December 30: Waiting for God
♫ Music:
Simeon Blesses Jesus
Luke 2:25-34
Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.
Simeon
by Luci Shaw
Expectant, though never knowing quite
what he was watching for, the old man
had waited out the years of a long life
to be in the right place,
at the right time.
How many generations of crying babies
brought by new parents into the holy precincts
for dedication? How many innocent doves
wrung by the neck for their blood,
and burned on the altar? Yet, when they
came with their child and their pigeons,
and when the man Simeon, seized by Spirit,
took the infant in his arms, his eyes
looked into the eyes of God; there was
the flash of absolute knowing.
So, as the Law decreed, he gave the child
back to the Master of the Universe, singing
for joy (salvation now had come),
And grief (a sword was in his song).
Here was the fulfillment
of Simeon’s expectation.
Here in the Presentation, he saw the
commencement of the Offering.
WAITING FOR GOD
Simeon is unique among the characters we encounter in the Gospel narrative. Many appear in the nativity story for the purpose of hailing the new Messiah, but only Simeon lived his life knowing that this was his task and destiny. While others were given the surprising grace of an encounter with Christ, Simeon devoted his life to waiting and preparing for a single task: to recognize and bless his Messiah.
Rachmaninoff and Shaw both emphasize Simeon’s long journey waiting for this moment. Shaw reminds us of the strangeness of his vigil. Simeon is, “Expectant, though never knowing quite what he was looking for.” Rachmaninoff reminds us that Simeon’s wait is not his alone. Rather, he is the last in a long line of watchmen. The piece begins with a slow, rhythmic pattern sung by the chorus, suggestive of the steady progression of footsteps. The tenor soloist enters into this already proceeding motion, emphasizing Simeon’s unique role not as the one who awaits the Messiah, but rather as the last one to await him.
By contrast, Gelder illuminates Simeon’s joy in the moment when his vigil is finally rewarded, portraying a radiant Simeon standing and praising God at the sight of this long-awaited Messiah. While Anna’s focus is on the child, Simeon’s song of praise is directed to the God who charged him with a lifetime of watching for this moment.
Perhaps no other character in scripture has a more focused or more momentary mission than Simeon. Imagine a lifetime of faithfulness and waiting, watching as each new infant is brought into the temple and wondering if this one, finally, is the Messiah. Simeon must have known days marked by profound impatience and disappointment. Why was God delaying so long? And then, one day the Spirit moved and Simeon made his way into the temple. He saw the child and accomplished his single task: to bless God and hail his Messiah.
The singularity of Simeon’s focus, the way his entire life had been building up to this moment, is perhaps most poignantly evidenced by his prayer. It is easy to forget in the excitement of his blessing that in that same moment Simeon asks God for the release of death. Rachmaninoff makes this point profoundly with the final descent of the basses. These steps follow Simeon down to his grave, a place to which he is more than content to go. His long wait is finally finished, and he can set down his mantle knowing that the Lord’s salvation is at hand.
As I contemplate Simeon, I wonder whether I am willing to live a life so marked by a single focus, and a focus not on myself. Am I in the thrall of a mindset that insists on my own importance, fulfillment and accomplishment, or could I make it my life’s goal to wait in faithfulness to do one task for the Lord? Can I submit my life to the work, so simple and yet so important, of recognizing my Messiah when he comes?
Prayer
And since it is of thy mercy, O gracious Father, that another day is added to our lives; We here dedicate both our souls and our bodies to thee and thy service, in a sober, righteous, and godly life: in which resolution, do thou, O merciful God, confirm and strengthen us; that, as we grow in age, we may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Book of Common Prayer (1928)
Janelle Aijian
Assistant Professor, Torrey Honors Institute
Torrey Honors Institute
Simeon’s Song of Praise
Aert de Gelder
Oil on canvas
Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague, The Netherlands
About the Artist and Artwork:
Aert de Gelder (1645 - 1727) built a career imitating Rembrandt van Rijn's style. From 1661 to 1663, De Gelder was one of Rembrandt's last students in Amsterdam. He returned to his native Dordrecht in Holland, but the experience was unforgettable. Painting principally biblical subjects and portraits, de Gelder retained Rembrandt's naturalness, sympathy, and human warmth. Like those of his master, de Gelder's Old Testament scenes display strong, warm color; Oriental types and costumes; and interest in the scenes' human aspect. To vary textures, de Gelder applied paint with his thumb, fingers, and palette knife. He also scraped and scratched into the wet paint with the butt end of his brush, a technique he probably learned from Rembrandt. Over time, de Gelder gave Rembrandt's palette a Rococo flavor by lightening it and using pinks and violets. While de Gelder's contemporaries recognized him as Rembrandt's best pupil and closest follower, they also considered him an eccentric living in the past, using broken dabs of color when smooth surfaces and elegance were the chief aims of the new Rococo style.
About the Music:
“Lord, Now Lettest Thou Thy Servant” (from Rachmaninoff Vespers, Op. 37)
Lyrics:
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
About the Composer:
Sergey Vasilyevich Rachmaninov (1873-1943), born in Semyonovo, Russia, is today remembered as one of the most formidable pianists of all time and the last truly great composer in the Russian Romantic tradition. At the St. Petersburg Conservatory his burgeoning talent came into full flower; he received the personal encouragement of Tchaikovsky, and, a year after earning a degree in piano, took the Conservatory's gold medal in composition for his opera Aleko (1892). His All-Night Vigil was composed and premiered in 1915. Russia was in political turmoil at the time. It’s not surprising that Rachmaninov was looking to write something more introspective than usual. The composer, an Orthodox Christian, had a deep and very personal religious faith, which he expresses beautifully through this unaccompanied set of choral prayers. They are separated into two parts: the evening Vespers and the morning Matins, both full of exquisitely rich harmonies. Rachmaninov considered All-Night Vigil his greatest musical achievement.
About the Performers:
Paul Hillier (b.1949) is a conductor, music director and baritone. He specializes in early music and contemporary art music, especially that by composers Steve Reich and Arvo Pärt. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music, beginning his professional career while a vicar-scholar at St Paul's Cathedral, London. His concert début was in 1974 in London's Purcell Room. Since 2003, Hillier has been Chief Conductor of Ars Nova (Copenhagen). Hillier has recorded a number of solo albums and in 2008 he was appointed Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the National Chamber Choir of Ireland.
http://theatreofvoices.com/
The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir is a professional choir based in Estonia. It was founded in 1981 by Tõnu Kaljuste, who was its conductor for twenty years. In 2001, Paul Hillier followed Kaljuste's tenure, becoming the EPCC's principal conductor and artistic director until September 2008. The repertoire of the EPCC ranges from Gregorian Chant to modern works, particularly those of the Estonian composers Arvo Pärt and Veljo Tormis. The group has been nominated for numerous Grammy Awards, and has won the Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance twice.
http://www.epcc.ee/en/
About the Poet:
Luci Shaw (b. 1928) is a Christian poet. Shaw studied at Wheaton College, Illinois and is now Writer in Residence at Regent College, Vancouver. She lectures on art and spirituality, the Christian imagination, poetry-writing, and journaling as an aid to artistic and spiritual growth. She has published ten volumes of poetry and numerous non-fiction books, and has edited and collaborated on multiple other works, including several with her dear friend Madeleine L'Engle. Shaw usually works in free verse, and typically her poems are short. Nevertheless, in tone and content, she affiliates most readily with the transcendental poets, often finding in natural details and themes the touch of the eternal or other-worldly.
www.lucishaw.com/