“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace.“Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace;Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:Now lettest thou thy servant depart, Lord, According to thy word, in peace;
3 sermons cite this verse
We meet two characters here at the end of the Christmas story. one man and one woman, Simeon and Anna. And they share a number of similarities. I wonder if you noticed. First, they're both in the temple. Simeon comes into the temple. Luke says Anna never left the temple, not that she literally lived at the temple, but she was there daily. It was only the priests who could go into the holy place, but there were temple courtyard, and that's what's meant here. There was a court for women and that's where Anna was day after day. So they're both in the temple. Second, they're both old. Simeon, we assume, is old because he's been waiting his whole life and the Lord told him, it was revealed to him, you would see the Lord's Christ. That word means Messiah, anointed one. You would see the Christ before you die. So he's likely old. Anna is 84. Sorry if you were hoping that 84 wouldn't count as old, but it just is what it is. …
… And we still sing that on Christmas Eve to this day. And then Luke chapter two, verses 29 through 32. Now this is an elderly man. This is after Jesus has been born and he's taken to the temple to, and a sacrifice made for him or on his behalf and on behalf of his parents. and then there's a man named Simeon, an elderly man and Simeon sees the Christ child and he's been waiting his whole life for the Messiah and so now he says, oh God, now you can take me. You can let me die. You can let me depart in peace and the Latin is nunc demitis. Demitis, it means let me depart in peace or let me depart and this is what he says. Now, master, let your servant go in peace according to your word because my eyes have seen your salvation. You prepared this salvation in the presence of all people. It is, and really this is Jesus, is a light for revelation to the Gentiles and a glory for your people, Israel. …
Thus all we do in Church is done on a principle of reverence; it is done with the thought that we are in God's presence. But irreverent persons, not understanding this, when they come into Church, and find nothing there of a striking kind, when they find every thing is read from a book, and in a calm, quiet way, and still more, when they come a second and a third time, and find every thing just the same, over and over again, they are offended and tired. "There is nothing," they say, "to rouse or interest them." They think God's service dull and tiresome, if I may use such words; for they do not come to Church to honour God, but to please themselves. They want something new. They think the prayers are long, and wish that there was more preaching, and that in a striking oratorical way, with loud voice and florid style. And when they observe that the worshippers in Church are serious and subdued in their manner, and will not look, and speak, and move as much at their ease as out of doors, or in their own houses, then (if they are very profane) they ridicule them, as weak and superstitious. Now is it not plain that those who are thus tired, and wearied, and made impatient by our sacred services below, would most certainly get tired and wearied with heaven above? because there the Cherubim and Seraphim "rest not day and night," saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty." Such as this, too, will be the way of the Saints in glory, for we are told that there will be a great voice of much people saying, Alleluia; and again they said Alleluia, and the four-and-twenty elders said Alleluia, and a voice of many waters and of mighty thunderings said Alleluia. Such, too, was our Lord's way, when in His agony He three times repeated the same words, "Thy will, not Mine, be done." It is the delight of all holy beings, who stand around the Throne, to use one and the same form of worship; they are not tired, it is ever new pleasure to them to say the words anew. They are never tired; but surely all those persons would be soon tired of hearing them, instead of taking part in their glorious chant, who are weaned of Church now, and seek for something more attractive and rousing. …