“Departing in
Peace”
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from
God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
From
the time Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary He submits
Himself to His own Law. He was
circumcised on the eighth day, He was obedient to His parents, and, today, He
is taken to the temple in order that a sacrifice could be made for Him. Isn’t it amazing that Jesus, the true Temple, who will be destroyed
and raised again after three days, is taken to the temple that will be destroyed
never to be built again? Isn’t it
amazing that the sacrificial Lamb of God, who will go to the cross in order to
offer Himself as the final sacrifice on the cross for your sins and the world,
today, has two turtle-doves sacrificed on His behalf? He is presented to the teachers whom He will
later teach.
But
the learned men in the temple didn’t get it and few of them will. It’s Simeon, the faithful and devout man, who
sees His salvation in this 40-day old boy.
We don’t know much else about Simeon.
We presume he’s an old man, but the text doesn’t say indicate His age. We don’t know his city, his occupation
(though it wouldn’t be out of the question to call him a prophet), or marital
status, but the text simply says that he “was righteous and devout, waiting for the
consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 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,” but that’s all we need to know about
him.
Though
he may not have actually sang, this somewhat obscure man gives the church a
song that will last unto the ages. Upon
taking Jesus in his own arms, he sings (or speaks) a song that has been used in
her liturgy for centuries, called the Nunc Dimittis. The words are familiar to [many of you] [you all],
“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.” Jesus comes for Simeon, as He comes for
you. Jesus is for Simeon before Simeon is
for Jesus. Simeon receives the gift of
Jesus and faith responds with praise and thanksgiving.
Having seen the long promised child,
which will bring about his salvation, he can depart in peace. The Lord can end his earthly life at any
time. The promise has been fulfilled;
the long awaited Messiah has come. He
can depart in peace.
Without Christ there is no peace.
Apart from Christ, there’s nothing but dissension and separation from
God. Apart from the Salvation that
Simeon now holds in his arms, there is no approaching God in peace. But Christ has come, Simeon sings his song,
and both he and us can depart in peace.
When we sing
or speak these words, they’re words of Gospel.
“Lord, let your servant depart in peace…” it means there’s nothing left
to do. Christ has already taken care of
everything. Having received, by faith,
the salvation accomplish by Christ we’re given confidence that God’s Word and
promises have been fulfilled in Christ.
Jesus has gone to the cross for you, died in one of the most
excruciating ways there was. From
worldly eyes, His death was anything but peaceful, but by His cross and His
resurrection, He has won for you peace; peace with God by giving you His
forgiveness, His salvation, His righteousness.
To depart in peace
is to hold fast to the promises that Christ has made to you in your baptisms,
where God’s Word, combined with water, has been splashed over your heads in a
saving flood. To depart in peace is,
also, is to even fall asleep in the Lord with the cross before your eyes, to
behold the cross of Jesus and His resurrected body and hold fast to the words,
“For me. He did it for me.”
Through Christ,
who has won peace between us and the Father, we can go and live out our lives
and, yes, even shut our eye lids, in the peace of God. That no matter what sins we’ve committed, no
matter how heavy they hang around our necks, through Christ, who bore the
Father’s wrath in its fullest for you, you’re at peace with God.
That’s why the
Church has long used the Nunc Dimittis, the Song of Simeon, after
Communion. At the Communion Rail, we’re
standing, or kneeling, in the shoes of Simeon.
The Long promised Messiah, the One whom we’ve hoped and longed for, the
One whom we’ve prayed, “Come, Lord Jesus,” is placed, not into your arms like
Simeon, but into your mouth. Having
received the salvation given won for you on the cross, even to us Gentiles, the
non-Hebrew, can then depart, having been given the peace of God. For at the Communion rail, we see the
salvation that God prepares in the presence of His people and there, the peace
of the Lord is placed into our mouths.
These words are
also used in the funeral rite. The Lord
has dismissed the dear saint of God from this world in His peace. His word has been fulfilled, his promises
kept and He will continue to keep His promises as the one who has fallen asleep
in peace shall also depart from their grave in the resurrection.
After all, that’s
what this child who has been placed into the arms of Simeon is to do; to win
for the world forgiveness, salvation, and everlasting life by giving up His
life for the world. Luke records in our
text, “And Simeon blessed [Joseph and Mary] 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 (and
a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many
hearts may be revealed.”
As Mary beholds her Son on the cross,
winning salvation for you, her soul is pierced as the nails and spear pierces
her Son. He has come for the consolation
of Israel and that even we Gentiles would be grafted into His vine. Your sins were laid on Him, He bears them all
and dies for them. But He didn’t stay in
the grave, but was raised again. And so
it is for you. Death doesn’t have the
final say, for to depart in peace is to depart from your grave to live, body
and soul, with Christ.
To walk a few
steps in Simeon’s shoes reveals the depth of our Lord’s compassion for us. He received His Lord into his arms with joy,
as the child he holds is the One to redeem you from your sins, so that you,
like Simeon, can depart in peace. His Word has been fulfilled for you. Amen.
The peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus
now and forevermore. Amen.
