Name and Circumcision of Jesus, 2012
Luke 2:21-35
“Happy New Year”
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
“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 upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 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, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:25-32)
Do these words sound familiar to you?...well they should! We sing the Song of Simeon each Sunday that we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. We know the Song of Simeon as the Nunc Dimittis, its Latin title, which means “now, let depart.” These words were first spoken by Simeon immediately after God’s promise of seeing the Christ came true. So why do we sing these words? Jesus promised to be with us always to the very end of the age and certainly we see the Christ in our own lives just as Simeon did. Have you seen Him? Have you seen Jesus? Have you seen the Christ?
What a wonderful promise that we have…that Jesus will be with us always and that we may see Him. That’s great because we need him often. This world is full of problems caused by sin. Even during the holidays the world does not take a break from violence. The week before Christmas saw an Illinois mother take the life of her family including two young children buried from our sister congregation in Dwight, IL. Christmas Day saw a family member in Texas take the lives of his family, there are ongoing tensions with Iran in the Middle East and the problems don’t stop there. Even our own lives are not spared from problems during Christmas. Many families have arguments over the holidays and even some families don’t speak to each other. Christmas is a wonderful time…but in this sinful world it also becomes a time of mourning, despair, and depression. Certainly with all the problems that the world has and all the problems that we have…we need Jesus, we need Him now, and we need Him here with us. The problem is…where is He? Have you seen Him? Unless you read the tabloids…there aren’t any reports of Jesus walking around knocking on doors and helping people in need.
There are so many times that our faith, as Christians, is lacking. We often doubt in our Lord’s promises. We often wonder if God really does care about us. Many times we just go through the motions as Christians…saying what we are supposed to say and doing what is expected…but we don’t really trust in God, believe in His Word, or share the wonderful news of our Savior. God just doesn’t seem to make sense at times. He promises to be with us…but we can’t see Him. He promises that we will see Him…but he doesn’t seem to be here with us. It seems that if something doesn’t make sense that it is wrong. We force our own logic upon God. Yet when we are in need…we always know where God is and find our way back to Him so that we can ask for His help.
What we don’t admit is that we ALWAYS are in need of His help. There isn’t a time in our lives that we can do anything on our own. We like to take credit for the good things in our life…but it is God that is in control. That hurts our egos. But on the other hand when things aren’t going well in our lives…God is in control and that is comforting. God is in control, He always keeps His promises, and always does what is best for us. Yet even as Christians we need to be assured of this. As Christians we need to be reminded of what God does for us and where He does it. We need to be forgiven and strengthened…no matter how good we think we are or how strong we think we’ve become.
The reason we gather together as a congregation each week is because Jesus comes. Ever since the Ascension of the risen Lord Jesus into heaven, the church has celebrated the Lord’s Supper, in which the Lord Jesus comes to us with his life-giving body and blood. In a sense, it can be said that Simeon was the first person who went to the temple because “Jesus comes.” Jesus, the eternal Son of God, now comes to his people as the incarnate Son of Mary. The Spirit led Simeon to the temple. The same Holy Spirit gathers us to this place. We come to the liturgy because Jesus comes.
The Nunc Dimittis is a reminder to us all of what Jesus has and continues to do for us. Why do we sing Simeon’s Nunc Dimittis today? We do so because it is not only Simeon’s song. It is also our song. It is the church’s song—the entire church’s song. What makes this short and seemingly simple song so profound and powerful is the time and place in which it was first sung and the time and place it is sung today. “We go to the liturgy because Christ comes.”
Why do we sing the Nunc Dimittis? Because it is the Holy Spirit’s song. The Holy Spirit inspired Simeon to speak these words. One cannot find better words to sing than those inspired by the Holy Spirit. Since the sixteenth century the Nunc Dimittis has been sung in many Lutheran churches immediately following the reception of the body and the blood of our Lord in the Liturgy of Holy Communion. What makes this seemingly simple song so profound is the time and place in which it is sung. Like Simeon, we have held the body of the incarnate Son of God in our hands. The Holy Spirit enabled Simeon to recognize that the baby hidden in humble flesh and carried in Mary’s arms was the Lord, the Creator and Redeemer of the world. The Holy Spirit has also enlightened the eyes of the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit has enlightened your eyes to recognize the Savior of the world hidden in humble bread and wine. The Lord let Simeon go in peace. At each Divine Service the Lord lets us go in peace. The pastor says, “Go in peace,” but it is the Lord himself who frees us to do so.
Have you seen Him…have you seen Jesus? Many of our children have. I can remember quite a few of them calling me Jesus …something a bit profound and funny to see. But these children, with the faith of a child, see something we often find hard to see. Jesus standing here forgiving your sins, proclaiming His love, and feeding us Himself. Though you see me, a sinful Pastor, your faith sees Christ. Jesus uses His people to share himself with others…that by faith…you may see His face. He is with you always till the very end of the age. Before I forget…Have a happy and blessed New Year. Happy and blessed…because they are given us by God…happy and blessed because we have a Savior whom we see by faith. Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.
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