The text this morning is from the Gospel according to Luke, the second chapter:
And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man 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. And he came in 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 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them 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.” And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
When it was that Christ was presented in the Temple, this was to fulfill the Law of Moses, which required that the firstborn son should be redeemed to the Lord. This doesn’t mean that Christ had sin, or that the sacrifice performed for Him wiped away any sin, for He is and was the perfect Son of God, but that the sacrifice pointed to something greater. This sacrifice was to remind all the people of the redemption of Israel through the Passover, when God would take the firstborn of all those who did not listen to the Word of the Lord.
Remember back to Egypt, when the last of the ten plagues struck Egypt and Israel alike, when the Angel of the Lord passed through the land and took the life of the firstborn of the families who would not put the blood of the lamb upon their house. Yet, those who did were spared. This sacrifice was meant to take us back that we should see that the firstborn would be redeemed through the sacrifice for sins.
This remembrance is good for us that we should focus on the Lord’s redemption even in this time, that the firstborn Son of God, for the Lord has us all as His sons and daughters, is to be redeemed, that we might be redeemed. Through this simple, poor sacrifice to the Lord, the Law would be fulfilled that Christ would be perfect. Though He had no sin, all the Law had to be fulfilled for Him and by Him, and so it was that we might be redeemed, and so we are.
And see what happens, that Simeon would be waiting for Jesus in the Temple. He had been promised that he would not die until the Lord would come for the redemption of Israel. And inspired by the Holy Spirit, Simeon watched this little child enter the Temple with His parents, he watched as they offered the sacrifice of impoverished people, he watched as the lives of the turtledoves were taken for the holiness of this child, and he realized that the Lord’s promise was true; Simeon saw the Christ of God finally come to the people of Israel.
And what was his response? It is the same response we have when we have received the Lord through His Supper; in fact, our response we learn from the holy Simeon. He looks at the child, takes Him in his arms, and declares that he is now ready to die. The promise of the Lord is true, and so to die is no burden, but the fulfillment of yet another promise, the promise of everlasting life in the very Christ whom he held.
And so it is for us, that having with our mouths received the body and blood of the Christ, the body and blood for you, the body and blood that is righteous, the body and blood of the little child who grew to be a man who lived perfectly and died for your sake, we are ready to die.
This is the promise of the redemption of the firstborn. The Lord Jesus who made all things new, the Lord Jesus who received the sacrifice for sins, who was dedicated as holy to the Lord, has been brought to you, He has been placed in your arms, your mouth, your throat, that you might declare His praise and be ready to die.
Let’s talk about this for a moment because this is really the whole point. Christians need fear death as much as we fear breathing in. Death, in Christ, has become for us almost as a friend, a door which is walked through to see Christ. There is no need to fear death; Paul even tells us that to die in Christ is so much better than anything in this life. Yet, we don’t think like this often, do we?
In fact, I’d say that we tend to make life an idol, a false god that we worship with all that we have. When I was younger, I just wanted to experience life. I didn’t want to die, and I certainly didn’t want Jesus to come back, until I had gotten married, experienced life, went certain places, did certain things. I made my life an idol, one to be served that took me away from praying Come, Lord Jesus. And we continue to do this, right? I mean, there are times when I’m thinking that I don’t want to die before I see my kids grown up, where I see them married, where I see my grandkids, maybe great-grandkids. And then, when I’ve lived a good, long life, and I’ve been in perfect health my whole life, then God can take me quietly in my sleep, right?
But, the reality is the opposite. As Christians, we should pray for the Lord to come, or for Him to take us to where He is that we may await the day of His coming, escaping the tribulation of this life. But our idol, Life, demands so much from us that we don’t think that way. Simeon was a man, we don’t know how old, maybe he was young, maybe he was old, but he was ready to go as soon as the Lord fulfilled His promise to him. He was ready to die as soon as he saw the Christ.
And so it should be for us. I’m certainly not saying that we take our lives, for that is a grievous sin, or that we should neglect the care of our bodies for they are temples of the Holy Spirit, but that when the Christ has fulfilled His promises to us, then we should be ready. And when has He fulfilled His promise to us? No sooner than our Baptism, where He makes us righteous as He is righteous, where He delivers by His Holy Spirit the gift of faith, where He gives to us salvation.
Ava, my little daughter, baptized a month ago, should be ready to go at any time. And while I hate the thought of never spending another day with her in this life, should the Lord decide to take her to where He is, we would yet praise the Lord for His generosity to her to give her the ultimate gift, to give her everything, to give her salvation, and we would look forward with joy at seeing her again in the life which is to come.
You see, this is how the Christian approaches death. We see it as the door through which we receive all the promises of Christ. The usual way that we go to be with Christ is through death; the atypical way is when He will come back. One way or another, we will all go to be with the Lord. We are here now that we may serve one another in love. Paul says that to stay among the people of Philippi is more necessary for them than the joy he would have dying in Christ. He would desire to go to be with Christ, for that is far better, but to stay with the Philippians is more necessary.
So it is in our life, that to stay and minister to our kids, to give to Eli and Ava all that they need in this life is more necessary for them right now. It is more necessary that they should receive from my hand that which I can give them than for me to go to be with the Lord, but if the Lord should take me, praise be the name of the Lord. We Christians understand this: that we are to live in this life, being a good neighbor, living out our vocations, that we might serve others. If we are children, parents, teachers, students, grandparents, even if we should be patients in a hospital bed, we are to serve our neighbors around us, allowing them to be served by us as if by Christ. Serving others is how our idol of Life comes to die, because when we put others first, when God is pleased through our service, then the idols of our life pass away. And when we are done serving, then, and only then, does the Lord take us home; our lives are always, always lives of service.
Yet, when death comes, when the day comes when you breathe no more in this sin-filled life, you go to be with your Lord who has redeemed you and called you by name. You go joyfully. You go as Simeon, praying, “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.” For you have seen this salvation; you have seen it in your Baptism, you have seen it in the Absolution of sins, you have seen it in the Supper, and you are ready, dear friends. You are ready in Christ, no matter what may come, to see Him face-to-face. And, one day, you shall. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
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