What a Way to Go
Scripture References
Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3
The Year of the Lord’s Favor
61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.
Zion’s Coming Salvation
62:1 For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. 2 The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. 3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
Galatians 4:4-7
Sons and Heirs
4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Luke 2:22-40
Jesus Presented at the Temple
22 And 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 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” 33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
The Return to Nazareth
39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
Sermon Script
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, Oh Lord, my strength and redeemer. Amen.
What A Way To Go
They say time flies when you are having fun. Well, this year must have been fun because it sure flew by fast. As we pack away the Christmas decorations once again, I ponder where this year has gone. I find myself caught in between the post-Christmas blues and the excitement of a New Year. I know we are supposed to celebrate twelve days of Christmas, but it is somewhat overshadowed with credit card bills, loneliness, and going back to work. As I toss my 2023 calendar into the trash, I reflect on all that has transpired throughout the year.
But overall, if I balance out the positive and negative things I can think of and weigh all my blessings… I would say to 2023… “What a way to go!”
That just happens to be the theme today in the Church year as we are transitioning from the birth of the Christ child to the season of Epiphany. This is where we see this little baby Jesus become the King of the Jews the Magi talk about in Matthew 2. As we make this transition, today’s Gospel lesson in Luke leaves us with a vision other than a baby in a manger.
This vision is like looking at all the gifts we gave and received at Christmas and see a reflection of the greatest gift of all. A gift so precious and perfect it makes us want to sing praises. That’s why we are given one more song to sing. A song we will sing throughout the New Year and beyond… Simeon’s song.
What Did You Give?
But before we look at this song, let’s look at the context of our Gospel lesson in Luke chapter 2, where we are told that according to the Law of Moses the Holy family went to the temple for the rite of purification. This particular sin offering is performed 40 days after childbirth which includes 8 days until circumcision and then the 33 days as described in Leviticus 12. A lamb according to custom was the proper sin offering… but for the poor, like Mary and Joseph were, a pair of doves or pigeons was acceptable.
But why would the Son of God need a sin offering? An interesting question. However, this shows how faithful this young family was and how loyal they were in keeping the law of Moses. When they show up at the temple, their focus was on the right thing.
I already admitted my focus was somewhat skewed on this new year’s eve day. That is until I get the question… “Did you have a nice Christmas?” I inadvertently transition this question to mean… was all your family together? Or, Did you get something you really wanted? Basically, the intent with this question is to know if what I received was good. Getting my mind back on a positive track.
But when Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the Temple, in a sense, they were presented with a different question.
Instead of “What did you get,” the question become, “What did you give?” They take Jesus to the temple and basically pray, “God, I dedicate my first born to you. May he grow and serve you.”
Fullness Of Time
This is where Simeon and Anna come in. They worked at the temple, and Luke said they were advanced in years. But the reason they were advanced in years is because they were “Waiting,” and have been for a long time. They were waiting for the promise of God to be fulfilled. This kind of waiting is described well by the Apostle Paul in the Epistle, Galatians chapter 4 verse 4, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His son,” The Holy Spirit assured Simeon that he would not pass on until he saw the Christ child, in the fullness of time.
So, when this fulness of time come to fruition… it makes me wonder who all was aware? Mary knew she was giving birth to our Savior, the Magi that traveled from afar knew it, and now we know that Simeon did as well. Martin Luther said that this by itself was a miracle.
But I wonder if they knew that little baby boy would someday walk on water and save our sons and daughters? Did they know He would give sight to a blind man and calm a storm with His hand? When Simeon was lifting that little baby boy to the heavens, did he know that because of Him, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will leap, the dumb will speak, and that the dead will live again?
Look Back And Look Forward
That is why this text is given to us on this day as we look beyond the nativity to what Jesus accomplished in his humanity from the manger to the cross. Like Simeon, our eyes are drawn back and forward at the same time by the birth of this child. Back to the nativity and forward to Easter morning. Looking back and forward at the same time… as we do… when we profess our faith in the creeds.
Because… we believe that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary… then we also believe He suffered, died… and on the third day, rose again and sits at the right hand of God… For there He is waiting for us to join Him for eternity.
Simeon and Anna knew these things and that is what they were waiting for. They knew because they were looking for the right thing. They were looking back at the promise of God given through the prophets and were waiting… looking forward for that promise to be fulfilled. In the fullness of time.
