A Thought For The Week Of December 12, 2016

"Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word." (Luke 2:29) Simeon could die in peace. He had known that the Messiah was coming, and having seen Jesus, he was basically able to say that to God. "You can take me now or whenever you want. I'm at peace because I've seen him." There seem to be two things going on here. The first is the idea that Simeon's life had been fulfilled by the appearance of Jesus. Everything he had been waiting for - all his hopes and dreams and expectations - had come in Jesus. He needed nothing else. That's a point for Christians to remember today. In Jesus, we find our deepest yearnings fulfilled. Once we encounter Jesus, we find that everything else pales in comparison. Which then leads me to the second point that comes from Simeon's encounter with Jesus. With his life now totally fulfilled, Simeon could be at peace - Simeon could live in peace; Simeon could even die in peace. He had no more needs, no more struggles and no more fears. It was all good - because of the appearance of Jesus. So it should be with Christians today. We should be at peace - able to face the future and whatever it holds (up to and including death) without any fear. Jesus brings complete peace, and knowing that he is a part of our lives should be enough to satisfy us totally. Country singer Tim McGraw sang a song in which he said to "live like you were dying." I think Jesus would understand that, because it's basically what Jesus did. It's not a sombre thought. It's a challenge to those who listen to the song to not hold back - to live each day as if it's our last, and to make sure that we live meaningfully in a way that tries to make a positive difference - because even if it is our last day, we have nothing to fear and we have everything we could possibly need in Jesus. As Simeon said, "my eyes have seen your salvation." All who follow Jesus have seen the salvation of God. All who follow Jesus can be at peace.