SCRIPTURE READING: LUKE 2:25–35 KEY VERSES: LUKE 2:34–35 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” We loosely toss around the phrase “the cross” like everyone understands the validity and weight of the object to which we are referring.