Candlemas, The Story Of Simeon, How Can We Prepare For Death?

This sermon was delivered to Holy Trinity Church in Ayr,

Ayrshire, Scotland on the 2nd February 2025

(a Scottish Episcopal Church in the Dioceses of Glasgow and Dumfries).

“Please join me in my prayer.” Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength, and our redeemer. Amen. (Ps. 19:14).

Introduction:

Today is Sunday the 2nd of February, where we celebrate the festival or feast of “the Presentation of Jesus our Lord”.

We Episcopalians (or Anglicans), are more familiar with the term Candlemas, where candles were traditionally blessed at this festival; to mark the end of the Epiphany season; (exactly 40 days after Christmas). … It is also known to others as the “Feast of the Purification of the Virgin”, … an important ceremony described in Luke’s Gospel where Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem, to complete Mary's ritual purification after childbirth and … to perform the redemption of the firstborn, as written … in Leviticus 12, and Exodus 13.

Now, in our reading this morning, Mary and Joseph on bringing Jesus into the temple, encountered an old man called Simeon, who has been promised by the Holy Spirit that "he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord Christ” in person. … And, they also met an elderly prophetess called Anna, who offered prayers and praise to God, and spoke to everybody about Jesus, and the redemption of Israel.

And that it! That is about all there is too it … but …there is a lot in these verses, (if you look closely) … as they say many things, including the ways in which we should lead our lives … particularly in the anticipation of meeting with Jesus our lord … whether he will appear to us personally, (which has happens to some), or … when we die, and meet him in heaven; either way, we want to be ready for that that occasion.

And Simeon gives us a good template to follow, as he lived his life devoted to God, knowing that he was going to meet the, or his saviour someday, and he wanted to be ready. … And we can therefore understand that Simeon was really preparing himself for death, and the life there after. …

So, by presenting this baby, Simeon (and us), are preparing ourselves … for death. … What a cheery set of readings I have been given again, eh! … In mean, I got the “end of the world prophecies at Christmas” … and now I preparing us all for death. …

But this is a good story, and please stay with me, because Simeon whom we are animating here, was truly blessed, and he was guided by the Holy Spirit long before Jesus was born … and that truly is a blessing on someone from the Old Testament. … So, it is worth looking at this great man, as maybe some of him, may wash off on us.

Looking at this great man Simeon.

Looking to Simeon, we see his first great strength, which was his devotion. Verse 25, “and, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout … and the Holy Ghost was upon him”.

Devotion

Simeon was “just”, meaning that he was honest and true … he possessed a moral character. Today we call that someone with integrity and fidelity; two fantastic qualities we need to attain … and retain … because with them, we gain respect and trust, as we all know.

Simeon was also called “devout”, meaning that he was known for "seeking out things that were from God, and … for doing his best to live up to God’s standards”, and I must say … in case you do not realise it, none of these things are alien to us. …

Yes, we all fail at times … sometimes we fail a lot … but we all do our best … and we know this because it hurts us personally when don’t … but that is the influence of the Holy Spirit, refining us all the time … as mentioned in Malachi, our Old Testament reading this morning. … If God didn’t love us, he wouldn’t bother to correct us?

The Desire

Verse 25 goes on to say that, “(Simeon) … was (also) looking forward to the consolation of Israel … and it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ”. … Guided by the Holy Spirit, Simeon came into the temple that day, also to look forward to the consolation of Israel; (and consolation in this sense meant the peace and solace of Israel to come, and the rescue of Israel from its oppressors).