Luke 2:25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (NIV)
I had the joy of singing in the Pepperdine College Chorus for four years, under Norman Hatch. Each year ended with a chorus tour, and for those four years each performance ended with In Peace and Joy I Now Depart, by David Fetler (a link to hear this piece is in the footnote)(1). This choral piece was based on a hymn by Martin Luther with the same title, but reminds me of the words of Simeon, “…you may now dismiss your servant in peace.”
We don’t know when the Lord assured Simeon that he would not taste death until he saw the Messiah, but one gets the sense that Simeon had waited many years. Finally, the time came when Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised on the 8th day of His human life. Prompted by the Spirit, Simeon came and took Jesus in his arms. He looked upon his salvation in an infant and saw both the future of this tiny child, and his own salvation. Seeing his salvation, he was at peace with dying (2).
I pray that I will be at such peace when the Lord dismisses me. I know that my mentor and the foremost minister in my life, Elmer Prout, was fully at peace when, at ninety-nine years old, the Lord dismissed His faithful minister, early on Friday morning, December 20, 2024. For nearly 100 years, Elmer looked to Jesus and saw his salvation.
Advent season invites us to, with Simeon, keep looking to Jesus to see our salvation and to live, and yes, die, in peace.
Tim Kelley
(1)I don’t have a recording of our chorus singing this beautiful piece, but be assured that we were better (wink). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4KKO8ddYKw
(2)This scene in the 1977 miniseries Jesus of Nazareth, with the late Sir Ralph Richardson playing Simeon, is powerful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Myj-oA752L0&t=9s