In this week’s chapel reading from Luke 2: 22- 40, the prophet Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss[d] your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”

Simeon’s Song has inspired various writers to give their interpretation of the sentiment, “Lord now let your servant go in peace.” Bach’s Ich habe genug, is one example of a musician using musical instruments to express exhaustion. South African hymn writer Owen Franklin has also put pen to paper to give us his interpretation of the Song of Simeon.

One of the fun things about reading scripture is seeing how often people burst into song and praise spontaneously. Unfortunately, we have lost this art of bursting into songs of praise or lament. In church, this genius of bursting into song has been stifled out of respect for the “holiness” of worship. The stifling of spontaneity means that we also lost our childlikeness and the curiosity that comes with being childlike. We need to be mindful about how we create boundaries for ourselves and the girls in our school lest we stifle their freedom to express themselves and learn.

REVD RAKGADI KHOBO
CHAPLAIN