Luke
2:22-40
I had an interesting experience this week. I was invited to
be part of a conversation of chaplains serving in various healthcare contexts
around the area. This was an online meeting and began with a time of conversation
around a passage of scripture. This group on this occasion was made up of all
Christian chaplains and they were reflecting on what it means to be made new in
Christ. The majority of the chaplains were originally from other countries. They
talked about their experiences of becoming citizens and living in this country
as immigrants. As the meeting went on, people talked about difficult visits and
situations they were dealing with as chaplains, heartbreaking situations with
patients struggling and grieving families. They also prayed for the victims of
the plane crash. And after listening to one another, reflecting together and
praying, everyone logged off and went back to the work of sitting with those
who are suffering.
It was a simple, every day, routine moment, and yet, also a
beautiful and moving witness of faith. Each person came with their own unique
stories, their own struggles and their own frustrations … but also each person
came from such varied backgrounds and experiences, united by hope, brought
together by their faith in Jesus Christ. Each person was introduced to Christ
in very different parts of the world, different languages and with different
traditions and yet together they understood their common source of hope. And so
they do their work of ministering each day, holding space for the work of the
Holy Spirit, and keeping vigil for the savior of the world.
It got me thinking about Simeon and Anna. Day in and day
out they kept vigil, living devoutly, living in service and devotion to God,
holding vigil as they waited for the promised savior of the world to come.
We do not get much time with Simeon and Anna in the Bible.
We find them only in the Gospel of Luke and only for a few lines. But in those
lines we get to know quite a bit. We know that Simeon was “righteous and devout”
and that the “Holy Spirit rested on him.” And that he would not die until he
had seen the Messiah. And we know that
Anna is referred to as a “prophet” and has been a widow living at the Temple
for a long time. And she is 84 years
old.
I have a John Wesley study Bible that I often use as part
of sermon preparation. John Wesley was an Anglican priest who started the
Methodist denomination. In his notes on this passage he says, “Let the example
of these aged saints animate those whose [gray] heads, like theirs are a ‘crown
of glory.” They both are examples of persistent belief, unwavering hope and
vibrant and bold prophetic ministry even at an older age.
I say bold and prophetic ministry because their message is
not one of easy comfort. Simeon says that not everyone will follow Jesus and that
Jesus is “destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be
a sign that will be opposed.” They are not here to signal that it’s all sunny
skies ahead. Simeon says to Mary, “a sword will pierce your own soul too.” This
is not a cozy kind of “look at the beautiful baby, what a nice boy he will be”
kind of message. It’s more of a “God has saved us but buckle up …” They were
not naïve in their old age. They knew Jesus would face trouble ahead- and his
presence would create conflict for many.
And yet, Anna and Simeon also had the long view. At our
last church in Colorado, I helped lead a Women’s Book Group that met every
week. There were several in the group who had not yet reached retirement age
but several more who were older. I loved the conversations and was enriched by
the shared wisdom. One of the things I always appreciated was learning from
those who had come to a place where they could see the long view of things.
When we would worry about things happening or panic about covid or stress about
the uncertainty of life, they would stay calm and see all of it as part of the
ever changing patches that make up the bigger quilt of life. They would take it
in stride, recognizing that emotions, feelings and anxieties pass and that the
sun will keep setting and rising. It sounds like this was where Anna and Simeon
found themselves. Anna lost her husband early and fasted every day. This was
not an easy life she was living, and yet she praised God when she saw Jesus.
She held on to hope. She understood that even though there were difficult days,
the salvation story of which she was a part, was long. And Simeon rejoiced even
though he knew there would be pain and struggle because he saw the long view.
Redemption had come, the Savior was here and even though division and pain
would come, there is a light to enlighten the nations … for all of eternity. And
I find a kind of peace in that … and comfort. The scope of faith is beyond the
momentary, we are part of a much bigger story of God’s saving grace.
In fact, I find comfort in these words every day. Some
time, about a year ago, after my family moved across the country and as we were
all feeling lost in a new place- trying to figure out how to create routines
and make friends and find community somewhere new- I started praying Compline
from the Book of Common Prayer every night. No matter how heavy my eyelids are,
I reach over for the little red book on my nightstand and turn to the
bookmarked page that’s become a bit crinkled. And my lips and eyes go through
the Compline service as my mind wavers in and out. Some nights I am anxious or
energized or feeling frantic and I find myself rushing over the words and forcing
myself to pause and let my heart catch up. Some nights I come to the service
with a more open heart, saddened by the changes and chances of the world and
some of the words blur as a tear fills my eye. The words striking directly into
my heart and the Psalms feeling like they were written exactly for this time
and place. But every time, I come to these words from Simeon. It comes at the
end of the service. After all the intercessions for people that I know who are
hurting, after prayers for those who work through the night and those who weep
through the night, after confessing my sins and remembering that the very last
phrase of the Lord’s Prayer is left off in Compline, I come to the words of
Simeon … at the end. It’s a slightly different translation than what is in many
of our Bibles, and I think it is a bit more poetic: “Lord you now have set your
servant free to go in peace as you have promised; For
these eyes of mine have seen the Savior whom you have prepared for all the
world to see: A Light to enlighten the nations, and the glory of your people
Israel.”
And I feel a kind of
release, like I am being sent off into dreamland in peace, my heart warmed by
the light to enlighten all nations. But it also gives me pause as I am reminded
that I have seen the Savior. I have not held the baby Jesus as Simeon did, but
I have experienced and witnessed Christ in the world and I have been marked by
the water of the baptismal font and get to call myself a Christian. It also
makes me think about this light to enlighten the nations and wonder how that
light has enlightened me and how I have spread that light to others … how have
I been part of this spreading of light to all people?”
It is a comfort, a hope, a peace and a challenge to all of
us. What does it mean to live as a people who have seen the Savior? What does
it mean to carry forth the light to enlighten the nations?
Thinking back on that conversation I was a part of- the
diverse group of chaplains opening their hearts to one another. They come
together, they reflect on the Bible and what it means to be a follower of
Christ. They share from their hearts and create space to hear one another and
then they go forth, like Anna, to speak about the child who brings redemption …
the light to enlighten the nations.
I wonder … is that a bit like what we do here when we
gather. We reflect on the scripture, we affirm our faith together, we come together
to offer presence to one another, we extend peace and care, we bring our true
selves, not as the world sees us but as God sees us, we experience the risen
Christ in the breaking of the bread and then we go forth … to go in peace …
with eyes that have seen the Savior …
