Kologe looks at waiting in four movements—what are we waiting for? how do we wait? why can we wait? and the end of waiting. To watch the video referenced in this sermon, please visit bibleproject.com.
Power UpLuke 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28 then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, According to thy word: 30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,, King James VersionIn this episode, we are seeking the Lord on behalf of several right now issues that we are facing on this earth. We are praying for our children, our parents, our loved ones that are suffering with sicknesses, and we are lifting up our leaders. Thank you for being a supporter of this podcast as I grow and learn things will become more like previous episodes, but I do not want to delay the podcast while I learn how to use the new format. Thank you for all of your support. Thank you for your shares. Thank you for joining your faith with my faith so that we can see God move upon the face of the earth if you have a prayer request, you can text 843-790-4229 or submit it by email to seeingwithoutseeing2020@gmail.com. Please put prayer request in the subject line. That email address can be used on Zelle and PayPal. If you desire to sow a seed, you can do that also on cash app at $seeingwithoutseeing. Thank you once again for your support please share this and believe God with us as we seek God.
Thank you for joining for worship at Meadowbrook.If you are joining via Facebook or YouTube and experiencing any difficulties, consider joining us at https://www.meadowbrookbc.org/live. We also have channels available on the Meadowbrook App as well as Apple and Roku.
Thank you for joining for worship at Meadowbrook.If you are joining via Facebook or YouTube and experiencing any difficulties, consider joining us at https://www.meadowbrookbc.org/live. We also have channels available on the Meadowbrook App as well as Apple and Roku.
Sunday Morning, November 30, 2025Hope - Jesus coming into the world brings HOPE for ChristmasSimeon Speaks ... Luke 2:21-35A message delivered by Richard Fleming
Pastor Chris Winans begins a new sermon series for the Advent season of 2025 called “From Promise to Praise”. This week he discusses Simeon from book of Luke, chapter 2 verses 25 to 35, and how God's promise to Simeon to meet the Messiah was faithful.www.cornerstonebrighton.com
Faith Food Fellowship | Self-care Strategies for Busy Christian Women
Get The Gift of Christ Advent Calendar DevotionalTwo men saw Jesus face-to-face, but only one walked away fulfilled. Why? And what does that reveal about your hope this Advent? In this episode, you'll discover the hidden difference between Simeon and Herod and how their responses to Jesus expose the real reason your hope sometimes feels heavy, disappointing, or spiritually dry. If you've been feeling overwhelmed, longing for closeness with God, or trying to reclaim the Hope of Advent, this episode will help you shift from self-centered desire to God-centered trust, so you can experience the fulfillment your heart craves this Christmas season.Scriptures ReferencedLuke 2:25 -35Luke 23:6-12Want to savor more goodness in your busy life? You're in the right place!Connect with like-minded women: If you're ready to find balance and peace, come together with women who understand the beauty of living a multifaceted life. Join the community!Step into a calmer holiday rhythm: The Calm Christmas Workshop gives you space to pause, reflect, and shape the kind of Christmas you actually want to experience; Christ-centered, joy-filled, and free of overwhelm. Enter the workshop today!Deepen your relationship with Christ before Christmas day: Get The Gift of Christ Advent Calendar Devotional and study the Gospel of Luke.Walk through the holiday season getting to know Christ the Man and wake up Christmas morning feeling peaceful and prepared. Get the devotional here!Let's Connect:Email: hello@p31virtues.comNote: The show notes may contain affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my work!
Main Passage: 1 Timothy 2:1-4As we are on mission in the world it will not be the case that everyone we meet will immediately give their lives to the Lord. We will face opposition. But we must not lose heart! The Lord calls for us to pray for the lost, just as He prayed for us before we were saved. We must be consistent in praying for individual lost people, our city, culture, nation, and the world. We se great examples of this in Simeon and Anna in the temple, Daniel in captivity, and Nehemiah in captivity.
(7:14) Bible Study: 1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63 Father talks about the sacredness of he Eucharist. (22:57) Break 1 The Heart of the Heart of God (31:07) Letters: What are the different types of love. Father talks about the good the true and the beautiful. Father answers these and other questions, send him a letter at simon@relevantradio.com (39:19) Break 2 (40:42) Word of the Day See (46:22) Phones: Steve - Last wed. you said you would tell us a story about St. Josephat and you never got to it. also, in Luke 2, Simeon 'appeared' and the other bible is said that he 'inspired by the spirit by the spirit' James - I say a rosary every day so do I have to do two if I want to participate in the Novena? Pete - My grandmother said that she might have been visited by an angel. Is there anything written about our lady or angles coming to children?
Genesis 49–50 What To Do Before You Die 1. Leave Words That Last (49:13-28) 2. Model Faith for the Next Generation (49:29-50:14) 3. Free Others Through Forgiveness (50:15-21) 4. Leave Behind Reminders of Your Faith (50:22-26) Jacob's Prophetic Blessings to His 12 Sons: Reuben: The firstborn who forfeited his preeminence through instability and sin. Simeon and Levi: Violent brothers whose anger led to dispersion among Israel. Judah: The tribe destined for leadership and kingship, from whom the Messiah would come. Zebulun: A tribe that would prosper through trade along the coast. Issachar: A strong but complacent worker who would submit to forced labor. Dan: A tribe that would bring justice to Israel but also act treacherously, like a serpent. Gad: A warrior tribe that would be attacked but would ultimately triumph. Asher: Blessed with rich food and prosperity, providing delicacies fit for kings. Naphtali: Free-spirited and fruitful, known for beauty and eloquence. Joseph: The fruitful and faithful son abundantly blessed and protected by God. Benjamin: Fierce and victorious in battle, like a ravenous wolf dividing the spoil.