Title: The Song of Simeon (The Nunc Dimittis)

We wrap up our Advent sermon series called, “The very first four songs of Christmas” taken from Luke’s gospel. So far, we have looked at the songs composed by Mary, Zechariah, and the Heavenly Angelic Choir. The first song sung by Mary is titled “the Magnificat” since her soul “magnifies” the Mighty and Merciful God. (Luke 1:46 ) Her spirit was overjoyed in the birth of Jesus Christ. In the second tune known as “the Benedictus,” the first word Zechariah spoke after being mute for an extended period of time was the word “praise.” (Luke 1:68 ) He blessed the Lord because God had redeemed His people through the Horn of Salvation, Jesus Christ. (Luke 1:69 ) The third praise choired by the Angels of the Lord is titled “The Gloria in Excelsis Deo.” On the first Christmas, they raised their voices with joyfulness about the coming of Christ: “Glory to God in the highest heaven…” (Luke 2:14 ). Today we have arrived the last of four Christmas songs: the song of Simeon. This song is often called “the Nunc Dimittis” which means “…you may now dismiss” (Luke 2:29 ) in Latin.

Before we examine the last carol sung by Simeon, let us look at what kind of spiritual characteristic he had. “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him.” (Luke 2: 25). The word, “devout” expresses his dedication toward God, and the word, “righteous” indicates his obedience toward the Word of God. Interestingly enough, in the beginning of our text, Luke 2:25-38, one frequent phrase is “by the Law of Moses or in the Law of the Lord.” Mary and Joseph had performed the three ceremonies according to the Law of the Lord. The first is the ceremony of circumcision. On the eight day after birth, they obeyed God by naming their son Jesus and circumcising him (Luke 2:21 ). The second one is Mary’s purification. She brought a sacrifice to the temple and purified herself from all uncleanliness. The third one is the ceremony of consecration. Mary and Joseph took their firstborn son, Jesus, to present him to the Lord at the temple. That was their expression of faith that their son belonged to the Lord as well as to show their living in accordance with the Word of God. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 : “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” That is what Simeon did. He knew what the Law of the Lord said, and he did it. He was not just a hearer but a doer of the Word of God. I believe that Simeon wanted to walk his journey of faith in the light of God’s absolute standard while he was living in a relative world.

Another repeated phrase in our text is “the Holy Spirit.” Over and over again, the author of Luke describes the role of the Spirit in the life of Simeon. We assume that he was a religious leader since he performed rituals for parents and their babies at the temple. When he did his spiritual duties, he was led by the Spirit. In Luke 2:27 it is said, “Moved by the Spirit he went into the temple courts.” Simeon was filled with the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God… Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger…” (Ephesians 4:30 –31) In his other epistle, Paul uses the phrase “Do not quench the Spirit… Reject every kind of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22) The Holy Spirit cannot dwell in the heart of uncleanness. During his entire faith journey, Simeon examined himself through the spiritual mirror, the Word of God, asked himself whether he was influenced by unrighteousness, and immediately turned away from it. Through his daily devotion to God, I believe that Simeon was guided by the Spirit. With the help of the Holy Spirit, he knew that “he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah” (Luke 2:26 ). With the help of the Holy Spirit, he went into the temple courts when Mary and Joseph brought in their child, Jesus.

One more spiritual characteristic Simeon had is his patience. For an extended period of time, he had been watching and waiting for “the consolation of Israel.” (Luke 2:25 ) We do not know exactly how old he was here, but it has traditionally been believed that he was around 100 years old. The consolation here in this scripture is the Immanuel baby which is taken from Isaiah 7:14 . “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Simeon had believed this promise. I would like to believe that he had asked the Holy Spirit this question, “Is this child the Immanuel baby?” whenever he saw parents who brought their babies to him in the temple courts. The name of Simeon means “God has heard.” During his entire life, Simeon would have requested from God to see the Immanuel Child in his lifetime. For a long time, he had presented the same request to God every day; he kept watching and waiting for the answer. At the appointed time of God, the Lord has heard his desperate prayer.

