I Depart in Peace Because He Is Enough

The Presentation of our Lord

February 2, 2014

Luke 2:22-40

I Depart in Peace Because He Is Enough

In the name of Jesus.

I.

Simeon and Anna were people who were always at church. In Jerusalem the church of the Jews, the only church, was the Temple. Before the Baby Jesus was brought into its courts, it had seen thousands of people come and go. But Simeon and Anna were unique. They were the Noahs of the Temple.

People must have asked Noah why he was building a huge barge in his backyard. Because he was waiting, he'd tell them. Waiting for what? they'd ask. For God to keep His promise, he'd say. And they saw—even though they all doubted him—that he obeyed the promise of God.

When the Temple pastors, the priests, came over to talk to Simeon, he no doubt told them what he was doing there. “I'm waiting for the Consolation of Israel,” he'd say.

In the time that Anna and Simeon spent at the Temple, all heard and could see that they were praying for the Lord's Anointed One, the Christ. They were waiting, like Noah, for God to keep His promise. And that was enough for them.

II.

And on Jesus' 40th day, their waiting was over. Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple to present Him to the Lord God. This might seem strange or redundant since Jesus is God. But so much of what Jesus does and has done to Him seems redundant to His creatures. He is the Lord in the flesh; they present Him to the Lord. He is the perfectly clean non-sinner; He is baptized. But He does these things so that He might step into our tangled lives to cut into the righteousness of God, His righteousness.

Jesus needed to do two things, or rather be two things, to make us right with God. He had to be punished for our sin and make right what we put wrong.

But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

He also had to obey the righteous ways of God with His thoughts, His words, and His actions. He purposely put Himself under the relentless demands of His own right and wrong to save us.

But when the set time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. (Galatians 4:4-5)

He was presented to the Lord so that He might serve us with His full obedience. He does this because we are—above all—always trying to get away from Him and escape back into our goodness. By nature we do not wait for the Father.

III.

By grace Simeon was waiting. Now most assume that Simeon was an old man. Since we are wrapped in the things of this world—today is indeed the high holy day of sport and materialism in a delicious bowl—we assume that only an old man would say what Simeon said. Basically we hear an old man saying, “Oh good, my bucket list is complete. I saw Jesus. It's okay to die now.” We assume that only the very old or very sad should think about spiritual things. We think it's unhealthy for anyone else to think about these things.

We show this assumption because prayer is not enough for us. We become so tangled up in the many good things of this world that prayer doesn't seem like it would ever be enough. But perhaps how we see prayer isn't helping us see how valuable it is.

Prayer is not making a list and submitting it to our Santa God. It is repeating through word and song the promises of Christ out loud to ourselves and others.

Simeon wasn't telling the people passing by that he had just asked God for a long life; he was telling them that he would live long enough to see Jesus. That was his prayer. And when God answered his prayer, Simeon held Jesus in his arms, he said, “It is enough.” And when you see Jesus in the Sacrament and return to your place after holding Him in your hand, you sing the same, “It is enough. He is enough.”

“Lord, now You let 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 people: a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32)

In the name of the Father

and of the † Son

and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.