The Presentation Luke 2:22-40 "Simeon praised God" 1

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1 The Presentation Luke 2:22-40 "Simeon praised God" 1 There's a tacky old joke about a Sunday school teacher who asks her class, "What happened on Easter day?" There is stunned silence. Only little Johnny raises his hand. "Teacher, Easter is the day when Jesus comes out of the tomb." "Very good Johnny. Do you know what happens next?" "Yes teacher. If he sees his shadow, he goes back into the tomb and there'll be 6 more weeks of winter." On the church calendar, February 2 is never called Groundhog Day. February 2 is the Feast the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple. It falls on a Sunday once every seven years or so. Trivia: In the old days in Europe, people used to get their candles blessed for the year--a sign of Jesus' light shining in the world. You may see reference to this day as Candlemas. They also would also make weather predictions on the Feast of the Presentation. In America, that custom eventually morphed into Groundhog Day. In a real way, the Presentation brings the larger Christmas season to a close. Christmas proper ended after 12 days. But the last event narrated in Luke's Christmas story falls 40 days after Jesus birth on February 2. In Luke's Gospel, the Presentation of Jesus completes the story of Christmas. Lk ch2 (bulletins) There are two things happening on this 40th day after Christmas. There are two Jewish ceremonies that Mary and Joseph are observing: the Presentation and the Purification. This is a reminder that Christianity did not grow up in a vacuum. Jesus was Jewish. His parents were Jewish. And they lived in observance of Jewish Law. First is the Presentation of Jesus itself. Luke begins, v22 "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 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, 'Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord')

2 The Presentation Luke 2:22-40 "Simeon praised God" 2 According to Jewish Law, every firstborn child belonged to God. The parents were called to present him to God in the Temple. They would then make an offering to God, in essence, to "buy" their child back from God. This served as a reminder of two things. 1). Children are gifts from God, and not the property of their parents. 2). It was reminder of the Passover, when God slew all the firstborn of Egypt, but spared the firstborn of Israel. Because of that, good Jewish parents would present their child to a priest, and then make a small offering to God to buy their child back from God. That's ceremony #1. Ritual #2 is Mary's purification. Like the Presentation, the Purification is also in accordance with Jewish Law. If a woman gave birth to a male child, she was not allowed to participate in Jewish worship for 40 days. After that period was over, she had to bring a sacrifice of a lamb and a turtledove to the temple. If she were poor, and couldn't afford a lamb, she could bring a pair of turtledoves, or a pair of pigeons. Luke tells us that, in v24: "they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, 'a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.'" This tells us that Mary and Joseph were too poor to sacrifice a lamb. This is part and parcel with the message of the beginning of the Christmas story. Jesus was not born in a palace. He was born in a space where animals were kept, and laid in a manger. Jesus was not born into wealth and power in an earthly sense. He was born into a poor family. So Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph and Jesus are in the Temple for Mary's purification and Jesus' presentation. That's the setting. That's our rather lengthy lead-in. But then the story takes an unexpected turn. While they're in the Temple, something marvelous happens. The account is one of the most heartwarming and poignant parts of Luke's Gospel. Luke tells us, v25, that "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." 'The consolation of Israel' is a code phrase often used in Jewish writings. It means, the coming of the Messiah. It means God fulfilling all of his promises. It means God's restoration of his people. It means God's redeeming work being accomplished. So Simeon, like many of his Jewish contemporaries was waiting for God to act, waiting for God to set things right. But there's more. v26 "It had been revealed to (Simeon) by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah." Old Simeon has been given a special promise by God. He was told that he wouldn't die until he had seen the Christ, the one who would deliver Israel. And he waited and waited and waited for that promise to be fulfilled. And then, on that day, 40 days after Jesus' birth, the Holy Spirit led him to Mary and Joseph in the temple. v27 "Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the

3 The Presentation Luke 2:22-40 "Simeon praised God" 3 parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God." What an amazing scene. From Mary and Joseph's standpoint, some old stranger is coming up to them wanting to hold their baby. But from Simeon's standpoint, God's promises to him have been fulfilled. The Holy Spirit has revealed to him that this is God's Messiah. And Simeon launches into a song of praise, v29: "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for 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."