Let’s take some time to think about the story of the Magi. In Matthew 2:2 they said, “We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” Like the Magi, Simeon had been seeking the truth and looking for the Baby Jesus with all his heart. The reason Simeon waited patiently was because he not only wanted to know the Truth but also to worship the Messiah. He was hungry and thirsty for God. When Mary and Joseph asked Simeon to bless the Baby Jesus, he would have asked the Holy Spirit the same question: “Is this child the Immanuel baby?” At that time, Simeon would hear the Spirit saying to him, “Yes.” Can we imagine how much delight Simeon experienced by encountering the consolation of Israel, the Immanuel Jesus? As soon as Simeon came to realize that the Child was right in front of him, he was overjoyed. He broke out his heart with a song of great praise to the Lord.

Firstly, Simeon expressed in his praise how happy he was: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.” (Luke 2:29 ) Sometimes I hear terminally ill patients express their wishes saying something like: “I could be happy to be with the Lord until my grandchild or great-grandchild gets married.” This is how Simeon felt when he held the baby Jesus. “Lord, I am now ready to go home. Today I can die in peace.” While reflecting on Simeon’s expression, I was amazed at his attitude toward the baby Jesus. We need to ask ourselves: “How excited have we been to meet the Immanuel baby during the Advent season?”

As I mentioned before, the Magi are a good example. They came all the way from Persia to greet the infant King. The famous hymn, “We Three Kings,” describes their journey. They left their homeland and said farewell to their family members. They made a long and dangerous journey, climbing mountains, passing through desserts, and crossing rivers enduring scorching heat during the day and the freezing weather at night. The motivation for this journey was to meet the baby Jesus. In our Advent sermon series, one thing that God wants us to focus our eyes on is the baby Jesus. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us to meet the Immanuel Jesus anew, worship Him, and be filled with true joy during this Christmas season.

Secondly, Simeon was so joyful since he had seen God’s salvation. “…You may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation” (Luke 2:29-30). In this song, Simeon described what he saw and demonstrated his understanding that the Immanuel Baby would bring salvation to all peoples. Here, we need to ask ourselves this question: “Salvation from what?” and “What are we saved from?” Matthew wrote what an angel of the Lord said to Joseph: “She [Mary] will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21 ) In those days, the people of Israel had been waiting for the Messiah who would deliver them from their enemy, the Roman government. However, the Lord’s Salvation, which Simeon saw, is from the Saviour who conquers the power of sin and death.

Even though we live in a society that provides us with marvellous technologies, miracle drugs, and worldwide communication, each one of us has our own problems. When we look at the root of our issues, we can find that our real enemies are sin, death, and Satan. We could not save ourselves from the influences of sin and death. That is why God sent the Immanuel baby into the world. Our Saviour Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead. We can be saved from our enemies when we repent of our sins and recognize Him as our Lord and Saviour in our hearts. In the birth of the Baby Jesus, we too see the Salvation of God.

Thirdly, Simeon continued singing, “which you [Lord] have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel” (Luke 2:31-32). In this baby, he also sees the Light of God who has prepared for all peoples over the years, from the time of Abraham to the one of Joseph and Mary. Here, the word “Gentiles” has not been mentioned in any of the previous songs. Simeon recognizes that this baby is not only for the glory of his own people, but also the light of revelation for the whole world.

The angel said to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. (Luke 2:10 ) Is there any news that is good for everyone? It is hard to find good news for everyone in the world. When the value of Canadian dollars was higher than that of the U.S., customers here in Canada were happy to be able to buy something from America. But the business people in Canada who exported to the States had to struggle due to the strong Canadian dollar. Things happening in our world can often give us relative happiness depending on our interest and situation. But the news of Jesus’ birth is good news of great joy for