This morning we’ve transferred a “minor observance” of the church year—- The Presentation of the Infant Jesus at the Temple——to a Sunday. Why? Because it is one of my favorite days of the church year and I for one think it should be a “major” observance. But nobody asked me. Why do I love this story of Mary’s purification and Jesus’ Presentation so?
Because it’s a pivot point for Jesus, for Mary and Joseph and for us.
Our focus turns from the crib of Bethlehem to the cross of Calvary.
Christmas has left the building, my friends.
Today, Mary, Jospeh and Jesus travel to Jerusalem to Present themselves at the Temple.
It’s 40 days after the birth of Jesus and being devout Jews they have two things to accomplish—- Mary must be purified in the baths of the Temple--traditional for all Jewish women 40 days after giving birth—-and, because Jesus is their first born son, He must be presented to God.
All of this is the regular, normal task of a Jewish couple.
But once the Holy Family enters the Temple? All sense of normal flies out the window. For when they walk in, they are noticed, they are seen. Really seen.
Earlier in the day Simeon, an aging priest of the Temple, felt a nudge, heard a call—- something compelled him to get himself up to the Temple for there was something there for him to see....and as soon as they walked in, Simeon knew why he was beckoned....for the light to enlighten the nations, the Savior, the Messiah was here...in the person of this 6 week old baby cradled in Mary’s arms.
Simultaneous to Simeon seeing—- really seeing—- Jesus, Anna, a Woman who after being widowed after seven years of marriage has determined to live her days out within the temple, praying without ceasing, pulls out of her prayerful trance and notices, sees, is drawn toward the baby.
Together these two elders embrace the baby and rejoice—- the wait is over—-Messiah is here.
For the most part, Mary and Joseph have taken this whole pregnancy and birth thing as calmly as they can. They’ve been pondering things, trusting as we say in 12 step context, that “more will be revealed.”
Today, on this 40th day after Jesus’ birth, more is being revealed.
This gift from God, entrusted to Mary and Joseph, is indeed something, someone unlike anything else before.
I had a parishioner who wrote an icon of this scene for me. In it, Mary’s eyes are wide, her ears burning and her heart is full even as she hears that this same mother’s heart and soul will be pierced along with Jesus’s body atop that Calvary hill.
My friends, with this story our focus does indeed turn from the wonder of The manger to the horror of the cross.
But as Simeon sings throughout the temple—- the horror of the cross isn’t the end of the story but rather the beginning. For while our hearts are pierced on Good Friday, they soar on Easter morn. And we never have Good Friday without Easter.
But that’s not the only lesson from this story....the bigger lesson, the lesson your vestry just spent the weekend wrestling with is, do we, people of the crib and the cross but more importantly, people of the empty tomb, see what Simeon and Anna saw? Do we notice Christ in our midst? Do we notice where the light of Christ is needed, do we carry his light into those areas and to those people who are trapped by the darkness of this world?
For our job isn’t to worship an empty tomb, or a horrid cross or even a baby in a manger—- our job is to worship the living God by being the living God to all whom we encounter. ////
My friends...do we see what Simeon and Anna see? A Savior in our midst, the messiah who emboldens us to be the Light to enlighten our entire world. Starting here. Starting Now.
Christmas has left the building and our work, our work continues as we scatter the darkness and spread Love in the name of God our Creator, Jesus our Redeemer and the Holy Spirit our Sustainer in all things. For there is darkness out these doors, a darkness waiting for the Light to illuminate our world, to bathe our world in love. Let us be led out these doors to do this work. Today and always. Amen.
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