Perhaps you have noticed that in the Lutheran Church, our worship has a definite structure. This structure is based on the worship of the Old Testament and the ancient church. However, nowadays many people say the form of worship does not matter, only the feeling you have in your heart. Let everyone sing, clap hands, jump up and dance whenever and in whatever form seems best to them.
Why is this not so? Because the purpose of divine worship is not simply self-expression, not simply entertainment, it is not a "show." Worship must teach us the truth, reinforce the knowledge of the Word of God in our minds and hearts.
That is why our liturgy is basically a recitation of various Bible verses. Every line of our order of service is derived from the Bible. When we receive the gifts of God in the preaching of His Word and the sacrament of the altar, we respond with the same words used in response to God's grace by believers in past ages. The idea is not only to memorize the words themselves, but also to train our emotions in the true perspective. When we repeat the responses of past believers, we learn how to respond to the love of God.
In today's Gospel reading, we find an example of this.
"Ahora, Señor, despides a tu siervo en paz, conforme a Tu Palabra, porque mis ojos han visto Tu salvación, la que has destinado para todas las naciones. Ella es la luz, que alumbra el mundo entero, y llena de gloria de Tu pueblo escogido."
We sing these words every Sunday after the service of the Lord's Supper. The last phrase is a little different in the Reina-Valera translation. In the English liturgy, the words are literally the same as the Reina-Valera:
"A Light to lighten the gentiles, and the Glory of Thy people Israel."
What is the biblical context? It was the custom among the Jews to present a child in the Temple of Jerusalem 40 days after its birth for a blessing. So, 40 days after the birth of Jesus, Jospeh and Mary brought Him to the Temple. Most likely there were many other parents and their babies in the Temple that day with the same objective. But the old man, Simeon, approached this particular family. Perhaps Joseph and Mary were so surprised that they did not immediately react when this stranger touched their child.
But through the power of the Holy Spirit, Simeon had received a promise from God that he would not die before he saw the Messiah. Simeon recognized the baby Jesus as the Messiah, took Him in his arms and said the words that we know well.
What do these words of Simeon mean? This old man had waited many years to see the Messiah and, once he had, did not desire anything more. He was happy with this gift of God and was ready to die. What he said was, now, Lord, You have fulfilled Your promise and my life is complete.
For that reason, we repeat the words of Simeon after the Lord's Supper, because in the sacrament we receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we were to die at that moment, full of the Holy Spirit and God's grace, we would have the sure hope of eternal life.
Look, children, it is normal to think that in our childhood or young adult years that we have many years left on this earth. The Holy Spirit said to Simeon, "You will not die until the Messiah comes," but for most of us there is no guarantee of 75 or 80 years of life. I had a nephew who died when he was three years old. The cancer appeared when he was 18 months old, and for 18 more months he struggled for life.
As long as we are alive, it is never too late to receive the grace of God and the hope of eternal life. But after death, it is too late. After death is the final judgment. But if we have faith in Christ, the hope of eternal life and the love of God, we need not fear death. We may live with the true peace in our hearts. Amen.
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