"Master, now you
are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your
salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples …"
The words from today’s reading are very familiar words.
"Lord, let your servant depart in peace." We recognize this passage, if not
these exact words, then at least some variation. How many times have we heard the words
"Go in peace, serve the Lord!"? Most church services end with these words, and
almost every letter in the New Testament ends with some sort of similar benediction or
reminder to the Christian people. Over the last four years at Wartburg College I have
heard our campus pastor say these words on an average of five times a week. The words that
I had heard so many Sundays as a child took on new meaning for me at Wartburg. Pastor
Trachte has added one word to this sentence that has made all the difference to me, and
that one word is LOVE.
"Go in peace, LOVE, and serve the Lord."
I’ve often wondered why these words came at the end of the
service, but it really makes perfect sense. Our call as Christians is simply to love God.
He asks for nothing else from us. When we love God, we are able to love ourselves, our
neighbors, and through that love we can serve. As we prepare to leave worship and head out
into the world, we are reminded of our job as a Christian.
"Go in peace, LOVE, and serve the Lord."
With all of life’s trials, sometimes it is hard to "Go in
peace." And sometimes it is even harder to "Serve the Lord." As Mary left
the temple after presenting Jesus to the Lord, she heard Simeon say the words from
today’s reading. Mary knew that her son would die. Knowing her son would suffer
probably made it difficult to depart in peace or have a desire to serve the Lord. However,
Mary always had love for God and out of that love came the desire to serve and follow God.
I Corinthians 13:13 tells us that "faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the
greatest of these is love." As we walk through life desiring to serve, we must have
love in order for service to mean anything.
As we continue through Lent, we remember the pain of a mother. Mary
knew the fate of her son, but she also knew that he would die so that other servants, like
us, could depart in peace, to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God!
Prayer: Lord, as we hurry through our busy lives, help us to stop and
look around us at those who need your love. Help us remember that we are your instrument
of love in this world often torn with hate. Help us to share the love of your son who died
with others through our words and actions today. Amen.
