Nunc Dimittis – Simeon’s Song
Hi, on this page I will be sharing, reviewing, and recommending resources for children’s, family, and all-age, church-based work. I love to explore and discover new ideas, and creative ways of supporting this fantastic ministry. It’s such a privilege to serve the church and to help make worship meaningful and fun for children and families. I hope you’ll find my ideas and recommendations helpful.
The Nunc Dimittis or the Song of Simeon is not only a popular anthem for worship but has been used in all sorts of settings by many book authors from Roald Dahl to John le Carré.
Luke Chapter 2 tells us about Simeon – 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 on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 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, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
The Nunc Dimittis is sung at evensong to mark the ending of the day. Simeon was said to be a devout elderly Jew who had been waiting patiently for the coming of the Messiah. I love the phrase that talks about ‘the consolation of Israel’. This refers to Isaiah chapter 40:
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for.
So now that he has met the long-awaited Messiah, in the person of the infant Jesus, Simeon prays to the Lord to let him depart in peace. Simeon may have been feeling old and tired, but at last he was ready to leave this earth now that the prophecies had been fulfilled.
I love the words of ‘comfort and tenderness’ associated with this song. At this time of year after a very long January some of us maybe feeling tired, aching, and exhausted with the dreariness of winter, waiting for the comforting warmth of spring and light nights to appear and rejuvenate us. Simeon’s song brings tender, loving hope to us all – at long last he realises salvation has finally come into the world in the form of a new life, a new hope, light, love, and joy, to all people through the birth of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, and our Lord.
LET US PRAY
Get into a comfortable position – some find that a blanket or prayer shawl wrapped around them helps to enclose us and focus our prayers on God. Others prefer to kneel or to lie flat on the floor. Read out loud this verse from 2 Corinthians 1 as a prayer:
All praise to you Lord God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. You comfort us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort you Lord God have given us. Amen
Look at the picture and meditate on the verse from Isaiah 40 v 31:
But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
RESOURCES
Beside Still Waters: Words of Comfort for the Soul by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
The Message of Hope by Eugene Peterson
My Hope Is in You: Psalms That Comfort and Mend the Soul Paperback by Bill Crowder
I love the image of Simeon by the Christian artist Ron DiCianni for information on him visit:
https://www.rondicianni.com/