It saddens me that Christians have somehow gained this reputation as a people who judge, who condemn. Today’s Gospel is an invitation for us to consider how we engage with people who disagree with us.

I was so consumed with what I was going to become that I wasn’t spending a lot of time thinking about who I was going to become.

I love today’s Gospel passage, and not just because I love a good fish fry. I love it because I am Peter.

When Simeon cradles the infant Messiah in his arms, he speaks of salvation and glory and revelation. He speaks of his own death. He speaks of the fulfillment of God’s promise to all people.

Jesus didn’t come to fix the brokenness of the world. He came to fix our brokenness. He offers us not relief from the trials of life, but an answer to the question of how to live in joy, in love and in purpose in the midst of these evil days.

Sometimes we forget, or even refuse, to bring small concerns and inconveniences to God because we think we should be able to handle them on our own.

It makes perfect sense that everyone thought John the Baptist was the Messiah. He was the guy pouring the water. But the Messiah was the man who came to be baptized.

The journey of the magi would have been treacherous and uncomfortable. Imagine the peace in their hearts as they approached the young Messiah and fell to their knees.