25Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what was customary under the Law, 28Simeon took Him in his arms and praised God, saying:
29“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised,
You now dismiss Your servant in peace...
36There was also a prophetess named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, who was well along in years. She had been married for seven years, 37and then was a widow to the age of eighty-four.dShe never left the temple, but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38Coming forward at that moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the Child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2)
Anna and Simeon were older. Some could wonder why they were left there. They may have wondered the same thing on occasion. But they were left alive by God for a reason. They gave confirmation to the calling and the person of Jesus as the Savior of the world. There are people who have given up on hope because they are sick, or because they are discouraged and do not see a productive future for themselves. In our day, people are cast aside as nothing if they start taking away money instead of adding money to the family. We devalue the human soul when we devalue the poor or children or the elderly because they do not add to our bottom line right away. Jesus came as a baby to show us that God values babies. He gave value to Simeon and Anna just by being there. In our secular culture it is all about the money- and nothing about the soul. Often in a nursing home someone will ask, “Why am I still here? I can’t work? The most common age for men to have a heart attack is 65- the age of retirement. You would think it would be younger with the stress of work-but many put their identity and hope all in their work so that when they retire they lose their purpose. So the elderly say to themselves, “I am costing my children their inheritance”- which often they provided by the way. It is a bit crazy- secular people want to hang onto this life scratching and clawing because we think there is no heaven, but then we want to end this life because we are not productive and medicine and care costs so much. We have the ability to keep someone’s heart pumping seemingly forever- and I am not advocating that. I am advocating to allow people to end their life with God’s timing and God’s way- and not play God. One general rule is: “Do not harm.” I have seen a woman lead a nursing aid to Christ a week before her death because of her faith and trust in God in the midst of pain. Just because you do not understand your purpose does not mean there is none- God has a purpose for your life- right where you are. Christians are called in scripture to trust in God at the end of their lives. We are called to do what Simeon did at the end of life and say, “Now, Lord you can let your servant depart in peace.”
Prayer: Lord, Give me grace to know that you have a purpose for everyone . Help me to value the soul more than money. Give me wisdom and balance at the end of life so that I may trust in you.
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