"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to you, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer."
Isaiah 61:10-62:3
Luke 2:22-40
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"), 24and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
25Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. 27Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
33And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed--and a sword will pierce your own soul too."
36There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
INTRODUCTION:
In one particular Christmas pageant, the children had sung all the songs; the Wise Men had brought their gifts of fancy bottles and cookie tins. The little shepherds had milled around nervous and bored as they looked at the baby in the manger. The angels in tennis shoes had shouted out their message of hope and joy. The star had been lit. Mary and Joseph, who didn't like each other in real life, had knelt as reverently as possible, trying not to touch each other, in front of the doll in the manger. The whole congregation joined in singing Silent Night. There was a round of applause and then all the cast members began to leave. Hurried and unruly, they pushed their way off the stage, eager to get to the punch and cookies that were waiting for them. Pretty soon, the only ones who remained were Mary, Joseph and the baby. Joseph turned to go. And Mary began to follow.
All of a sudden, from the audience a little voice hollered out, "Hey! You forgot the baby Jesus! Don't forget Jesus!" Sure enough, Mary glanced back at the crib and the doll who was supposed to be Jesus was still there. In her embarrassment, Mary stomped over, grabbed the baby by the foot, and went running off stage.
Mary had almost forgotten Jesus. This is the Sunday after Christmas. All the presents are unwrapped. The stores and the radio stations have quit playing Christmas carols. The Christmas commercials have come to a grinding halt. For most folks, Christmas is over and will soon be packed away to await another year. For most people, promises have been kept and wish lists fulfilled. And now it's time to get on with something else. Now it's time to lose all that weight we've gained from all the Christmas parties.
But like that little voice at the end of the Christmas pageant, I want to holler out, "Hey! Don't forget Jesus!" The pregnant promise and hope of this season has been delivered. The expectation and anticipation has been fulfilled only to reveal more anticipation, expectation and excitement, all of which comes from knowing that the birth of the Christ Child is simply a preview of coming attractions. The birth of the Christ Child is just a glimpse into the future glory and grace of God in Christ.
I. SIMEON AND ANNA:
A. Not everyone was privy to that message that first Christmas. Everyone wasn't filled with anticipation, expectation and excitement over the birth of this baby. Very few people were even expecting him. But there were two people, the characters from our Gospel reading this morning who were expecting Jesus. They had waited a long time for that moment and they got a glimpse of the future, they got a preview of coming attractions.
Mary and Joseph were very devout Jews. They took the laws and practices very seriously, so they left the "It'll Have To Do Motel" in Bethlehem and headed to Jerusalem and the Temple to participate in three religious rites required by the birth of the first born son. First, there was circumcision, which is the mark of the covenant God made with Abraham. It is then that a male child receives his name and his identity.
Second was the dedication of the first born through the sacrifice of two pigeons or two doves. This ritual recognized that the first fruits of all creation belong to God. Last, there was the ritual purification for mothers who had just given birth. All of these had to be attended to, for they pointed to the fact that Jesus came as an act of God not to destroy the old covenant but to fulfill it.
B. There in the Temple we meet Simeon and Anna. They personified all that was good and right with Judaism. In Simeon and Anna we see the best of Judaism, we see all that made God's covenant with Israel Holy and meaningful. They had dedicated themselves to God and could be found at the Temple every day. Simeon and Anna were everything the Scribes and Pharisees were not. No wonder God made the promises to them which were made.
Both of these people were extraordinarily patient. God had promised that they would live to see the coming of the Messiah. That would be like getting a message from God telling us that we would be the first ones notified when Jesus was coming back. Scripture doesn't tell us how long they lived with this knowledge. I've always assumed that they knew for a very long time.
If so, Simeon must have gotten discouraged at times. Day after day, month after month, year after year Simeon waited for the promise to be fulfilled. He looked into the eyes of everyone he passed in the Temple, waiting to hear the voice of God say, "This is the one, Simeon! This is the one you've been waiting for."
At times he must have despaired and grown impatient praying the words of David in Psalm 13:1, "How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?"
Anna was a widow and had been a widow for somewhere between 50 and 60 years. Her husband had died after only seven years of marriage. After his death, she dedicated herself to God. She spent the remainder of her life in prayer and fasting. She became a prophet and was so dedicated to worship in the Temple that they gave Anna her own small room in which to live.
That day when Mary and Joseph came to fulfill their part of the faith, Simeon and Anna were inducted into God's Conspiracy of Grace. God expanded the list of collaborators from Mary, Joseph, the Wise Men, Angels and shepherds to include two of the most respected figures at the Temple. These were the kind of people everyone wanted their children to grow up like. And God made them accessories. God gave each of them a glimpse of the future.
II. THEIR GLIMPSE:
A. Simeon not only got to see a glimpse of the future, he got to hold it in his arms. In that moment his life was fulfilled. In that one moment, he knew that God kept God's promises and that all of Israel and the world would be redeemed. It set his heart on fire and put life back into his old self. I imagine that forever afterwards people would look at the light in Simeon's eyes, the grin on his face and the spring in his step and be amazed. They would turn to each other and ask, "What's gotten into him?"
Simeon's change was all because he had gotten a glimpse of the future. He had heard the promise and gotten a glimpse; that's all it took. Sometimes all it takes IS one glimpse. The Christmas our oldest son was ten, he had asked for a bicycle. Not just any bicycle but a Bandit BMX bicycle. He pointed it out to us one day in the store. That's all he talked about for three months before Christmas. Of course we got the bicycle. We put it on layaway that very day. I picked it up a week before Christmas. Still in the box, I wrapped it and brought it home. Then, in a very conspiratorial way, I asked him to help me carry it into the house. I told him it was a set of bookshelves which Mom had asked for. We slid it in behind the tree.
