Over the past few years the BBC have run a number of series called the 101 things before you die. 101 places to visit before you die, 101 things to do before you die and 101 things to eat before you die.
What they do is get people to write in and suggest their favourite and then they put them into a top 100 list and do a countdown to the nations favourite.
Over the series we have seen great places in the world; people suggested Florida in the USA, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the favourite number 1 spectacular place to visit was the Grand Canyon. My favourite place is Singapore which came in at number 39. (my age! cough)
On the favourite things to do there was meeting mountain gorillas in the wild, bungee jumping, seeing an active volcano and swim with dolphins. The number one was to see a tiger in the wild.
Things to see included the Pyramids in Giza, Egypt, and the number one was to see the Taj Mahal. Not the Indian restaurant in Batley – the palace in India.
Now I was on the Internet one evening and came across an appeal for people to write in with their favourite food for a programme 101 things to eat before you die. The producers would pick one person to film about their favourite food – you would have to tell the camera why this was your favourite and if you were the number one favourite then they would pick one person to take to the favourite place and be filmed eating the favourite food all expenses paid by the BBC. I thought WOW – that would be nice now what’s my favourite food? Well it’s fish and chips on a wall outside a chippy in Leeds.
But then I thought – if you are going to win you don’t want to go to a chippy wall in Leeds you want to go somewhere special – so I wrote a little article and sent it in about my visit to the North of Norway and about eating reindeer meat whilst watching the sun never set in the land of the midnight sun.
Well it came in at number 39 and the BBC came to film me talking about eating reindeer in the land of the midnight sun and it was featured in the programme. Sadly I never got my free trip to the North of Norway. The winner was a fish and chips and the lucky winner got to go to Leeds and be filmed eating it on the wall outside the chippy. Was it my greed for a free holiday or the BBC’s budget constraints? You decide!
Many of us never get to see the 101 things to see before you die but in our in our Bible passage we hear about a number of people, one of whom the priest Simeon who actually go to see the thing he had been waiting for all his life and having seen it he said that he could now die in peace.
He got to see the Messiah – the number one thing he wanted to see. He saw Jesus. Let’s have a look at the account in Luke’s Gospel.
The Gospel write Luke was a very well educated man – a Doctor of medicine. He was a companion of the Apostle Paul and (Paul was the write of much of the New Testament letters) but Luke also wrote the book of Acts.
Luke wrote his Gospel account of the life and works of Jesus to someone called Theophilus. This translates as “God Lover” and I like to think that he’s written his Gospel for God lovers everywhere not only to this specific person Theophilus.
And he wrote his Gospel account is his very scientific factual manner, in very rich educated Greek language in Rome around 26 - 47 years after Jesus’s crucifixion. He wrote his Gospel based on eye witness testimony so that can be sure that these things are factual. (Luke 1)
Our passage says that the boy Jesus was taken by his Parents, Mary and Joseph to the temple in Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. It was the tradition Jewish tradition the first born son would be sacrificed to God along with a lamb and a dove. Although the animals were killed the human’s thankfully were not but were presented as living sacrifices – with the promise that they would serve God in their lives. If the family were too poor to have a lamb (as in Mary and Joseph’s case) then a pair of doves or pigeons was sufficient.
And the priest in the Temple was Simeon. It says that he was a righteous and devout man. He had been waiting all his life for one thing – God had told him that he would see the Messiah before he died. He had been filled with the Holy Spirit and that day the same spirit told him to be in the temple.
The moment that Simeon saw the baby he knew exactly who this baby was.
He knew instantly that this was the promised Messiah. And he praises God and says that he doesn’t need to see anything else – he’s seen Jesus.
29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.
30 I have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared for all people.
32 He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel!”
“You can dismiss your servant in peace”, he says. God – nothing else matters anymore – it doesn’t get any better than this – as you promised God I have seen “the light” – I can die happy. This baby is the number one thing to see before you die and I have seen him!
Well I don’t know about you but if I had taken my son to the church to be baptised or blessed and the priest said that he was the Messiah I’d be rather surprised and if this fitted with previous visits from angels and the like I’d be amazed at the comments. And Mary and Joseph were amazed.
Simeon blesses the whole family and goes on to say to Mary:
“This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
Simeon is saying that Jesus will be a mixed blessing – he will bring great joy to some people but he’ll be the stumbling block for those who oppose Him and his Father. And he predicts too that Mary will suffer deep anguish – which indeed she did on seeing her son crucified on the cross.
There are many passages in the bible that talk of Jesus bringing joy to some and trouble for others. (Matt:10)
So far in this passage we have encountered Mary, Joseph, Jesus and Simeon. And we also encounter a priestess Anna. Anna was widowed after 7 years of marriage had been living a life to the age of 84 as the equivalent of a nun – she lived in the temple. She too saw Jesus that day and from that moment she told everyone about Him.
