February 2nd is the feast of the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of our Lord in the temple. On this occasion the elderly priest Simeon beheld in his arms the infant Lord Jesus Christ. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ, so now when he came face to face with his Lord he declared: “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace.” Having met His Lord, having seen salvation, He was now prepared for death.

This song of Simeon, known as the Nunc Dimittis (Latin for: now you dismiss), is sung by us after we’ve eaten and drunk the Lord’s Supper. Singing this song after the distribution is a particularly Lutheran addition to the liturgy in the 19th century, but it’s stuck and has been part of our tradition now for nearly 200 years. Oftentimes liturgical changes are made with very little theological thought, but this one carries great weight.

This is a particularly powerful point in the Divine Service. Just as Simeon sang these words as he beheld the infant Christ in his arms, so now we sing these words after we have beheld the Lord’s Christ in His body and blood. Only in faith could Simeon see that a little baby was truly Christ, and only in faith can we see that the bread and wine is truly Jesus’ body and blood. In the Sacrament we touch the Lord and receive His peace in eating and drinking. In the sacrament we see the Lord’s salvation in the person of Jesus Christ. Receiving the Lord’s Salvation prompts Simeon to burst forth in song, and the same is true for us.

In receiving the Lord’s body and blood Simeon was prepared for death. So, too, the Christian. In beholding the body and blood of Jesus in the sacrament, the Christian is prepared to die, since we have everlasting peace with God. When a Christian is possibly nearing death the pastor visits and the Christian hears the words of the Nunc Dimittis, and is ready to depart in peace. At the end of the funeral service we again hear the words of the Nunc Dimittis, and are comforted to know that the deceased Christian has departed in peace. Indeed, death is difficult to face, and yet we Christians who behold the Lord’s Christ are prepared for death, and every Sunday we receive the peace of the Lord so that with all the faithful we may depart this life in peace.

The Peace of Christ be with you always,

Rev. John Henry Koopman