Simeon’s Song
With this promise as revealed by the Holy Spirit, Simeon takes the Christ child in his arms and sings the song we know as the Nunc Dimittis, which means, “permission to depart.” We often sing this from Luke 2:29-32 after taking communion, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
What a way to go. What a way to end this year and go on to the next one. What a way to depart this life.
Simeon can now depart in peace. He has seen what God promised him, is now fulfilled. With Simeon’s song we can sing as well, because with our ears we have heard the precious promise of salvation. We sing again after we have received Christ’s body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins. Strengthened and spiritually preserved in body and soul to life everlasting… Departing in peace… with joyful anticipation… what a way to go.
Finding Jesus
However, on this New Year’s Eve day, like any other day… it is easy for our worldly vision to come into view first… We often experience some level of depression like I mentioned earlier by looking back from the year that just passed. Then at the same time looking forward to high expectations for the year to come… Can I keep my resolutions? Who will become the next president? Will my finances get back on track? Worldly things that often dominate our thoughts.
Or could you, like Simeon, look for the right thing. To find the face of the Messiah in unexpected places? No matter what the world throws at you, will you be able to have the presence of mind to watch for Jesus? Will you be able to see Jesus in the face of a child, or a homeless person on the street? Will you take the time to see Jesus in someone with an illness, or someone who is desperately in need? Amid all our Christmas blues, when we look forward will we even look for Jesus at all…? All of us should take time to ask ourselves this question, “would I have recognized the Messiah in the face of baby Jesus?”
A few years ago, our grandchildren were at the age where playing hide and seek from Grandpa was fun. They would have me close my eyes so they could run and hide.
There was no need to count because they would all holler when they were ready. In fact, they would keep hollering “I’m over here” or “I’m not over there.” The fun part was they usually were behind a shear curtain or under a chair and I would have to pretend not to see them until I felt they were ready to be found. Then it started all over. Needless to say… I would be the one looking again.
The point being, I knew where to look and the kids were easily recognized.
Knowing Where To Look
Simeon knew where to look as well. He was able to see Christ in this little baby who was born in a stable because the Holy Spirit inspired him. It was the same Holy Spirit that had enabled him to believe and trust that God would fulfill His promise to him. It was the same Holy Spirit that in his waiting, kept him looking for the right thing. The Holy Spirit changed his life, to where he knew where and how to look for the Messiah. Who like my grandchildren, was hiding in plain sight.
The Holy Spirit works in you and me as well. And this allows us to see things in a new and different way.
It allows us to see the face of Christ in ordinary places and brings a new light to a dark world. Knowing where to look in life’s game of hide and seek.
This is something we must keep in mind, and no better time than now as we begin a new year. God will shine a light in our darkness and guide us in the direction we must go. When we place our trust in our Lord, we will see the world differently.
Our eyes will focus on the face of Christ everywhere we look.
Literally hiding in plain sight… When we are looking for the right thing, we begin to look at everything large and small as God’s perfect creation. We begin to look at each person, no matter how simple or complicated, no matter how charming or spiteful, as a loving child of God.
Looking for the right thing.
So, when you make your list of resolutions for 2024, at the top of the list you should write in capital letters… look for the right thing.
Because when you are looking… you will see that now is the time promises will be fulfilled. Just as Simeon and Anna were looking for the right thing and found it in the fulness of time, so shall we. As we anticipate this coming new year, let this serve as a model for us.
Greatest Gift Of All
If we dedicate ourselves to live in accordance with God’s ways, as Mary and Joseph did, seeking His grace in poverty and wealth, happiness and sorrow, or whatever this next year may bring. Then we may, like Simeon and Anna, find ways to sing his song as we cherish the gifts God has given us.
The little child who laid in a manger will do that. For that is where our hope lies. That is where we root our faith and believe as we look back so we can look forward at the same time to our resurrection like His… that is where our salvation comes as we continue to look… looking back to the time when the world was not broken, before sin, before the fall, to a garden, where peace and joy and love marked it all. That is what our forward destiny will be like.
And the greatest gift of all? Knowing we will recognize Jesus when we see Him. Through faith, we know we will be with Him for eternity. And when our waiting is complete, we can sing Simeon’s song with the angels and archangels and all the company of heaven.
What a way to go.
And may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen