Dec. 26: Seeing Salvation

Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, Kostko Markovych, 2021. Acrylic on gessoed wood panel, 40 x 40 in.

“Lord, Now Lettest Thou Thy Servant Depart in Peace” from the album Rachmaninoff: Vespers. Performed by the St. Petersburg Chamber Choir. Composed by Sergey Vasilyevich Rachmaninov.

Poetry:

“Candelmas”
by Denise Levertov

With certitude
Simeon opened
ancient arms
to infant light.
Decades
before the cross, the tomb
and the new life,
he knew
new life.
What depth
of faith he drew on,
turning illumined
towards deep night.

SEEING SALVATION

“Seeing salvation,” what does that mean? More importantly, perhaps, what does it mean in the midst of all our seeking and searching? Today, we revisit the witness of ol’ Simeon – a man of justice and devotion, but above all, a man of patience and longing. More than anyone else around the young Jesus, Simeon embodies the kind of eager expectation these devotions want to stir up.

Now, while we tend to focus on this climactic moment in Luke 2, we should probably acknowledge the many years of waiting that preceded that great meeting with the infant Messiah. Consider the most important thing Luke tells us about Simeon: “it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.” To carry around such a promise for years would inevitably change you, dramatically.

So, the image of Simeon needs to be an arresting one, and for this reason, Kostko Markovych’s icon offers us poignant insight into the old man’s experience. Markovych’s images experiment with form and composition in ways that depart from strict iconic conventions and might seem innovative. This is not in service to originality, for the artist says that he tries “to make them as soft and warm as possible” in hopes of a fresh transmission of the spirit of love, faith, and hope.

Indeed, the looming structure of the old man – the deep lines in his face and the sloping curve of his shoulders – do not let us forget about the many years of waiting, but rather, in the presence of his aching hope, we peer with him down upon the Christ Child who holds the scroll and all its answers for what is to come. And, like the many icons that bend time so well, the many years, and even decades of anticipation collapse together into a holy moment of intense glory and revelation. With the deepest joy, Simeon holds our salvation in his very hands.

So, what of us then? Will we have to wait a lifetime like Simeon? Maybe, we will. But maybe we won’t.

Denise Levertov’s poem provides an astounding picture to put beside such questions. Her brief, but beautiful meditation ends: “What depth/ of faith he drew on,/ turning illumined/ towards deep night.” She commends him in concert with how the church has celebrated Simeon for ages, as a man of great faith. Faith that can turn “towards deep night.” And yet, we should not let a beautiful affirmation distract us from the profound thing he himself experienced. As Levertov suggests so delicately, he was “illumined” in that moment of meeting the Christ child because there “he knew/ new life.” Yes, new life is here. It’s breaking in all around us; we just need the eyes of Simeon to see it.

So, let’s be like ol’ Simeon. Await illumination. Give yourself over to the seeking, the thirsting, the longing for God. Look for him in the sanctuary but meditate on him in the night watches. Let your soul follow close behind him and his right hand will uphold you.

Prayer: Simeon’s Prayer
“Lord, now 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 peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

Dr. Taylor Worley
Visiting Associate Professor of Art History
Wheaton College
Wheaton, Illinois

For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, please visit our website via the link in our bio.