Simeon's part in written in blue and Anna's in black.

We don't know much about the background of either character. This dialogue has been written assuming Simeon's character is one of an intellectual. He exudes learning and poise. He is self-confident, polished and refined. By contrast Anna lacks education, and so less articulate than Simeon. She is very down to earth. You may like to give Simeon a metropolitan (or cosmopolitan) accent and Anna a regional one.

Whilst this is a dialogue, both characters are addressing the congregation.

Hello, I’m Simeon and this is Anna. We met here in the Temple, I’ve been coming here for years and years.

I’m 84, you know.

She’s always in the temple, worshipping, fasting, praying – night and day.

Isn’t he lovely, very good; very ….(thinks) spiritual, devout.

We both wanted the same thing. To see the Messiah before we died. We hoped… but we’re getting on in years.

You reckoned God had promised you that.

I did, but we thought it wasn’t going to happen.

But on this particular day, I felt a strange feeling – a comforting feeling, a tingling feeling.. I felt God’s presence with me like I’d never felt it before…

I told him - it was the Holy Spirit; but he never believes me, I’m just woman.

And then I just knew, I just knew that God would be good and let me see the Messiah before I died; so, I came here to tell Anna.

But before I could find her, there was this couple, with their baby. She said he was only a month or so old, dear wee little bearn. They’d come the five miles from Bethlehem to do what our law and custom requires.

A woman is considered unclean after having a baby, so after 40 days if the child is a boy (80 if it’s a girl) she must make a sin offering of a lamb. But I noticed this family were only able to offer two turtledoves..

No, it was two pigeons;

Pigeons, turtledoves, it doesn’t matter, both were allowed if you were too poor to bring a lamb …. anyway, the priest prayed for her and she was cleansed.

You didn’t notice, but I did. They didn’t pay the five silver shekels.

Yes, alright.. You see the law also required that all first born belonged to God; it says so in Exodus; “you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of very womb.”[1] However, God commissioned the Levites to serve in the place of every first-born male, but those children had to be redeemed, bought out of God’s service (if you like) with five silver shekels.[2]

Didn’t happen with this boy. He’s special. He belongs to God. He’d serve God all his life.

I knew he was special. I knew he was the Messiah. God had been good and let me see him.

“ I waited patiently for the Lord;

then he listened to me and heard my cry.

² He pulled me out of a dangerous pit,

out of the deadly quicksand.

He set me safely on a rock

and made me secure.

³ He taught me to sing a new song,

a song of praise to our God.”[3] That what the Psalmist says.

Be patient, God will give you what he promises and what you need.

I asked his parents if I could hold him; and they let me. So, I took him in my arms and praised God, thanking him that I had seen the salvation that he was bringing to his people and that I could now die in peace, knowing that all would be well with the world, knowing that God had kept his promise, not just to me, but to all his people.

That was a metaphor, that was.

What are you on about?

Taking him in your arms. We should all do that, hold him close - take him to our hearts.

Oh...Oh, yes, I see what you mean.

This little boy would be a light shining in the darkness of the world lighting up the path to God and a light to show us all what God is like. He’d be a light that would help us see God’s kingdom grow. A little flame burning bright in people’s hearts helping them live with one another, to care for one another, just as God cares for all of us; and it’ll warm us from within - the light of God’s love.

And that would be for everyone, not just the Jews.

I felt moved to bless his parents. Gosh they were going to need a blessing, they’d have hard times ahead of them.

You didn’t just bless them though did you. You had to tell that poor girl her life wasn’t going to be all light and happiness - didn’t you.

Well, light always shows up the dust and dirt.

The light this boy would shine on the world would show many their failure to love God and live the way he wants us to. His light will reveal the dust and dirt in people’s lives, there’ll be no hiding anything from him.

But, just like you clean out your house, many will want to get rid of the mess of their lives, change their ways and will come to love this baby and follow him, hang on his every word, and God will raise them up and bless them.

And, when light shines there are always shadows; some will feel threatened by him. Some will deny he’s the Christ and call him a blasphemer. They’ll want to do away with him.

Poor woman, so much joy, optimism and expectation with her new baby; but she’d also experience pain. She’d see him treated badly, publicly humiliated, she’d see him die.

He told them all that he did. I heard every word of it.

I knew who this baby was. Praise God I said. It was obvious it was the Messiah. I told very one who’d listen to me.

This Jesus … that’s the boy’s name, Jesus … this Jesus will enable us to have a personal relationship with God. That will make life better now. He’ll help us to cope with adversity, comfort us in our sadness, embrace us in our loneliness, heal our brokenness; and laugh with us in our happiness, celebrate in our successes, and he’ll empower us by his Spirit so we’ll even be able to move mountains.

And then they left and went on their way. But we thanked God, that we’d see him; that he loved us so much we’d been spared so we’d meet him.

We knew our lives had been changed. We felt an inner peace right deep down inside us.

Have you met him? And can you feel it too?

[1] Exodus 13:12

[2] Numbers 18:16

[3] Psalm 40:1-3