Simeon with the Savior of the world

My close friend, Alan Russell, invited me to study the story of Simeon and then paint a scene depicting him with the baby Jesus. I have to admit, I had never paid much attention to this story in the Bible before. It was a humbling and fascinating experience for me! What I took away from it was that, like Simeon, we can all make valuable contributions in life even though we may not have high profile responsibilities. Simeon was just a good man, trying to magnify his calling as a temple worker … every day going about his duties faithfully. I invite any of you to read this account in Luke chapter 2 … I would love to hear from you about your experience.

I tried to imagine what it must have been like for him to finally hold the baby Jesus whom he recognized immediately as the Savior of the world when he first saw Him with His parents in the temple.
Then my little grandson, Matthew, was born in Washington state. I didn’t get to meet him for several weeks after his birth. When I finally did get to hold him, I was overcome with emotion … I just stared at him with awe and amazement … the long awaited event was finally happening.

After returning home, Matthew’s parents sent me a photo which captured that very moment. I was unaware that the photo had even been taken. I knew right off that I would use this image as my guide to paint this piece. (It’s a little scary to see what even more grey hair and a beard does to make one look older!) I could only imagine that Simeon, too, took a moment to gaze into the babe’s countenance with wonder and amazement after such a long time of longing. I hope this piece will inspire us all to be a little better each day and to try to do as much good as we can.