Simeon and Anna

 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who 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."

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of the 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."

And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.  Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.  She was of a great age, and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.  And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

- Luke 2:22-38

Yesterday, we read that it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.  This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.  So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.   Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.  So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.  Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you:  You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"  So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."  And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.  Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.  And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.  But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.  Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.  And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.


Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who 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."  My study bible tells us that Mary fulfills the law (Leviticus 12) by bringing Jesus to the temple on the fortieth day.  The law required that an offering of an unblemished lamb be brought or if the mother is not able to bring a lamb, then she brings a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons (Leviticus 12:6-8).  The quotation refers to Exodus 13:2, 12, 15.

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of the Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.  My study bible say that Simeon represents humanity in waiting for the Consolation of Israel.  He fulfills Psalm 91:16, in which God makes a promise to the one who loves Him:  "With length of days I will satisfy him,/And show him My salvation."

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: . . .   We look at Isaiah's reception of the burning coal from the angel in Isaiah 6:6-7, and compare it with Simeon's reception of Christ.  My study bible says, "In both cases, a prophet receives the life-giving fire of the offering -- Isaiah received the type, and Simeon receives the fulfillment."

"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."  This canticle is sung daily at Vespers for many denominations.  "Since salvation has been born into all the world," says my study bible, "all peoples can embrace death (see Philippians 1:23).  For the Christian, death is no longer frightful, but a gateway to everlasting peace."

And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.  Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."  The "fall and rising of many in Israel" becomes a statement about the sword being brought that is the sword of Christ's truth; it's about the second coming that is promised in the first, and the reckoning of the world.  My study bible says, "for the believer, it will be a resurrection to life; for the unbeliever, it will be a falling into judgment (John 5:29)."  This sword that will pierce Mary's own soul is the anguish she will experience as she witnesses her Son's death.  Her soul will be pierced in grief.  Ultimately, it is the "thoughts of many hearts" that are revealed through the mission of Christ.

 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.  She was of a great age, and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.  And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.  My study bible says of this passage that both men and women are called to proclaim Christ's redemption, and women are the first to proclaim His Resurrection (Luke 24:9). 

In all our recent readings from passages that "surround" the birth of Jesus, the advent of the Light that comes into the world, we have had mysterious movings of the hand of God, the work of the Holy Spirit.  Coming in song and hymns and praise, in prophecy, and light and glory, great things are being shaken up and introduced into the world.  It is coming into what is now a "dry and parched" land, in which things are not as they should be given the spiritual history of Israel.  There is a "king of Judea" who was not born a Jew but rather converted for expediency's sake, in order to take the throne as "ordained" by the Romans.  It has been many, many years since there has been a prophet in Israel.  But now, the light breaks, and even babes in the womb leap at the entrance of Mary who carried the fetus Jesus.  Prophecy returns to Israel in an astounding way:  a child leaps in its mother's womb, a woman (Elizabeth) declares spontaneously that her kinswoman (Mary) is carrying "my Lord" in her womb.  There is the song of Mary that bursts forth, the song that comes from the formerly mute Zacharias, and everything begins with the announcement of angels appearing to human beings:  see the announcement to Zacharias here and here, the Annunciation to Mary, and the angels who appear to the shepherds in the fields.  In today's reading we have Simeon's song and the spontaneous declaration of Anna, two elderly people who have awaited the Consolation of Light and Living Water in a parched land, with great faith.  The Holy Spirit is at work through everyone in these scenes, it is a time of truth and revelation, in the beauty of song and poetry and prophecy.  This is how Jesus' life begins, but the world interferes a little, too.  We see the difference in that there was no room at the inn for these parents, in the "fall and rising" of many, in the sword that will pierce Mary's heart.  Let us remember it is God's holy plan -- especially when our own may go so awry as well.  Let us persist with faith, and the patience asked of us in God's time.

Nunc Dimittis - Simeon's Song

Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who 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."

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."

And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

- Luke 2:22-35

As we continue through Christmastide, today we come to the Dedication in the Temple, as reported by Luke. Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who 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." A note here in my study bible indicates "Days of . . . purification: Forty days after birth (see Lev. 12:2,4), Jesus is brought to the temple to be blessed according to Jewish tradition. In the Orthodox Church women and their infants, male or female, also come for a blessing on the fortieth day." In the Eastern Church, the blessing (and in some traditions - such as the Armenian - baptism) is a way of introducing the child into the community. So we can think of a parallel with Jesus: the child is brought into the community and becomes a part of that community. In this case, we understand that Jesus is fully a part of His Jewish heritage and community life and is brought up in accordance with the Law and the Scriptures.

