Joy
Simeon was waiting for the Messiah. His song of response to holding the baby Jesus is one of hope and joy! Even our new hymnals have more than one version of the Nunc Dimittis. At the end of a service and particularly at funerals we sing the words, ‘O Lord, now let your servant depart in heavenly peace.’ These verses make me wonder . . . do we expect to encounter Christ? In fact, we encounter Christ every Sunday in holy communion at the very least. The next question then is do we respond with the joy and song of Simeon and Anna, infecting all those we meet with God’s grace and life?