Candlemas

This Sunday is Candlemas. So the whole service was relating to Christ as the Light of the World, particularly with the occasion when Mary took her infant Son to the great temple in Jerusalem where they met with Simeon, who had been told that he would not die until he had seen the Son of God. At this point Simeon said what has been rendered into latin as the Nunc Dimittis.

Usually in our Church on the 4 occasions a year when we have Holy Communion, the choir sings the Nunc Dimittis, and today they sang it again as it was so appropriate to Candlemas. All our hymns were on the subject of Christ as the Light of the World. Also there was a reading from Genesis about God creating the light.

I am so happy to be back at Church again as I seemed to miss so much, first of all by being away so much over the festive season and then due to ill health. I looked out the curtains this morning wondering what the weather would be like, particularly after the weather we have been having recently, but, although it felt cold, the temperature was 6.5 degrees (the benefits of having a car which gives the outside temperature!)

The Nunc Dimittis has something of a specil meaning for me. Several years ago now (when I was still a smoker) my health had deteriorated severely, to the point when I was close to dying. At that time. if I had an exacerbation of my illness, instead of sitting up in bed struggling for breath, I lay down and said the Nunc Dimittis and went off to sleep calmly.