"For my eyes have seen your salvation"
It's Wednesday, so I'm thinking about Groundhog Day
On Wednesdays, I workshop the sermon.
Scripture: Luke 2:22-40
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, the parents of Jesus 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"), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
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 the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
"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."And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 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."
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, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 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.
When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
Scripture: Jesus’ presentation at the temple. According to Jewish law (Leviticus 12), a male infant is circumcised (and named) on the eighth day after his birth, and on the 40th day after his birth, his parents bring him - and a burnt offering - to the temple for a rite of purification and sacrifice.
This is also known in the Christian tradition as ‘Candlemas’ - because when Jesus was brought to the temple that day, Simeon - a wise elder, and Anna - a prophet, were inspired to be there also, and recognized the baby as the Messiah. Simeon calls him ‘the light of the world’.
Simeon, in his eloquent words, is basically saying: ‘now I can die happy. I have seen our salvation.’
Situation: While Candlemas - the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord - is a major feast, it doesn’t get a lot of attention in the church. We don’t exchange presents or eat certain meals. There are no ‘Presentation’ hymns. I had to remind myself what the whole thing was about!
Usually I make a joke on this day: the Feast of the Presentation is the day that we find out if Jesus sees his shadow!
Maybe not so funny (though it always makes me smile)! But I make this joke because Groundhog Day and Candlemas have something in common: besides falling on the same day, they’re both cultural traditions that have warm associations with our story, but are not really major events.
And they’re both about finding something out: Groundhog Day tells us if we’re going to see six more weeks of winter (if we believe such things); and Jesus’ presentation tells us that Jesus is our Savior (if we’re looking for a sign).