Sunday's Message - The Song of Simeon: A Song of Hope (Luke 2:22-35)

Some of our best memories of Christmas involve singing some of our favorite songs and carols. Whether they’re secular or sacred, they remind us of the reason for the season and the sheer joy that’s possible during this very special time of year. And so, with that in mind, we’re going to spend some time talking about the "Great Songs of Christmas” but not necessarily the ones we associate with this holiday. Instead, we’ll look at some of the advent songs from the Bible, passages that had meaning then and can have meaning right now. During four weeks, we’ll consider the following:

• December 1 - The Song of Zechariah: A Song of Praise
• December 8 - The Song of Mary: A Song of Trust
• December 22 - The Song of the Angels: A Song of Joy
• December 29 - The Song of Simeon: A Song of Hope

During the service on Sunday, December 29, we used Luke 2:22-35 to better understand the song of the Simeon: a song of hope. Below is a podcast and the text of the sermon. You can stream our Sunday services by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

Well, here we are, the last Sunday in 2024. And at the Rudiger house, Christmas is in the books. I mean, on Wednesday morning we opened all the presents and on Thursday afternoon, I took the paper and boxes to Waste Management for recycling. And on Wednesday evening I took all the meat off the turkey carcass and we finished up the stuffing for supper on Thursday. And even though I was still listening to Christmas music yesterday before I started to work on the sermon, I’ve got to tell you, it really didn’t feel the same. But then why should it? Christmas 2024 is over, and Jordan will no longer have to track Santa’s movements for about eleven months. And in three days, we’ll be entering 2025.

And because of that, this morning we’re finishing the series we started at the beginning of this month, you know, dealing with the Great Songs of Christmas. And during this time, we’ve talked about the song of Zechariah, a song of praise, and the song of Mary, a song of trust, and the song of the angels, a song of joy. And since this is the last message in the series and it’s now after Christmas Day, it just seems right to end this by looking at what Simeon had to say when Mary and Joseph presented Jesus at the Temple, a song that I believe has to do with hope. 

Of course, I think anything related to hope is absolutely appropriate as we enter a new year. And given what we’ve gone through in the last twelve months, I think it makes a lot of sense having the current year portrayed as an old man, because I’ve got to tell you, at this point in 2024, man, I feel pretty old myself. I mean, I just plain feel worn out by everything we’ve endured since last January. For example, I’m definitely feeling physically tired and certainly emotionally drained and probably a little bit spiritually discouraged. And you know, I think it’s really hard for tired, drained and discouraged people to feel anything close to optimism and confidence and hope. Now, that’s how I’m feeling on this last Sunday in 2024, but I really don’t think I’m alone. As a matter of fact, even if you feel energized by the last twelve months, looking at two and half months of winter weather has got to have some impact on your personal hope meter.

And so, I think a song of hope could surely come in handy for most of us. And like I said, that’s exactly what we’re looking at this morning. You see, during this message, we’re going to use this song of Simeon to better understand how we might feel more hope as we move into the new year. And to do that, we’ll use the same basic structure we’ve followed during the last three sermons. I mean, first, we’ll consider the context for Simeon’s song. And then, second, we’ll look at the song itself. And then, third, we’ll consider what it might mean for us right here and right now as we move forward. Now that’s what we’re going to do, because I believe that, when we listen to Simeon’s song, we can find hope as we enter the new year.

But to understand the song itself, we really need to spend a little time looking at its context, in other words, the stuff that happened right before Simeon started speaking. Of course, I think we’ve all got a pretty good idea about the broader context. I mean, unless you’ve been under a rock or something, we all know the story, you know, how

Mary was engaged to Joseph and traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, and while they were there, she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn. [Luke 2:5-7, CEV]

I mean, dah. And we know that, after the angels had made their announcement and after they had sung their song and

After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about.” They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay. [Luke 2:15-16, CEV]

Now that’s what I think you could call the big picture context, stuff we already know.

And as it related specifically to Simeon, well, this was what Luke wrote:

The time came for Mary and Joseph to do what the Law of Moses says a mother is supposed to do after her baby is born. 

They took Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem and presented him to the Lord, just as the Law of the Lord says, “Each first-born baby boy belongs to the Lord.” The Law of the Lord also says parents have to offer a sacrifice, giving at least a pair of doves or two young pigeons. So that is what Mary and Joseph did.

At this time a man named Simeon was living in Jerusalem. Simeon was a good man. He loved God and was waiting for him to save the people of Israel. God’s Spirit came to him and told him that he would not die until he had seen Christ the Lord.

When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to do what the Law of Moses says should be done for a new baby, the Spirit told Simeon to go into the temple. [Luke 2:22-27, CEV]

Now that was what happened before Simeon even opened his mouth. 

And I’ll tell you, all this led to the song itself. You see, right after Mary and Joseph had brought Jesus to the Temple and right after the Spirit told Simeon to go into the Temple himself, according to the Evangelist Luke, this was what happened:

Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms and praised God,

“Lord, I am your servant,

    and now I can die in peace,

because you have kept

    your promise to me.

With my own eyes I have seen

what you have done

    to save your people,

and foreign nations

    will also see this.

