The Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas
“Lord, now let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled” Luke 2:32
Completely caught by surprise, I walked forward to the front of the church from my seat. It was my last weekend attending St. John the Evangelist in East Lansing before moving back to Dayton and the priest had asked me to come forward to receive a blessing of sending forth. I stood in front, facing the Altar and closed my eyes. I don’t recall the words of the prayer, but what I do remember is while I was standing there a tremendous sense of peace came over me.
I had really been struggling with my decision to leave Lansing and return to Dayton, I had been wondering in the back of my head ever since I decided to relocate if I actually had actually made the right decision. I felt like there were so many loose ends. Standing there, with my parish community at the time praying over me, I knew that I had accomplished something and it was time for something new.
We are all faced with crossroads in our lives, where we can see our blank page being filled with two different sets of words. We have to decide which words will be written (hopefully after prayer and discernment). We sometimes move on to new things knowing that what we are leaving will continue without us.
The presentation of Jesus in the temple can be looked at through many eyes and lenses, but today I want to focus on the lesson that I believe that Simeon is offering us. Simeon scoops the baby Jesus up into his arms and makes a great proclamation about who this baby is and the tremendous things that Jesus will accomplish.
Simeon has been promised by the Holy Spirit that he will not see death until he saw Christ. It is clear from this proclamation that Simeon, having held the baby Jesus, is at peace. The next passage isn’t Simeon and the Holy Spirit negotiating about Simeon staying alive to see Christ’s life unfold. Simeon is at peace knowing he accomplished what the Holy Spirit sent him out to do and the mission of creating the Kingdom of God here on earth continues beyond him.
Are we like Simeon? Are we at peace knowing that while we work to live the Kingdom of God here on earth, we likely won’t see our earth completely transform into God’s Kingdom? Are we at peace knowing that sometimes our role isn’t to make fantastic achievements but to recognize that our sisters and brothers will be the ones to accomplish great things?
Lord God, with us now, Emmanuel, you came into this world to save us. Help us be disciples like Simeon. Help us to be disciples who work to accomplish what the Holy Spirit has prompted us to, but who like Simeon are peace knowing it continues beyond us. Help us be disciples who recognize you and proclaim your presence among us to the world through our actions. We ask all this in your most holy name. Amen.
-Will Marsh