You Now Have Set Your Servant Free
Preaching
The Life Of Christ And The Death Of A Loved One
Crafting The Funeral Homily
A Funeral Homily For The Feast Of The Presentation
Canticle: Nunc Dimittis
Lord, you now have set your servant free,
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel. (BCP p. 120)
There is a story in Holy Scripture about Jesus as a newborn infant, all of 40 days old. His parents, Mary and Joseph, took Jesus to the Temple to present him to God. According to an old Jewish custom, they offered an animal sacrifice of thanksgiving and dedication to God.
An odd thing then happened. A very old man named Simeon walked into the Temple, took the baby Jesus into his arms, and praised God saying, ''Lord, you now have set your servant free, to go in peace as you have promised, for these eyes of mine have seen your salvation ...''
And then an even stranger thing happened: Simeon turned to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and said that Jesus would turn things topsy--turvy, and looking at Mary, he said: ''And a sword will pierce your own soul, too.''
This event in the Temple, as told by Luke, is known as the Presentation, which we celebrated a few days ago, and it offers much for us to reflect on this day as we gather for the burial office for our beloved friend N.
First, Simeon supposedly said to Mary: ''A sword will pierce your own soul, too.'' That was perhaps Mary's first inkling that Jesus' death would occur before her own; that
this new life which would bring joy to the world would also bring sorrow to her.
This mixing of joy and sorrow we call grief. N.'s life has brought joy to our lives; N.'s death is also like a sword piercing our own soul. So we feel grief today, because somebody we love and whose life enriched ours will no longer be with us in that same way.
I suspect that Mary went home from the Temple that day with mixed emotions: joy that her healthy newborn had gone to the Temple for the very first time; sorrow and confusion and frustration at the words of Simeon; and uncertainty about what sword would pierce her own soul.
In our grief, we too will go home today with mixed emotions. Sadness, sorrow, grief; wondering how we will get along from day to day, knowing things can't ever be quite the same. We will go with fear for the future. So take time to grieve. Take time to grieve in a way that is comforting for you; whether it's talking to others, or crying, or needing some time alone. But make sure you take the time to grieve.
Secondly, Mary and Joseph offered up their son to God with gratitude. They ''presented'' him; they dedicated him to God. That is what we do this morning. With open hands, we commend N. to God with gratitude for the life we have had the privilege of sharing.
What are the things about N. for which we are especially thankful? Talk about them; rejoice in them; remember them; celebrate them. Give thanks for all the goodness and courage which have passed from the life of N. into the lives of others. Give thanks for a life's task faithfully and honorably performed. Give thanks for N.'s sense of humor and love and affection and strengths. Keep gratitude alive.
Finally, in the story of the Presentation, we read that as Simeon picked up Jesus in his arms, he recognized the infant Jesus as the long--expected Messiah. And then the old man Simeon said to God, ''You now have set your servant free, to go in peace as you have promised.'' Setting his eyes on Jesus, recognizing and embracing him as the Savior of the world,
God's servant Simeon was now ready to die - to go in peace, as he put it.
Can you say today that you have laid your eyes on the Messiah? Have you recognized in Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world? A person who has seen Christ is no longer afraid to die, and can say with Simeon, ''You now have set your servant free, to go in peace as you have promised ...''
It is the confidence of those who believe in the Lord Christ and follow him that, just as Jesus was presented to God in the temple, one day at our death, we too will be presented to God.
May we be presented on that day with pure and clean hearts by Christ our Lord. All glory be to God, and to Christ our Lord, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Presentation, BCP, p. 239)
Canticle: Nunc Dimittis
Lord, you now have set your servant free,
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior,
whom you have prepared for all the world to see:
A light to enlighten the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel. (BCP p. 120)
There is a story in Holy Scripture about Jesus as a newborn infant, all of 40 days old. His parents, Mary and Joseph, took Jesus to the Temple to present him to God. According to an old Jewish custom, they offered an animal sacrifice of thanksgiving and dedication to God.
An odd thing then happened. A very old man named Simeon walked into the Temple, took the baby Jesus into his arms, and praised God saying, ''Lord, you now have set your servant free, to go in peace as you have promised, for these eyes of mine have seen your salvation ...''
And then an even stranger thing happened: Simeon turned to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and said that Jesus would turn things topsy--turvy, and looking at Mary, he said: ''And a sword will pierce your own soul, too.''
This event in the Temple, as told by Luke, is known as the Presentation, which we celebrated a few days ago, and it offers much for us to reflect on this day as we gather for the burial office for our beloved friend N.
First, Simeon supposedly said to Mary: ''A sword will pierce your own soul, too.'' That was perhaps Mary's first inkling that Jesus' death would occur before her own; that
this new life which would bring joy to the world would also bring sorrow to her.
This mixing of joy and sorrow we call grief. N.'s life has brought joy to our lives; N.'s death is also like a sword piercing our own soul. So we feel grief today, because somebody we love and whose life enriched ours will no longer be with us in that same way.
I suspect that Mary went home from the Temple that day with mixed emotions: joy that her healthy newborn had gone to the Temple for the very first time; sorrow and confusion and frustration at the words of Simeon; and uncertainty about what sword would pierce her own soul.
In our grief, we too will go home today with mixed emotions. Sadness, sorrow, grief; wondering how we will get along from day to day, knowing things can't ever be quite the same. We will go with fear for the future. So take time to grieve. Take time to grieve in a way that is comforting for you; whether it's talking to others, or crying, or needing some time alone. But make sure you take the time to grieve.
Secondly, Mary and Joseph offered up their son to God with gratitude. They ''presented'' him; they dedicated him to God. That is what we do this morning. With open hands, we commend N. to God with gratitude for the life we have had the privilege of sharing.
What are the things about N. for which we are especially thankful? Talk about them; rejoice in them; remember them; celebrate them. Give thanks for all the goodness and courage which have passed from the life of N. into the lives of others. Give thanks for a life's task faithfully and honorably performed. Give thanks for N.'s sense of humor and love and affection and strengths. Keep gratitude alive.
Finally, in the story of the Presentation, we read that as Simeon picked up Jesus in his arms, he recognized the infant Jesus as the long--expected Messiah. And then the old man Simeon said to God, ''You now have set your servant free, to go in peace as you have promised.'' Setting his eyes on Jesus, recognizing and embracing him as the Savior of the world,
God's servant Simeon was now ready to die - to go in peace, as he put it.
Can you say today that you have laid your eyes on the Messiah? Have you recognized in Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world? A person who has seen Christ is no longer afraid to die, and can say with Simeon, ''You now have set your servant free, to go in peace as you have promised ...''
It is the confidence of those who believe in the Lord Christ and follow him that, just as Jesus was presented to God in the temple, one day at our death, we too will be presented to God.
May we be presented on that day with pure and clean hearts by Christ our Lord. All glory be to God, and to Christ our Lord, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Presentation, BCP, p. 239)
