For those of you who may not want to leave Christmas behind so quickly by
jumping from the manger to Jesus being 12 yeas in one week, here's my
sermon on Jesus taken to the temple as a baby and meeting Simeon. This
text is used for January 1, The Name of Jesus, and for February 2, The
Presentation of Our Lord, neither of which are Sundays, so for you
non-liturgical folks who may not be observing such major feast days, this
text might be an option for this Sunday.
God's blessings to all of you in the New Year!
Dave Tietz
St. Paul Lutheran
Taylor, TX
Luke 2:21, 25-35 Christmas 1
In place of the prescribed Gospel reading for today, I am going to read the
account of what happened to Jesus just after his birth while his parents
were still in Bethlehem, near Jerusalem.
After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he
was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in
the womb.
Now 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. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.
Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when Mary and Joseph
brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law,
Simeon took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,
"Lord, now you let your servant go in peace,
your word has been fulfilled.
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory to your people Israel."
And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about
Jesus. Then 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 so that the inner thoughts of many will be
revealed - and a sword will pierce your own soul too."
The Gospel of the Lord!
It's amazing how quickly Christmas is over, isn't it!
So much time and energy and expense getting ready for the big day, and then
suddenly it's all over. It seems like, for the world, Christmas ends so
abruptly, so suddenly.
At least in the Church, the celebration of Christmas continues, a season
that lasts until January 6, the Day of Epiphany. That's where we get the
12 day of Christmas.
But even with the Holy Family, Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus, within a
short time after Jesus' birth, things began to return to normal.
There had been that holy night of Jesus' birth when the shepherds came to
worship Jesus and told what they had seen and heard - the angels, the
heavenly chorus announcing the birth of a Savior.
It had all been so mysterious, so full of wonder and amazement, and Mary
pondered all these things, keeping them in her heart.
But things got back to normal very quickly for Mary and Joseph:
· There was a newborn to care for,
· They had to find better lodging so Mary could recuperate,
· They still had to register for the census
And there were the customs and rituals of their faith that they needed to
accomplish. And that's what we hear about in our Gospel reading for today.
· According to Jewish law, the child was to be circumcised one week after
birth and given a name.
· Since Jesus was the first-born son, he also had to be dedicated to God.
· And Mary had to go through a ritual cleansing after having given birth to
a child.
All of this requires a trip to Jerusalem, to the Temple, not too far from
Bethlehem.
And it is in the Temple where they once again encounter the mysterious, the
divine.
Simeon was an old man. Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit had revealed to
Simeon that he would not die before he had the privilege of seeing the
Messiah, the one God had promised he would send as Savior and Lord.
We can imagine the scene:
Here's Simeon, an old man with wrinkled skin, a long white beard.
He's standing or sitting in the Temple, meditating in prayer or discussing
the Scriptures with the elders.
Suddenly he stops and looks up. In comes a young man and woman, a timid
peasant couple with a little baby, a bit hesitant and anxious amidst all
the glory and splendor of the Temple proceedings.
As Simeon sees this young family, something sparkles behind his eyes and he
knows, somehow he knows that this is the one, the one that God had
promised.
As quickly as his feeble legs can carry him, with excitement and joy,
oblivious to everything else,
Simeon rushes to the child, takes him from his startled mother, holds him
up so he can see him well, and says,
"Lord, now you let your servant go in peace,
your word has been fulfilled.
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples….
It must have been quite a sight.
Lord, now I can go in peace. It doesn't matter now whether I live or die.
I can go in peace because now I know that you have kept your promise. With
my own eyes I have seen your salvation for all people.
In the church we call this Simeon's Song, or the Nunc Dimittus which is
Latin for "Now I can depart." Simeon's Song is part of our Communion
liturgy, one of the songs for us to sing after having received Communion.
You see, the wonderful thing about this song is that we can sing it today!
Simeon saw Jesus with his own eyes.
But through the eyes of faith, we also see Jesus, and we see something much
greater than Simeon could ever have imagined.
We live on this side of the cross and empty tomb.
Unlike Simeon who likely did not live much longer after he saw the baby
Jesus, we have the privilege of being witnesses to the rest of the story -
to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ where God accomplished his
work of salvation for all the world.
Jesus' birth was just the beginning, the first step in God's plan of
salvation.
When we hear the Song of Simeon, we are pointed forward to the cross and
the empty tomb, the fulfillment of God's "salvation, which you have
prepared in the presence of all peoples."
In Holy Communion we hear the words, "This is my body given for you; this
is my blood shed for you," and we are reminded of all that God has done for
us in sending his Son,
· Not just as a baby in Bethlehem
· But as a sacrifice for the sins of the world upon the cross of Calvary
· And as a promise of eternal life in the risen and victorious Lord Jesus
Christ.
Yes, after we commune, we can join Simeon in saying,
"Lord, now you let your servant go in peace,
your word has been fulfilled.
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples….
---------------------
After saying this, Simeon gives the child back to Mary as they stand there
astonished and wide-eyed.
And then he blesses Mary and gives to her a word of prophecy. And this
prophecy is more difficult, more troubling:
"This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many
will be revealed…"
And then directly to Mary he adds, "and a sword will pierce your own soul
too."
Or as some translations read, "And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will break
your own heart."
This prophecy certainly points us to the events about 33 years later as the
crowd shouts, "Crucify him!"
And Mary stands by in pain and anguish as they drive the nails through his
hands and feet.
Already, just a few days after Jesus' birth, already we are pointed toward
the cross.
-------------------------
It's been said that the reason why Christmas is so popular and joyful is
because babies can so quickly and easily capture your heart. Babies are so
cute and cuddly and lovable, so meek and mild and defenseless.
It's easy to adore a little baby, and then go away.
You don't have to worry about a baby following you.
You don't have to worry about a baby challenging you with difficult ideas.
You don't have to worry about a baby confronting you with your sin and
hypocrisy.
And so all the world celebrates Christmas - the little baby laid in a
manger, adored by shepherds and kings,
And then they pack him away for another year along with all the other
ornaments and lights and decorations until next December.
And they never see Jesus the man.
They never listen to what he has to say.
They never see him suffering and dying for the sins of the world.
They never hear his invitation to "come and follow me."
Yes, for the world, Christmas seems to end so abruptly and suddenly on
December 26.
Even in the church, here we are already, just a week after Christmas,
talking about suffering and death and resurrection.
But whereas the world packs the baby Jesus away for another year, we in the
church allow him to grow up.
We listen, we watch,
We pray, we worship.
Not only as the newborn King,
But also as the crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ
Who died that we might be forgiven,
Who rose from the dead in order that we might live.
Yes, those events at Bethlehem so long ago were just the beginning of the
story.
As we sing in the hymn:
Good Christian friends, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice;
Now you need not fear the grave; Jesus Christ was born to save!
Calls you one and calls you all to give his everlasting hall.
Christ was born to save!
Christ was born to save!
As we contemplate the miracle of Bethlehem, we also remember the events of
Good Friday and Easter.
As we receive the bread and the wine, we also reflect on all that God has
done for us.
And so today we join Simeon in singing:
"Lord, now let us go in peace,
your word has been fulfilled.
With our own eyes we have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared for us and for all people….
Thanks be to God. Amen