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No one liked them. We didn't want them here. But it looks like they are here to stay. They've been here 60 years already. When their general, Pompeii, marched in and subdued our land, all of us in Judea knew that we had fallen to an unequaled military empire. I was only a child, but I remember.

The Romans grabbed our country by the throat with an iron grip. They set up camps, built fortresses, and dug artificial sea harbors. In some ways our conquerors have treated us with respect. They gave us special permission so we could continue practicing our religion. They let us build synagogues. They do not force us to violate our Sabbath. We are even exempt from service in the Roman army.

But on the whole, they act with cruel arrogance. They have confiscated our homes, violated our women and demoralized our nation. They punish resistance ruthlessly. Slaves and foreigners are crucified on Roman crosses planted all over the Mediterranean world. How can anyone who is oppressed like that speak of peace?

Soldiers everywhere. Garrisons. Horses. Spears. Armor. There can be no peace in this land as long as Rome rules. Some in our land dare to plot rebellion. Zealots. Many have died. I fear many more will, too. But Rome and monsters like her will not be conquered by Zealots. So others in our land seek another path to peace.

I belong to a small group of men and women who are looking for God's solution to the problem of Rome. We believe He has one. Our prophets have written that one day God Himself will restore Israel to blessing, joy and peace. So we do not plan raids and we do not keep secret caches of arms, but we do earnestly anticipate a day when Israel will be free from these Roman dogs. That day is coming. God has promised.

We beseech Him daily with our prayers. "Hear our just cause, O Lord. Give heed to my cry. Give ear to my prayer, which is not from deceitful lips. Let my judgment come forth from Thy presence. Let Thine eyes look with equity." The psalms of David are powerful for praying down God's kind of peace. This is how we wait for the consolation of Israel. This is how we help bring it about.

So I am the voice of peace. I am Simeon. I'm not a priest. I'm not even a Levite. I have no special duties in the temple, other than the duty of all God's people to honor and worship Him, to delight Him, and to call upon His name. I believe the promises of God. Would you think me strange if I told you that one time I received a personal promise from God? You might think I am crazy, but I ask, "Why should not God talk to a man?"

It happened like this. I had been praying from the Psalms. "Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising vain things? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed?" You know how it goes. And in my heart, I was laughing. What a joy it would be to see all the warring kings silenced by God's King when He gives Him the nations for an inheritance! The peace that God brings will be real peace.

And as I prayed and thought these things, God made a promise to me. He told me that I would live to see the arrival of His anointed. What does a man do with such a promise? Since the Book said that God would install His King upon Zion, His holy mountain, I began to spend all the time I could in the temple. I was there with the crowd for each of the regular times of prayer and sacrifice. I was there at other times, too. I chanted the psalms day after day, worshipping God in my heart. I was not there all the time, but I was there often.

One day I saw a young woman and her husband bring their new baby to the temple. This is not unusual in itself. Many babies are born, and many are presented in Jerusalem. Our law requires that after giving birth to a son, a woman cannot enter the temple until after her purification service on the fortieth day. That is when the child is presented in dedication. Many old women come to the temple each day and like to make a fuss over the babies. Temple grannies, I call them. It is not unusual for the parents to let one of these women hold the child and pray for it, especially a child from their tribe in Israel.

When this couple entered the courtyard, I knew this was the child God had promised. I hurried over to them. I held out my arms like an old temple granny and asked to hold their baby boy. The young woman looked at her husband. He smiled and nodded. She gently held out her baby. I took Him in my arms and held Him close to my chest. My eyes filled with tears. The promised Messiah! I lifted Him high in the air and began to praise God. I lifted my voice, the voice of peace, and thanked God. After this, I would be ready to go. God could now permit His servant to die in peace.

We did not live in a peaceful land or in a peaceful time, but this baby was going to bring peace. I was holding Him in my hands. I had seen God's salvation. I had seen God's light to the nations, the glory of Israel. Here was peace.

I handed the infant back to His mother. I had said quite a bit, more than most temple grannies would. I could tell they had not expected it, so I tried to explain. I told them what God had promised me. I blessed them. I told them some of the great promises of God concerning His anointed. And I watched Mary's face, I caught a sudden terrible glimpse of her future. What great sorrows lay ahead for her! I wondered at what cost her Son would purchase peace.

Then the couple told me about the shepherds who visited them on the night their Son was born. They told me how the army of angels the shepherds saw sang. "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth!" Peace on earth.

I add my voice of peace to that chorus. I saw that peace face to face in a baby from Bethlehem. I may live in a land filled with hatred and oppression, but God let me live to see His anointed Christ. The Lord is enthroned as King forever! The Lord gives strength to His people! The Lord blesses His people with peace!