Depart in Peace!

Luke 2:25-32 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just 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.  So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:  “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.” So far God’s Holy Word!

We’ve opened our gifts, celebrated the festivities, now what? We do so much leading up to Christmas that when it passes it almost seems anticlimactic, as if there should be more - but there is more - much, much more! Christmas brought to us an eternity of God’s grace. Everyday should be just like Christmas for us because the gifts we received from our Savior never stop giving.  That which Christmas gave to us, the Gift of our Savior, is ours now and forever. Jesus has given us life in its fullest and salvation for eternity. Through the Christ Child we have been given gifts that will never grow old, never wear out, and we’ll never outgrow. Christmas should leave us with the thought; “Depart in Peace” May the Spirit bless our meditation!

There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. His name means; God-receiver. He was the Officiating Priest when Mary & Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple – this was no accident. The Spirit says that Simeon was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel. He was one of the very few faithful during that time of spiritual apathy and death. Mary & Joseph brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law. Simeon was to conduct a ceremony called Pidyon Haben or redemption of the first-born son a traditional Jewish ritual that released the firstborn son from the obligation of being a priest.

Otherwise there’s not much known about Simeon other than what the Holy Spirit reveals here. But what else could possibly matter? What greater honor or testament could there be for any person? Simeon was a Christian. The Holy Spirit was upon him and led him in his life of faith and also gave Simeon a very special blessing; He promised Simeon he wouldn’t die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Simeon had the honor of not only seeing the Christ Child but also holding Him. We too have seen the Christ Child through the eyes of faith. We can rejoice as Simeon did knowing that in Jesus forgiveness and life eternal are ours! We’ve all received gifts from family or friends and we cherish those gifts knowing they were given in love; but how much more so should we cherish the gifts of God given in perfect and unconditional love? Nothing compares to His Gift of our Redeemer Jesus!

Simeon was led by the Spirit to the Temple at the same time Jesus’ parents went there to perform the sacrifice according to the Law of Moses. While they were there Simeon did something that must’ve astonished Mary and Joseph. Stepping up to them, he took the precious Child in his arms and blessed God. Simeon held Jesus and praised God for the Gift of a Savior from sin! In faith, led by the Spirit, Simeon said, Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word.

Those words are part of the Nunc Dimittis also called the Song of Simeon, a hymn of praise to God by the aged Simeon. But there’s a whole lot more to these Words than we might think!  They are a proclamation to all mankind of God’s love! To understand this, we must keep in mind our Lord’s Words, apart from faith in Christ, there is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. But yet, because of His perfect and never-ending love; the Words Simeon spoke are a proclamation of God’s Universal Grace given to mankind through Jesus’ sacrifice! Simeon’s old eyes saw the salvation of God; my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples! Simeon announced that salvation is for all and the only way of salvation is through faith in the precious Christ Child, the long-awaited Messiah! The very Child he held. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

Life eternal through the promised Messiah is given to whoever believes in HIM and it’s intended for everyone! Jesus is the universal gift of God’s grace freely given to mankind! The perfect and never-failing Gift that gives unconditional forgiveness and certain salvation! Now, Simeon could truly “depart” this life in peace having seen mankind’s Redeemer! A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of HIS people Israel. Jesus, the Light of Life, has given the full brightness of the Gospel to mankind! the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. This beautiful hymn of praise to God emphasizes, in the strongest possible terms that God’s saving grace in Jesus is for all! No One is excluded from the salvation freely given by Jesus unless they want to be! He died for all!

Christmas, and the joy it gives, doesn’t end after the presents are opened or a calendar day passes, the Gift Christmas gave us is ours for eternity! Christmas should always leave us with the thought; Depart in Peace!

Amen!