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. A note here reads, "The Consolation of Israel: the joy of the deliverance that the Messiah is expected to bring to Israel." We could think of Simeon as a metaphor for Israel - an ancient people long awaiting the Deliverer, in faith. Simeon's age is important, it seems to me, for all of us. He lives in hope, just as we are to live in expectation and hope, regardless of our age or what we have seen in life. This is a great secret to spiritual reality, to the life of those who would be devoted to spiritual understanding.

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. Simeon is a devout man, a man fully enmeshed in prayer in his life, living with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Like so many others (as we mentioned in yesterday's reading and commentary) who people this story surrounding Jesus' birth into the world, Simeon experiences great grace in his life, and the action and participation of the Holy Spirit. The "Lord's Christ" is the Christ of God the Father. The Christ is the "Anointed One." In some way, we have in this passage the revelation of Trinity: God the Father, the Son as the Child and Christ, the Holy Spirit working through Simeon.

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." My study bible notes that, "This 'Canticle of Simeon,' called the Nunc Dimittis (the first words of the prayer in Latin), is still sung daily at evening prayers in the Orthodox Church, as the contemporary confession and experience of all worshiping Christians. Christ is still the salvation God prepared for all peoples, the light of the Gentiles and the glory of Israel." Of course, this canticle is found in many branches of the Church during evening prayers, and its beauty still shines to us. It is the beauty of the light brought to the "old" eyes of Simeon, someone who has awaited this Day, as have his people. The prayer of awaiting is a prayer from ancient times, culminating in the aged eyes of Simeon, who realizes his hope in the Child. Yet, it is even more than this: "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." It is a light, Simeon understands, which is salvation before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of . . . Israel." The glory of Israel, or the people of God, will be this revelation to the Gentiles. The light and hope of Simeon is not only of his people, but for the whole world - all people in all times. This is quite a hope to be realized!

And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." My study bible says, "At the time of the Passion of Christ, Mary will suffer the sword of pain which (according to tradition) she escaped in childbirth. Seeing her Son on the Cross, her soul will be pierced in grief." Again, Simeon speaks through the Holy Spirit, revealing spiritual reality to Joseph and Mary. The sign of Jesus' crucifixion will be "spoken against" - a curse, a scandal - but necessary so that "the thoughts of man hearts may be revealed." In Simeon's prophetic words we find the first indication of what it is to mean that Jesus' life will be a stumbling block, and bear the power of judgment in the response of all people to this event, revealing the thoughts of many hearts.

Repeated themes of age, expectation, the pain of life and its spiritual consolation are in our reading today. We think of the hope of Mary and Joseph. Both of them have been given to understand that this is a special Child - but all is revealed to them as life goes on, a light given, just as it is revealed to us through this story. No one begins this story in complete knowledge and understanding of events that are to unfold. Spiritual prophecy does not work that way: Simeon's prophetic words are the first indication of the pain that Mary will bear, the hardships that will come even to the life of the Son, the Lord's Christ. Simeon, as an old man, has awaited this moment all of his life and now it is fulfilled. His canticle blesses the Child, and praises Him, but the experience of life is also there, and the warning of the experiences to come. So let us consider then, along with our understanding of a long life in the world and the experience of pain that can bring, what it is to await in hope. What is it to live a long life in expectation, and spiritual fulfillment? Simeon sees the culmination of his hopes, the consolation he awaits as fulfillment of Scripture. But what about in our world? We who have this story, lived out 2,000 years ago, how do we await that consolation and that light of expectation? We live in hope of His return, but also in the understanding that this grace which pervades this story, and especially the life and character of Simeon, is something which is also given to us. It has been poured out upon all flesh -- the Anointed One, the Christ, has also anointed us. So to live out in long life the expectation and consolation of this moment is to live also in God's peace, in prayer and communion with the Holy Spirit and the receipt of God's grace. In this powerful understanding, the sad death of Jesus on the Cross has a potent meaning, a reason and purpose, and so can the sad or difficult events of a long life for each of us. It is not that we seek suffering or hidden meaning - but rather that we respond to suffering and the awful shadows of hardship and pain in this world by seeking that Spirit and Its response and consolation for us. I cannot speak to each individual for every pain or hardship, but there is a place for each of us to seek that for ourselves. May you all find yours, in the heart of the prayer, in union with the Holy Spirit and in the light of His life. And may we all live in hope, throughout our lives. Simeon sings an inspired song, and I hope so may we all. This is my prayer for all of us.