The Spirit led Simeon to the Temple. When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple to do what the law said they must do, Simeon took the baby in his arms and thanked God: “Now, Lord, you can let me, your servant, die in peace as you said. With my own eyes I have seen your salvation, which you prepared before all people. It is a light for the non-Jewish people to see and an honor for your people, the Israelites.” [Luke 2:27-32 (NCV)]
To some people, today is known as Groundhog Day but, because it is the fortieth day after Christmas, many Christians know it as Candlemas, the Presentation of our Lord, or the Purification of Mary. According to Mosaic law, the mother of a boy child was considered “unclean” for seven days following the birth of her child. She then had to wait another 33 days to be purified from her bleeding before she could enter the Temple. (If she bore a girl child, her purification time was doubled.) Once a woman’s time of purification was over, she was to come to the Temple and offer up a sacrifice of both a lamb and a pigeon or turtledove. If the family couldn’t afford the lamb, a turtledove or pigeon could be substituted. Forty days after Jesus’ birth, in fulfillment of this law, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to make their offering and present their son to the Lord.
The elderly Simeon was in the temple that day. Scripture doesn’t tell us that he was a priest or a learned scribe and there’s no reason to think he was. It does tell us that he was righteous and devout. Unlike many of the rest of his countrymen, Simeon still eagerly awaited the arrival of the Messiah and the Holy Spirit had revealed that Simeon would not die before seeing Him. As soon as the old man saw Jesus, he recognized the child for whom he was waiting. After taking the baby in his arms, Simeon praised God and said that he’d seen God’s promised salvation, a light for all people, and now could die in peace. He then prophesized the Messiah’s suffering (a suffering that would pierce Mary’s heart, as well). This man of faith holds the honor of being the first Jew to recognize the promised Messiah and the first one to realize that Jesus brought salvation to Jew and Gentiles alike.
Simeon’s beautiful words live on in many liturgical churches with what’s called the “Song of Simeon” or the Nunc Dimittis (from the Latin translation and meaning “Now let us depart”). It often is sung or said following communion, at evensong or compline, and at the Burial of the Dead.
Also in the Temple that day was the aged Anna. Described as a prophetess, the old woman stayed in the temple night and day worshipping God with fasting and prayer. Like Simeon, as soon as she saw Jesus, Anna knew he was no ordinary baby and started praising God. Prayer and praise, however, were not enough; she immediately went out to tell everyone the good news. Anna holds the honor of being the first missionary for Christ!
Luke tells us that the Spirit led Simeon to the Temple that day. What if he hadn’t listened to and obeyed that quiet voice? Once in the temple, can you imagine his surprise when he saw the infant Jesus in Mary’s arms, a woman who could only afford an offering of two birds? Simeon, however, didn’t let presumption or prejudice keep him from seeing the truth. Anna, who had been a widow for eighty-four years, didn’t bury her hope when she buried her husband. It would have been easy for her to have become a bitter old woman instead of a devout worshipper of God. Anna, however, prayed and praised and then proclaimed the good news.
Both Simeon and Anna dedicated their lives to God and lived to see the Messiah before they died. It will be different for us because, after dedicating our lives to God, we’ll have to die before we actually see our Savior’s face. Nevertheless, there is much to learn from the patience and dedication of these old folks. Understanding that God’s timeline was not theirs, they never gave up hope and neither must we. Because Jesus brought His light into the world, like Simeon, we are able to depart in peace!
LORD, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; To be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people Israel. [Nunc dimittis. St. Luke ii. 29. (1928 Book of Common Prayer)]
Created in 1947 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the Doomsday Clock’s purpose is to show the world how close it is to destroying itself with technology. Midnight on the clock indicates world-wide catastrophe and the end of the world as we know it. When it was reset for 2022 last week, the good news is that it’s no closer to midnight than last year. The bad news is that we remain at doom’s doorstep with only 100 seconds until midnight!
Although Elijah had just won an amazing victory over Baal and his prophets, we find the prophet running for his life in 1 Kings 19. The journey of over 120 miles left him physically exhausted and, having endured so many setbacks and challenges, the disheartened prophet was emotionally exhausted, as well. Wanting what he saw as a hopeless situation to end, He begged the Lord for death and he’s not the only one of the Bible’s heroes to do so. Overwhelmed by the heavy burdens he carried, Moses cried to God, “If you are going to continue doing this to me, then kill me now. If you care about me, put me to death, and then I won’t have any more troubles.” [Numbers 11:15] A discouraged and frustrated Jonah told God it would be better for him to die than to live. Job, in his despair and agony, and Jeremiah, in his disappointment after decades of prophesying with no appreciable results, were so miserable that they cursed the day they were born! Even the Apostle Paul admitted having been nearly overwhelmed by his troubles. Yet, as hopeless at their situations seemed, none of them died when they wanted to and none took their own lives. God did not abandon them and they did not abandon life.
When we pray about a decision, we often set the desired outcome we want rather than ask God to reveal His will to us. Instead of trusting our decision to Him and bending our will to His, we want God to bend His will to our desires. If His response to our pleas isn’t the one we want, we refuse to recognize it or complain that He never answered our prayers! Until we’re willing to step back and say, “Thy will be done,” we can’t truly discern God’s will.
Paul was speaking metaphorically of his thorn and whether it was a spiritual, emotional, physical affliction, or something else entirely, we don’t know. Since Paul dictated his letters, some speculate that that he had poor eyesight: perhaps cataracts or macular degeneration. Then again, severe arthritis in his hands may have prevented him from holding a stylus. Paul may have had a chronic medical problem such as gout, migraines, severe asthma, or spinal stenosis. It may have been a person: perhaps, Alexander the metalsmith who was harming his ministry. Considering the number of times the apostle was arrested, the thorn may have been an old injury from the many beatings inflicted upon him. Paul even may have suffered from bouts of depression or the 1st century equivalent of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The identity of his thorn (or even thorns) is unimportant to us. It is how Paul dealt with his thorn that matters.
When we lived in the north, we often walked a public path that meandered along the shoreline of a nearby lake. Running through both public and private properties, it crossed the front lawns of historic lakefront estates and stunning homes with beautifully landscaped yards and gardens. One such home placed a lakeside bench for tired walkers that said, “Sit-Pray-Mediate-Enjoy” under a sign that read, “You can trust me. Love, God.” A delightful white fence delineated their private property from the public path. Decorated with whimsey, “Expect a Miracle” was the message on the gate and assorted Bible verses and words of wisdom were painted on the fence’s horizontal slats.
