Magnificent Milestones

A Series on Advent
The hymns of Luke’s birth narrative: The Nunc Dimittis by Simeon
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Luke 2:21-35 

[In Luke’s Gospel, there are four songs attributed to different individuals that were involved in the story of Christ’s birth. In this series, we will look at the meaning of those songs, how the person(s) or angels were involved in the birth story and what it means for us today.]

  

In 1974, I graduated from Michigan State University. As a student, even though we weren’t very good, I had season tickets for football. Winning the Big Ten and going to the Rose Bowl was unthinkable. However, in later years, the worm turned.

 

In 2012, my wife and I attended the Outback Bowl where we watched the Spartans defeat the Georgia Bulldogs in triple overtime. In 2015, I went to the Big Ten championship game where, following a long fourth quarter drive, we defeated Iowa. In 2016, my wife and I couldn’t justify the cost of attending the Rose Bowl. Instead, we bought a big screen TV and watched the Spartans defeat Stanford.

 

These are wonderful memories that I never thought were possible in 1974. Thankfully, I was able to fulfill my Spartan dreams. Having seen the Spartans reach these magnificent milestones, I could have said… “now I can die”.

 

At the time Jesus was born, the people of Israel had been anxiously anticipating the Messiah for well over a millennium. This expectation was rooted in God’s covenants with Abraham and David, reinforced by the prophets, and intensified under foreign oppression. When Jesus was born, the expectation was ancient, deep, and urgent!

 

Simeon was a righteous and devout Jew who had longed for the coming of the Messiah. He had miraculously received a direct revelation from the Holy Spirit telling him that he wouldn’t die before seeing the Messiah.

 

In order for Jesus to be consecrated according to the Law of Moses, forty days following his birth, Mary and Joseph made the five-mile trip from Bethlehem to Jerusalem. That same day, the Spirit led Simeon to the Temple where Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus were.

 

When Simeon saw them, he knew that the Lord had fulfilled his promise. He took the baby Jesus in his arms and praised God proclaiming what is now known as The Nunc Dimittis, which means “you may now dismiss”. Here are Simeon’s words.

 

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!”        NLT

 

After seeing the Spartans’ reach their magnificent milestones, it would have been melodramatic for me to say… “now I can die”. But it wasn’t melodramatic for Simeon who said, “let your servant die in peace”. In fact, Paul said something similar when he wrote the following to the Philippian church.

 

^20b And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. ²¹ For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. ²² But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So, I really don’t know which is better. ²³ I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. ²⁴ But for your sake, it is better that I continue to live.       NLT   Philippians 1

 

It would have been easy for Paul to just quit or retire from ministry. Afterall, he’d reached many magnificent milestones. But Paul knew that he had been called by Christ to minister to the needs of others.

 

As followers of Christ, we too are called to minister to others – no matter how we’re feeling. Therefore, as Paul wrote, let us “bring honor to Christ”.

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

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