The passage concludes with Mary and Joseph returning to Nazareth and Jesus growing Stronger becoming wiser and the grace of God being on him.
I want to look at the people in this passage to see which, if any we can relate to for our lives and pick out some messages for us.
First of all we have Simeon. Having seen Jesus he can die in peace.
Well, this sounds a bit terminal to me. Am I saying to you today that you should strive to see Jesus so that you can die in peace?
Well actually Yes – I am.
As Christians we talk about a new life in Jesus, and being born again. Jesus Himself died on the cross but rose again. And because He rose again we can rise again with him. If the life that you are living isn’t a righteous life then maybe THAT life has to die BUT A NEW life has to start. If you are thinking “there has to be more to life than what I have so far had” then you maybe need to cast that life away and take up a new life – a fresh new life. If you feel that you have no peace and have the feeling that there is a peace available but so far it has somehow eluded you then it would be good to get rid of that feeling of restlessness and find the life of peace. (Not a death of peace – a life of peace) Jesus promised, everlasting life, eternal life, the way the truth and the life. Paul referred to Jesus as the “Author of life” (Acts 3:15)
Simeon was filled with the Holy Spirit and he embraced Jesus and then he said to God that he could die because he had now found true peace. So you too can be filled with the Holy Spirit, you too can embrace Jesus and then you can find peace. The old life dies and the new life begins when you embrace Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
So we could follow the example of Simeon.
We could follow the example of Anna. Anna lived in the temple – in my NIV study bible it suggests that this may have been literal as it says in the NLT – i.e. sleeping and eating in there or it may mean that she spent a lot of her virtually all her time serving God in the Temple. She was a good church worker and worshipper – there are a few people here whose partners might say “you never leave that Church – you just about live there”
Whatever the translation, after she met with Jesus she went around telling everyone about Jesus.
Are we following this example of Anna. Once you have met with Jesus you could find yourself talking about Him to people. This is one of the ways in which we can be sure that we are Christian – it’s one of the signs (not the only sign) you talk about him with other people. You find yourself singing about him or humming a tune or saying a prayer to yourself. And if you do any of these things it’s a sign that you have encountered Jesus.
Mary and Joseph – what did they do? Well in the passage it says that having given their respect to God (followed the Law of Moses) they went home. Of course there are many accounts about what happened after this – especially with Mary but here in this passage it says they went home and presumably got on with day to day life. These two people were the closest people to Jesus.
Friends – having encountered Jesus and having marvelled at the realisation that he is God that has come into your life you may not have to abandon your life and become a monk or a nun. That may eventually be your calling BUT it’s OK to go home and get on with living life as a lover of Jesus. It’s a normal life – Joseph was a joiner and in the days before power tools he was probably a very strong and fit man – he was a builder. If your job was honourable before you met Jesus then it’s OK to carry on.
Continue to marvel at Jesus and worship him – but followers of Jesus go home and get on with living life to the full.
And there is still one person in the passage that we have not focussed on yet. That is Jesus Himself. The passage says that he grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom and the grace of God was on him.
What does the bible say about being strong?
1 Corinthians 15:58
So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
Always work enthusiastically for God – NOTHING you do is useless, that means whatever you do for God it’s USEFUL.
1 Corinthians 16:13
Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.
Ephesians 3:17
Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
What does the bible say about wisdom?
Titus 2:12
And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God,
James 1:5
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
Ask and you shall receive – seek and you shall find.
James 3:13
If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honourable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.
James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favouritism and is always sincere.
Jesus stayed close to God his Father and God’s grace was on him as he grew in strength and wisdom.
As Christians we are all called to follow Jesus. When Jesus was a young Christ he stayed close to God, grew in faithfulness, strengthened and grew in wisdom. Attributes we too should aim for.
In summary: Can you learn something from Simeon – an encounter with Jesus meant that the old un-peaceful life could die but a new life of peace and joy can begin. Yes you can die in peace after meeting with Jesus but you will live in peace first and it’s a FACT that Christians live longer than none Christians – Simeon lived to a ripe old age.
Like Anna – are you talking to everyone about Jesus.
Like mary and Joseph – go back home and get on with living this new life to the full.
And like Jesus – Accept His grace, strengthen your faith, Grow in confidence in Him and seek God’s wisdom.
So, the title of this talk today was 101 things to see before you die – well numbers 2 to 101 are up to you and you may or may not get the opportunity to see them in your lifetime. But the number one thing to see, is Jesus.
Shall we pray
