Luke 2:22, 25-38

Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord

 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Message

The Song of Simeon, just sung by our choir, is often sung at the very end of things: during evening prayers or compline.  It often comes after communion, in order to say, “I have seen your salvation in this bread and cup and now I can depart in peace.”  It is really an incredible thing to say, a liturgical, “Now that I’ve seen this, I can die happy.”  As Simeon, long after he heard the promise that he would see the Messiah of God, sees this child and says, “With this I have witnessed the goodness of God and I can say that my life is complete.”

Most of the time, when we talk about bucket lists, we mean things that we want to do before we depart this life: places to see or things to try or perhaps sky-diving if somehow you seem to lack the very logical fear of falling from great heights.  But what Simeon is singing of is in fact the opposite: not something Simeon wants to do but something he hopes he can see that God has done.  Simeon is not asking to be the one to go to the heights or to save the world but just get a glimpse of the salvation that God is bringing, to get a glimpse and say, “Even this would be enough for my life.”

This song has a history.  An article by Lauren Winner I read this week said that in 1860 at a political party convention they were in the midst of three tense ballots about who would be the Republican nominee, who would be the party’s candidate for president in 1860.  And when the vote switched to Abraham Lincoln, one man started crying and another old man started quoting scripture at the top of his lungs, “Now, Lord, lettest thy servant depart in peace, for these eyes of mine…”  And she goes on to say that, “Yes, Abraham Lincoln and the United States is not actually the same as the salvation of humanity.”  But I was left wondering what on earth in this  life we could see and say, “Yes, after this I can depart in peace.”  What would be big enough to say, “This was God,” and to feel your life so wrapped in it in a way that to witness it is to feel your own purpose drawing to its