For many, many years the man named Simeon had risen early each morning to bathe his feet, and say, in Hebrew, the morning prayers his father had taught him; . . . the morning prayers said in every devout Jewish household since . . . since . . . since forever.  . . . And one morning, while Simeon prayed, the Lord God Almighty interrupted him, . . . and He said to Simeon that the time was soon that Israel shall have the redemption for which Simeon and every devout Jewish household in Jerusalem prayed; . . . the time was so close, the Lord God Almighty said; . . . the time was so close that Simeon would not see death before he had seen the Christ, Israel’s redeemer.

    Simeon was told this quite a few years ago, but he believed God’s word and never lost hope, because he knew, from hearing the words of the Prophet Isaiah, that God’s reckoning of “soon” is not like our own.  . . . And so, one morning Simeon arose as was his custom . . . and bathed his feet . . . and said his morning prayers.  And then Simeon went out to get the morning news . . . and a bagel for breakfast . . . and something to fix for supper.  . . . But on impulse (with no particular purpose in mind); . . . just on impulse Simeon decides to drop by the Temple.  . . . And as he enters the Temple, Simeon sees, cradled in the arms of a young woman; . . . Simeon sees his heart’s desire.  Simeon is moved to wander into the Temple for no particular purpose, and he encounters Jesus; . . . he sees, in the countenance of that infant child, his salvation; . . . Simeon sees in the countenance of that infant child his salvation from the burden of the profanity which washes all about him like sewage; . . . salvation from his own participation in the profanity of humanity’s staggering blindness.  . . . Simeon sees God’s salvation and light in the infant countenance of Jesus.  . . . Simeon goes to the Temple for no good reason at all, and he encounters Jesus . . . and becomes a vessel of God’s grace by explaining to us Who this infant is(!):  a light to enlighten the nations, and the glory of His people Israel; . . . a light to heal humanity’s blindness, . . . and the crown jewel of Judaism’s faithfulness.

    . . . The prophet Malachi tells us that

The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; . . . [and] he is like a refiner’s fire; . . . he will purify [the priesthood of believers] . . . [so that] they present right offerings to the Lord.

But, at the bidding of the Holy Spirit, Simeon now explains to us that the fire of God is not a fire that burns but Light that enlightens; . . . that the refinery of God is not punishment . . . but Redemption!  . . . The Lord God Almighty has not purified us by burning our sins from us; . . . He has purified us by making us a new creation; … He has purified us by the sacred death of His Christ . . . so that we who are baptized into Christ’s Death and Resurrection might be born again.  . . . And the crucified and risen Jesus has set His Holy Spirit as a guard over our innocent lives to continually remove sin whenever we ask.  . . . For, as the Apostle writing to the Hebrews observes,

he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people.  For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.

    And so, here we are, like Simeon; . . . here we are, not because we necessarily intended to be here, . . . but because the Holy Spirit inspired us . . . and we consented.  . . . Here we are, the priesthood of Christ, whose privilege it is to present right offerings to the Lord.  . . . Here we are, prepared to offer and present unto our heavenly Father our selves . . . our souls and our bodies . . . to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice.  And our heavenly Father, adoring and cherishing this right offering of ourselves to Him, . . . fills us with the grace of Jesus, . . . so that we might be sent out from here as vessels of the divine Light which enlightens the nations; . . . which enlightens profane humanity . . . who continues to struggle with staggering blindness.