4 The Presentation Luke 2:22-40 "Simeon praised God" 4 Simeon tells God he can now die happy--because God has fulfilled his promise to him. Then Simeon praises God for the salvation that will be given through this child. Not just salvation for Jews alone, but a light for the Gentiles as well. Simeon won't live to see the fullness of God's salvation in Jesus. He won't witness Jesus death and resurrection. He won't see the end. He won't even see the main act. He only gets a glimpse of the beginning. And yet, for him, that is enough. That alone is cause for praise. That's a strong reminder to me. I want instant gratification. I don't like to wait. I like things wrapped up and completed. As the old song by Queen says, "I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now." Yet Simeon offers a different picture. He waits all of his life for God to act. And at the end of his life, he gets to see just the barest glimpse of the very beginning of God's mighty acts through Jesus Christ. And yet, for him, that is enough. He only sees the first piece of the jigsaw puzzle. But he trusts God to complete the whole picture. In this, Simeon is a wonderful model of faith, trusting God with the whole picture even when you only have limited glimpses. Meanwhile, what are Mary and Joseph thinking? Luke says, v33 "The child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him." Yeah. I can see that. So Simeon offers them his blessing as well. But he adds another prophetic utterance, presumably still guided by the Holy Spirit. Simeon says, v34: "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed." This is a difficult Prophecy. But it is dead on. Jesus' coming will be divisive. It will cause some to rise and some to fall. Many people will believe. But others will not. Some will acclaim him and some will oppose him. God's salvation is offered to all. But not all will accept it. That's a tough but true spiritual fact. Not everyone will accept the salvation Jesus brings. Some will choose to remain outside in the darkness. When you turn on the light in a room, you always create shadows. As St. John would say, the light of the world has come. But some will choose to remain in the darkness. And Simeon has a further prophecy for Mary only. End of v35: "And a sword will pierce your own soul too." This is also a difficult prophecy. But it became painfully true. Thirty some odd years later, Mary will have to endure the heart rending pain of watching her son die of slow torture and asphyxiation on the cross. The parent will have to bury the child. Some of you know that kind of terrible pain. I can't imagine anything worse. Part of the larger message of Simeon is that following Jesus does not exempt us from suffering. Jesus' mother was probably closer to him than anyone. And yet, she had to endure great suffering. Suffering and pain are a part of life. We may have to take up our own crosses. Swords and pains may pierce our hearts and our souls. The important question for Christians is, What do we do with our pains and our wounds? Do we allow our sufferings to turn us in on ourselves? Do we despair? Do we give up hope?

5 The Presentation Luke 2:22-40 "Simeon praised God" 5 end. Again, we can draw strength from the example of Simeon who kept his hope to the But we have another example here as well. Luke tells us of the prophet Anna: v36 "There 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, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four." Anna has been a widow for a good 6 or 7 decades. I'm sure that made for times of great pain and loneliness. What was Anna's response to the pain in her life? Did she despair? Did she give up hope? Did she let her pain turn her in on herself? No. Look at what Luke says, middle of v37: "She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day." Anna turns her pain and suffering towards a deepened relationship with God. She could be bitter for what she doesn't have. But instead she chooses to live a life of praise and thanksgiving. And, like Simeon, she recognizes who the infant Jesus is: v38 "At 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." Anna and Simeon are good models for us. They are attentive to God's Spirit. They are prayerful. They are patient. They are not wrapped up in themselves, but instead are on the lookout for God's presence in the world. They look for the face of the Christ everywhere, even in a little child. On February 2, if the mythical Groundhog sees his shadow, there are supposedly 6 more weeks of winter. But we can look for something different this February 2. We can look with faith and trust at what God has done. And we can look forward to God's next move in the world with joy and anticipation. Even in the midst of pain and suffering, we can look for the face of Christ. Even when we're only catching the barest little glimpse of what God is doing now, we can be sure that God's will WILL be done. Like Simeon and Anna, we can live lives of hope, we can live lives of thanksgiving We can live lives of praise.