Everyone should have a bucket list. This is the short list of experiences and expectations a person dreams about enjoying before they “kick the bucket.” Not surprisingly, the older I get, the fewer items remain on my bucket list. Travel to Africa and India, check. Skydive, check. Get my doctorate, check. Write a book, check. One friend warned me that I shouldn’t complete my list too quickly as a completed bucket list meant death was imminently around the corner.
At Christmas we meet a man who had a bucket list. Simeon was a devout Jew who had been “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25)—the coming comfort of a Messiah who would restore God’s people. The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he wouldn’t die until he had seen the fulfillment of this promise. So, this aging saint held tightly to his one-item bucket list.
Simeon was in the temple court one day, perhaps oblivious to the usual activity of worshippers coming and going, daily sacrifices, and the noisy din of money being exchanged and animals traded. Suddenly, his eye caught sight of a young peasant girl and her husband. They were unspectacular among the crowd that day. And, they had come to fulfill the Law by consecrating their infant son 40 days after his birth. Offering their modest sacrifice of two doves, the couple turned to leave the temple when Simeon interrupted.
“Excuse me, may I see your child?”
No doubt, Mary and Joseph had been asked the question before. Children were a cherished gift in Israel, and who wouldn’t want to see a tangible expression of God’s blessing? Even today, it’s not uncommon for a stranger to pay a passing compliment about another’s newborn.
But this was different. Simeon took the infant in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32)
Simeon’s short song has classically been called the Nunc Dimittus—Latin for “Now Dismiss.” Holding the Savior close to his heart, Simeon cried out, “Take me home, God! I can die a happy man! I have met Your peace sent to the world and now I am at peace. My bucket list is complete!”
NOW DISMISS
Simeon’s story teaches us that Christ is found by those who seek Him.
It was not enough that the Spirit assured the old man that he would one day see the Messiah. Simeon set about searching, keeping his eyes and his heart open. This is the pattern of others in the Christmas story. The Magi in the east saw a great star and followed it to the place where the baby lay. The shepherds heard the heavenly chorus and went to Bethlehem to see what God was doing. People found Christ when they took time to look for Christ.
God has sent us a precious gift in Jesus Christ. He is a gift worth searching for. And the Bible assures us that He will be found by those who search. The promise found in the Old Covenant (“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”—Jeremiah 29:13) is repeated in the New Covenant (“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened”—Matthew 7:7-8). God does not wish to remain hidden. He is discovered by those who seek.
Simeon’s story also reminds us that once we’ve seen God’s salvation, we can die in peace. When I was a child, I begged my parents for a 10-speed bicycle, a BB gun, or a stereo for Christmas. I guaranteed them that, if I got what I wanted, I would be “the happiest kid on earth.” It never worked.
Because nothing but Jesus brings peace.
When Simeon held Christ, he discovered a gladness that nothing else on earth can bring. Hold Christ close to your heart, enter into an abiding relationship with Him, and both your living and your dying are contented. Nothing else compares to the eternal treasure we gain in Him. Saint Augustine wrote, “Thou hast made us for Thyself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.”
Only one item is necessary on your bucket list of life: Find Jesus. Seek Him and savor Him every day. Having peace with Jesus, you will be able to come to the end of life and say to God, “Now Dismiss”—I have found my greatest treasure.