This holy event comes just 40 days after the birth of Jesus. As a Jewish practice, it is at 40 days when a
male child is presented to God, for redemption, at the Temple.
Since
he was their first-born son, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem for this
ceremony. Historically, this ritual
comes from the Torah, where each first-born male is brought to the temple to be
inducted into Judaism with a specific lifelong expectation. With each boy came
a sacrifice. For those with means, a
lamb. For the poor, two turtledoves or
pigeons.
Each
of the twelve tribes of Israel had a specific purpose. For example, the eldest boys from the tribe
of Levi were given and raised to be priests.
Jesus did
not come from the tribe of Levi, however.
He came from the tribe of Judah, the tribe of kings.
Mary
and Joseph kept this ritual, this initiation, because they were devout members
of their faith.
What might
be interesting to note is that the presentation of Jesus was only one part of
this ritual—new mothers, like Mary needed to also come to the temple be made
ritually clean so that they could fully participate in their faith
community. This journey to Jerusalem was
for both mother and son.
Devotion
to faith is such an important part of these early stories we read about
Jesus. Participating in the rituals,
following the Law of Moses, was deep in their DNA.
The prophecy-fulfilling
birth narrative, the circumcision of Jesus when he was eight days old, this
presentation in the temple, the purification of Mary, all these set the stage
for Jesus’ ministry. The blood sacrifice
of birth, of circumcision, of the two turtledoves and eventually on the cross—these
pivotal moments—help us understand the commitment they have to their faith, and
to their community.
Mary and Joseph raised Jesus in the Jewish faith and
tradition. We know this because we read
and hear the stories of his teaching in the Temple beginning at the young age
of 12 and throughout his life.
And we also know that it takes a community to raise up a
child in the faith. It is no real
surprise, then, that on this day of presentation people from the community came
to bear witness to this giving, this sacrifice, of a child to the service of
God, for the initiation into the faith.
We hear, in this story, about Simeon, a good man, who comes
to the temple for this presentation. He
has been waiting for the promised Messiah and has prepared a blessing for
Jesus. But I wonder if he didn’t offer
this blessing to every infant brought to the altar, much like we pray when we
baptize.
His blessing is known in our liturgy as the Nunc Dimittis. We use this prayer in some of our other
services. You can find it throughout the
Book of Common Prayer: in Morning and Evening Prayer, the service of Burial and
in the list of Canticles. In those
places, it goes like this:
Lord, you now have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared for all the world to
see:
A Light to enlighten the nations, * and the glory
of your people Israel.
It is a beautiful blessing.
In the words “you have set your servant free to go in peace as you have
promised,” it recognizes the frailty of our lives, acknowledging that we will
die. Then it offers hope that the world
sees “A Light for revelation to the Gentiles,” as our Gospel reads. A hope that
there will be future generations of the faithful. An offering of hope that the faith, the
church, in our case, will continue even after we die. And because it mentions the Gentiles, the
non-Jews, it will not just continue, but spread and grow.
It reminds me of what we, as a community promise when we
baptize. The promise made by the
community to be a part of raising this person (baby or adult) with spiritual
support. You don’t need to look, but it
can be found on page 303 of the Book of Common Prayer.
It says: “after all have been presented, the Celebrant
addresses the congregation saying: Will
you who witness these vows do all in your power to support these persons in
their life in Christ?” To which the
congregation, the community present at that moment in time responds: “We will.”
The Gospel writer says that Simeon makes this blessing and
then comes to Mary and speaks to her privately.
It is in this place of the story where we see the difference between the
blessing for all children -- and the specific acknowledgement that THIS child,
this Jesus, is the Messiah for whom Simeon has been waiting.
"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."
Jesus will be the catalyst for the falling and
then the rising of many in Israel. He
will represent a different way of thinking, one that will lift the lowly and
change the course, upending the way of the world. The falling and the rising.
Mary could have become frightened for
her son, for God’s son, with just these words.
She could have been confused, wondering how Simeon knew that this is
God’s son, brought to this world to change the world. She might have been pondering these thoughts
in her heart already, wondering if this is what the angel of the Lord meant
when he came to her a year ago.
But imagine her response when she is
told that she will feel the sting of a proverbial blade herself. That she, as the earthly parent of the son of
God, would deeply experience all that was to come in her son’s life. To know that she would see his death in her
lifetime.
This blessing from Simeon was also a
mother’s worst nightmare.
At that moment, another unexpected
prophet appears. It seems that this
temple is full of people waiting for the presentation of the children. That their anticipation and desire for a
Messiah regularly drew them to this space.
The widow, the prophet, the aged woman, Anna, may have, at this moment, interrupted
Simeon as he delivered his message to Mary, and expressed her own awareness of
and her own blessing on Jesus.
This community of two is likely only
two of many waiting and blessing and hoping for the world to change in their lifetimes. Hoping, anticipating, the presence of God in
their midst. Emmanuel. Light of the World.
We don’t have any one to baptize
today. But we are a community of
faithful people who carry hope along on our journey. We hope for the presence of God in our
midst. We hope that the world will turn
upside down with the recognition and desire that we and everyone deserves
dignity, no matter their circumstance.
We know that we have promised to raise not only the people baptized in
our presence, but one another to be people of faith, living and nurturing the
world with the knowledge and love of God within and through us.
We are beloved children of God, of
course. As such, we are here in this
place to bring God’s love to the world, inviting others to share the journey
with us.
We hope that the glory of God will
shine on this earth before we breathe our last breaths, as Simeon prayed:
Lord, you now have set your servant free *
to go in peace as you have promised;
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior, *
whom you have prepared for all the world to
see:
A Light to enlighten the nations, *
and the glory of your people Israel.
May we shine your light. May we be beacons of your light. May we bring others along on this journey of
faith.
Amen.