Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, December 21, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
It used to be, in the church I grew up in, that we sang a variation of this text at the end of every church service. It was a proclamation that we had heard the gospel of Jesus revealed and that we were now ready to go in peace into the world. Simeon, of course, wasn’t just talking about leaving the temple. He was basically saying, “I’ve seen Jesus. Now I can die happy.” As macabre as it may sound, we might as well have been singing the same at the end of worship. We never know what will happen at any given moment. And we might not ever make it back to church to hear the word preached again. But we live in the hope of Jesus’ redeeming love, so that no matter what happens, we can know we will ultimately be okay.
Do I trust that Jesus has me, no matter what?