When Christmas morning came, he kept wanting to give Mom her big present and I kept telling him to wait. Finally, all the presents but one were open. We told him to pull it out and then pointed out a card that was hanging on the tree. We told him to open the card first. He opened the card and it read, "Paul, open the big box." He started tearing the paper off and uncovered a hand hole for carrying the box. And whatever it was that he saw through that hole was just enough of a glimpse to give the whole thing away. That one little glimpse was all that he needed to know what was in the box. He leaped across the floor and hugged my neck and then went running to hug Mary's neck. All it took was one little glimpse.
B. That's all it took for Simeon AND for Anna. Anna not only got to hold the future in her arms, but immediately afterwards, she went and told others about the fulfillment of the promise which she had held in her heart for so long. Her life was fulfilled by the glimpse and she wanted others to catch the vision, the dream, the hope which that glimpse had engendered in her.
Simeon and Anna saw the possibilities; they saw the hope of the world. They saw the future. Their lives were complete and they wanted others to know the reason. It was all because they had been given a preview of coming attractions, they had been given a glimpse of the future through this baby.
III. OUR GLIMPSE:
A. It's that preview of coming attractions, that glimpse of the future which draws us here every Sunday. For the glimpse we have been given is a life changing glimpse. When Simeon looked at Jesus, he looked to heaven and said, "my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." In Jesus, we have been given a glimpse of God's plan for humankind. And that plan involves hope, forgiveness and salvation.
In one of her articles, Erma Bombeck told of a little boy named Donald who talked about education and the fears of going to school.
"My name is Donald, and I don't know anything. I have new underwear, a loose tooth, and didn't sleep last night because I'm worried. What if a bell rings and a man yells, "Where do you belong?" and I don't know? What if the trays in the cafeteria are too tall for me to reach? What if my loose tooth comes out when we have our heads down and are supposed to be quiet? Am I supposed to bleed quietly? What if I splash water on my name tag and my name disappears and no one knows who I am?" (1)
Life is like that sometimes. Who am I kidding, life is like that most of the time. Most of the time we're scared spit less of what the future will bring. Most of our stress and tension comes from dealing with the unknown.
God knew that! That's precisely why God put on our flesh and blood and came as Jesus. He came to blaze the trail. He came to show us the way. He came to walk with us every step of the way. Even when we splash water on our name tags and no one knows who we are, Jesus knows who we are and He is there to hold us up and guide us through the most difficult times of life.
B. God stooped down and entered the doorway of human experience in Jesus. That's what Simeon and Anna saw.
Simeon's glimpse of the future was both exciting and frightening. His words about Jesus would make any mother's heart beat with joy AND her hair stand on end at the same time. Jesus really was the "falling and rising of many in Israel" and of many around the world throughout all time. Mary's soul really was pierced with a sword. Why? Because the very presence of the Son of God in the world made people choose. Just as Jesus makes people choose today.
In His own time there were two completely different responses. One group: rich, arrogant, busy, self-satisfied; saw Jesus in uninspiring black and white. He was an intruder, a threat, bad news, a rival to their power and they tried to get rid of Him.
The other group: poor, hoping, humble, hungry, those who loved and worshipped God above self; received Christmas in living color. For them, Christ's birth was an occasion to celebrate and turn their lives around. It was a drama of hope and thanksgiving for God's Good News.
People still have to choose today. Some are still piercing the soul of Mary by choosing the wrong side. Maybe you heard about what happened in Denver a couple of years ago. They had to shut down the Santa displays in eight of the Denver Malls because someone was threatening to blow Santa Claus away. If it had only been one letter they might have ignored it, but they received numerous letters and faxes warning them that the "fat man" was going to get it.
People are still choosing to ignore Jesus, the Christ, even in the Holy Land. It wasn't too long ago that a pipe bomb was disarmed in Manger Square in Bethlehem. It's absurd isn't it? People still don't get it, do they?
But then, that's why we're here. That's why the Church's first purpose is to "Go and Tell" and make new disciples. We're called to continue to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to a world that is hurting and lost. We're called to proclaim the Good News of the forgiveness of sins to a world that has either forgotten Jesus; chosen not to follow Jesus; or has never heard the Good News that Jesus is the Savior of all the world.
CONCLUSION:
A three year old little boy and his grandmother were studying a plastic model of the human heart. They located all the chambers and arteries. When they were finished the little boy asked innocently, "Where's the love, Grandma?" (2)
That's a question we all ask from time to time. "Where's the love?" Without Jesus, there would be no love. Jesus is the heart of God, who reveals the depth of God's love for us. Christmas and the new born baby still challenge us.
The glimpse we have been given calls us to choose. No matter how we celebrate Christmas, we can't forget Jesus. He is the reason for the season. His birth is but the beginning, a glimpse of the future, a preview of coming attractions. His birth reminds us how much we are loved, and the extent to which God would go to prove that love.
His birth and life call us to choose. We know how Simeon and Anna, Mary and Joseph chose, but the real question of this season is how do you choose?
This is the Word of the Lord for this Day.
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1. Homiletics, January - March 1993, p. 33.
2. Country Woman Magazine Mar/Apr 93, p. 15.