Your mighty power is a light

    for all nations,

and it will bring honor

    to your people Israel.”  [Luke 2:28-32, CEV]

Now that’s what he said, but Simeon didn’t stop there. I mean, after he’d said his piece, Luke wrote this:

Jesus’ parents were surprised at what Simeon had said. Then he blessed them and told Mary, “This child of yours will cause many people in Israel to fall and others to stand. The child will be like a warning sign. Many people will reject him, and you, Mary, will suffer as though you had been stabbed by a dagger. But all this will show what people are really thinking.” [Luke 2:23-35, CEV]

Now this was Simeon’s interaction with Mary and Joseph and particularly, the baby Jesus. And I want to pause here for just a minute and consider why this is significant. You see, in expressing his hope, I think Simeon did three things that are really important. I mean, for one, he saw fulfilment in this tiny, little baby, and I’m talking about the fulfilment of God’s promises to his people, something Simeon had been anticipating for a long time. That’s one. And two, after seeing the fulfilment, Simeon celebrated what God was doing and would do through this child, you know, how he had saved his people and how God’s power would be a light to the nations and how this one he held in his arms would bring honor to Israel. That’s two. And three, at the end of his time with the holy family, Simeon recognized that the way to fulfillment, well, it was going to be challenging, involving rejection and pain like a dagger through the heart. You see, as he expressed his hope, I think Simeon hit on all three of these ideas.

And I’ll tell you, that’s why I believe this song of hope can also be meaningful to us. You see, as men and women who may already feel a little tired and a little drained and a little discouraged as we move forward into a future that’s both unknown and maybe kind of scary, I think we can find a source of genuine hope by doing the three things Simeon did.

For example, first, I believe we can find hope by looking for God in simple things. Now, I recognize generally that’s not what we tend to do. I mean, often we’re looking for God in a strong wind that can shatter rocks or in an earthquake or in fire. In fact, we may be so busy looking for God to touch our lives in grand and dramatic ways, we may miss his presence in a gentle breeze or in the form of a baby who was laid in a manger and greeted by shepherds. But that doesn’t have to be the case. You see, if we choose to look, we can see God in the sun that rises every single day or in the faces of the children that are in our lives. And we can see him in those little acts of kindness and concern that we’re going to miss if we’re not really looking. And we can certainly see him in this place, in this community, in this church. You see, he’s here every time we get together and sing the songs and pray the prayers and hear the word and share in that same Holy Spirit. But to see him in all these simple ways, we may need to look at life from a different angle, something I think Jesus challenged folks to do in this passage from Luke:

Some people brought their little children for Jesus to bless. But when his disciples saw them doing this, they told the people to stop bothering him. So Jesus called the children over to him and said, “Let the children come to me! Don’t try to stop them. People who are like these children belong to God’s kingdom. You will never get into God’s kingdom unless you enter it like a child!” [Luke 18:15-17, CEV]

You see, if we want to find hope, we may need to look for God in simple things. And in my opinion, that’s the first thing we can do.

And second, we can also intentionally celebrate what Jesus did and is doing. And for me, that’s another way to find some hope. You see, just like Simeon said, Jesus is still God’s salvation, but not just for me or for you but for all people, and I’m talking about those whom we like and those whom we don’t, folks who follow the rules right along with those who do their own thing, men and women who are fortunate to grow up in God-fearing families and to live in comfortable Christian homes as well as those who were raised with virtually no knowledge of God and who’ve been dumped on by the some of those whom the world considers “righteous.” Man, he’s still a light to the nations and a glory to Israel. You see, it’s through the infant whom Simeon held that the words of the Apostle Paul are going to be realized. Just listened to what he wrote:

Christ was truly God.

But he did not try to remain 

    equal with God.

Instead he gave up everything 

    and became a slave,

when he became

    like one of us.

Christ was humble.

He obeyed God and even died

    on a cross.

Then God gave Christ

    the highest place

and honored his name

    above all others.

So at the name of Jesus

    everyone will bow down,

those in heaven, on earth,

    and under the earth.

And to the glory

    of God the Father

everyone will openly agree,

    “Jesus Christ is Lord!” [Philippians 2:6-11, CEV]

I’m telling you, if we want to find hope, we can intentionally celebrate what Jesus did and is doing. And for me, that’s the second thing we can do. 

And third, we can also recognize that life can be challenging. In other words, instead of assuming that, because Jesus is savior and Lord, we can look forward to feeling “inright, outright, upright, downright, happy all the time,” we can recognize that life isn’t always frozen peaches and cream. But listen to me, having a more realistic perspective, that’s a good thing, because if we expect only health and wealth and happiness, man, we’re going to be disappointed. And disappointed people have just about as much chance of finding hope as the Indianapolis Colts have of winning the Super Bowl; I’m talking about slim to none. No, we need to hear about the Father who loved the world so much that he gave his only son to die on a cross. And we need to hear about the Son who lived and died and rose again to give us direction and forgiveness and peace as we move through an often harsh and unforgiving world. And we need to hear about the Holy Spirit who surrounds us and fills us with love and grace and faith even on our worst day. As a matter of fact, when we’re tired and when we’re drained and when we’re discouraged, we need to remember the kind of tough love Paul had in mind when he wrote this:

Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? It is exactly as the Scriptures say,

“For you we face death

    all day long.

We are like sheep

on their way

    to be butchered.”

In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! [Romans 8:35-39, CEV]

Trust me, if we want to find hope, we can recognize that life can be and probably will be challenging. And I think that’s the third thing we can do.

Now regardless of how much we’d like to remain in 2024, if only to relive those wonderful political ads that filled our mailboxes every day and that popped up on television every ten minutes, it ain’t going to happen. For good or for bad, in three days, we’ll be in 2025. But you know, even if we’re leaving this old year a little bit tired and drained and discouraged, we don’t have to be hopeless. As a matter of fact, I think we can find genuine hope when we decide that we’re going to look for God in simple things and that we’re going to celebrate what Jesus did and is doing and that we’re going to recognize that life can be challenging. In other words, as we move past Christmas into a new year, we can decide that we’re going to listen to the song of Simeon, a song of hope.