Getting ready to be dismissed

Funeral for Lorraine R. Breheim on January 4, 2011


Luke 2:25-32 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all people, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

Think back to second grade. When the bell rang, what would the students do? They’d put their books in their desks, they’d make sure the floor around them was clean, and they’d sit quietly, waiting for the teacher to fulfill her promise of, “When you are ready, you will be dismissed.”
God made a promise to aged Simeon that was similar, but not identical, to the grade school teacher. Instead of “When you’re ready, you’ll be dismissed,” God promised Simeon, “When I’m ready, you will see the Christ-child; then you will be dismissed.” The Lord didn’t give Simeon a detailed timeline – Simeon needed to trust God’s perfect timing instead. So when would this happen? When would he see Jesus and be dismissed?

Second graders only have to wait a few seconds; Simeon had to wait a few decades. Yet, when God was ready … Jesus was born, and just after Christmas, Simeon saw Him. Simeon fully trusted that God’s salvation was in front of his own eyes. Now he would be dismissed in peace. That means he would die, leave earth and go to heaven because of what this baby Jesus would do.

Simeon is a man on tiptoe, wide-eyed and watching for the One who will come to save Israel. Studying each passing face. Staring into the eyes of strangers. He’s looking for someone. He’s getting ready. Patiently vigilant. Calmly expectant. Eyes open. Arms extended. Searching the crowd for the right face, and hoping the face appears today.

Such was the righteous and devout lifestyle of Simeon. And such was the faithful life of Lorraine. She was constantly looking around because she knew what she liked, what she loved and what she needed.

Lorraine liked her sports. Sitting with Spanky at Packer games, then passing her season tickets on to David and her grandson; enjoying the Brewers, but liking the St. Louis Cardinals even more, even traveling to away baseball games; getting to know the ladies on the Racine Fire Bells fast-pitch softball team.

She liked expressing her Christian faith to give money to disabled veterans and knitting blankets for babies for the Red Cross, solving puzzles and playing sheepshead.

Lorraine loved her family – her husband, children, grandchildren, other relatives and friends. She enjoyed traveling a lot and even visited all 50 states with Spanky. And she was always concerned about other people, comforting and praying for others.

Lorraine also knew what she needed. She needed what Simeon needed, what you and I need – forgiveness, peace and salvation. She knew she had been a blind, lost and wretched sinner. That’s why she needed amazing grace. She knew this world is a dark and deadly place. That’s why she needed her Good Shepherd to lead her through this dark valley into the green pastures and quiet waters of heaven. She asked God to accept her just as she was. The Lamb of God came with pardon, cleansing and relief. He took her just as she was and made her just as He is.

Lorraine knew she needed her Savior – needed His Word, forgiveness, peace, Baptism and Holy Supper. Because of the weather, Lorraine hadn’t been to our church for a while, so she called me to ask if I would come to visit her. About a month ago, I rang her doorbell and she let me in, but she said she hadn’t slept well the night before and asked if it could be a short visit. I said that was fine. An hour later, she was still going strong. The Lord gave her that day what she so desperately wanted, needed, was waiting for.

She had a smile on her face and nodded her head during my devotion. She had a tear in her eye as she confessed her sins and received forgiveness for those sins. She was relieved as she received Christ’s body and blood for the strengthening of her faith in the Lord’s Supper. And she was grateful as we prayed Simeon’s two thousand year old Christmas prayer, the same prayer that Lorraine had prayed and sang for decades in church after communion: “Lord, now you let your servant depart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel.”

Both Simeon and Lorraine had faith in their Savior, Jesus. Simeon had faith in the Savior who was coming and would see with his own eyes. Lorraine had faith in the Savior who has come and she is right now seeing with her own eyes.

As Simeon held the baby Jesus in his arms, he looked at that cute baby face and crown of brown hair. That face would be beaten and spit upon, and His head crowned with thorns. Simeon saw Jesus’ chubby fingers clutching Simeon’s beard with playful joy. Those hands would be clenched in pain, pierced with a rough nail. Simeon could see Jesus’ chest rise and fall with every breath and feel His excited heart beating. Jesus’ would take His last deep breath as He cried out, “It is finished!” His heart was pierced with a spear.

The wooden manger became a wooden cross. Jesus’ stayed for a little while in a borrowed stable. He stayed for three days in a borrowed tomb. He fullfilled God’s Law by going to Jerusalem’s temple when He was eight-days old. He fulfilled God’s salvation by opening Jerusalem the Golden’s temple to all believers for all eternity. He closed the gates of hell and opened the gates of heaven.

Would you like to be dismissed in peace? Would you like for your death-day to be calm and not scary, like Simeon? Would you like to be at peace during happy or difficult times, peace during life and in death, like Lorraine? Then listen carefully to God’s promises. Believe in Jesus as your Savior. God has guaranteed that “Whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The Lord has prepared His salvation for the eyes of all people. That includes you.

When you believe in Jesus as Savior, being dismissed from this earth is peaceful. It is no scarier than being dismissed from a second grade classroom. And the best part? In second grade, when you are dismissed, you go home for the night … but then you have to come back to school. But when you are dismissed from this earth, you go home to heaven, and you stay there forever.

I have a second grader who attends our church’s school. At the end of each day, she and her classmates pray: “Jesus, Savior, wash away all that I've done wrong today. Make me ever more like you, good and gentle, kind and true.”

That is the prayer of my second grader as she is ready to be dismissed to go home for the day. It’s a great prayer for all of us – asking Jesus to wash away all that we’ve done wrong that day and then asking Him to make us more like Him. That was really Lorraine’s prayer for her entire life. Now that prayer has found its fulfillment at her death. Because Jesus did wash her sins away with His blood, and now she is like Him and with Him.

She waited patiently for 89 years and now she is seeing salvation with her very own eyes. Now, just after Christmas, Lorraine is not seeing the baby Jesus lying in a manger, but sitting on His throne. For Lorraine has been dismissed to go home for eternity. Amen.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Justified in Jesus

Water into blood and water into wine

Believe It or Not