+ Timothy J. Lietz + Prayer Service Sermon

Isaiah 61:1-3, 10

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor;he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,to proclaim liberty to the captives,  and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ² to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God;    to comfort all who mourn;
³ to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning,    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;that they may be called oaks of righteousness,the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
    my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
    he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Luke 2:25-32

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. ²⁶ 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.²⁷ 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, ²⁸ he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

²⁹ “Lord, now you are letting your servant^[a] depart in peace,
    according to your word;
³⁰ for my eyes have seen your salvation
³¹     that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and for glory to your people Israel.”

Dear friends in Christ, Lord, now let your servant depart in peace.  These words were spoken many years ago, in the temple of Jerusalem by an old man named Simeon.  God had told Simeon that the consolation of Israel was coming soon, the solace and comfort of the world would enter the world, and Simeon would see him with his own eyes. 

And into his world comes Jesus, at this time, just oer a month old, carried very carefully in the arms of his mother Mary.  And upon seeing the baby Jesus, Simeon shouts, “Thank you Lord, now I may depart this world and life in peace, because I have seen your salvation, just as your word proclaims.”  And at some point after that, Simeon, departs this world through death, as all do.

So why these words on this night?  What difference does this make to us, thousands of miles away, and thousands of years later?  They make all the difference, for just a few nights ago, one of our beloved friends departed this world in peace. A beloved husband, father and friend, Tim Lietz. 

It had been a long fight.  A four year battle against pancreatic cancer.  A battle that Tim always took in stride, with great strength and a smile on his face, always assuring those around him that it was all going “just fine.”  And then these last few weeks, as side effects from the treatment began to hurt his body, even then he fought, until finally, he peacefully slept the last days of his life, and departed this world. 

And just like Simeon in our text today, Tim departed in peace because of Jesus.  Its only through Jesus that we are saved.  Its only by the power of the Son of God that we can be certain of heaven.  We cannot save ourselves.  We cannot overcome death by our own work or goodness.  We need Jesus!

Jesus who came into this world for the sole purpose of destroying the power of sin and death forever.  To take away the turmoil of this world, and to kill it by his own suffering and turmoil on the cross.  So that through his death, we might depart in peace and certainty.

And that peace and certainty is this, that because Jesus died and rose, so too will we.  Because of Jesus we will enter an eternal world devoid of sorrow and pain and suffering.  A world where death does not exist.  All of this because of Jesus. 

In our text today Simeon held baby Jesus in his own hands, seeing with his own eyes the baby who would grant him forgiveness, life and salvation.  And I stand before you today to tell you that the last day he was conscious that Tim also held Jesus, hidden in with and under bread and wine in the Holy Supper of our Lord.  And that in that eating of Jesus, and in His sacrifice, Tim now has peace that we cannot even begin to understand. 

  Tim is now with Christ, in eternal peace and forgiveness.  He no longer suffers.  “Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,” was Simeon’s prayer, and now in Christ, Tim has departed thusly, to rest with his Lord forevermore.  Amen.