First Sunday after Christmas - Sermon Text and Video
Transition
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.
A couple of years ago I subscribed to the free version of an electronic newsletter. About this time of year, all of us get a note from the editor encouraging us to move from “free” version to the “paid” version which offers more. This year the chief editor noted that this is his ten-year anniversary of serving at the newsletter. In his attempt to persuade us to enter “paid” status, he notes a number of things have occurred and changed in our American culture in that last ten years.
Jake Meador writes, “When I took the reins of Mere Orthodoxy 10 years ago, a lot was different:
- I had two children (now I have 4)
- The Obergefell ruling was only a year old
- The 2016 Trump campaign was only a month old
- Artificial intelligence wasn’t anywhere near mainstream
- You could read The Atlantic for free online
- There was no pandemic
- Nobody had heard of George Floyd
- #MeToo and #ChurchToo were years away
- The Great Dechurching had not accelerated yet
I appreciate perspectives like this because it is so easy to be focused on this present moment as we are swept up into the current family, community, cultural, and national concerns and issues, that we don’t realize that changes have and are taking place.
This comes to mind because as St. Luke tells the story of Jesus in the first two chapters, he is helping us to see the change that God is making regarding his presence among the people. The Temple is no longer where the presence of the Lord resides. God is making a change regarding where His presence may be found.
For those us that are familiar with the Old Testament, we know that God’s presence has moved before. God visibly led Israel out of Egypt as a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22) After the Law was given at Mount Sinai, and Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, God’s glory visibly came to dwell over the ark and the tabernacle to guide Israel in her travels. When the Lord moved, so did Israel. When the Jerusalem temple was built, God visibly took up residence there. Shortly before the first Jerusalem temple was destroyed the prophet Ezekiel saw God’s glory leave it (Ezekiel 10) and this same glory appeared to Ezekiel in Babylon (Ezekiel 1). After the exile, the rebuilt second Temple lacked the glory of the first Temple (Ezra 6:13-18), but God promised one day to fill it with even greater glory. That promise comes to fulfillment when Jesus is brought into the Temple. Jesus is the presence of God. The Lord himself is in His temple. But not everyone sees the Presence of God in the infant Jesus at this time.
Even though the Presence of God has shifted from the building to the person of Jesus Christ, the Temple still plays an important role in the life of the faithful and in the life and ministry of Jesus 30 years later. The Temple is still the place where sacrifices are offered and pilgrimages are made to. This is where one goes to be declared ritually clean by a priest. The Temple is where the Law is fulfilled. Therefore Mary comes to the Temple to be declared clean after giving birth to Jesus. In addition to this, the first-born Jesus is presented and liturgically dedicated to the Lord at the Temple. The prescribed ritual is enacted so that Jesus is officially received by the Lord. Jesus says that the Law is fulfilled in Him, so it is essential that Joseph and Mary follow the Law and bring him there. The Temple is the visible place where the Law is fulfilled.
While the Law is fulfilled in the Temple, and the Temple’s business continues on uninterrupted, we are aware that a transition has occurred. Simeon serves to explicitly draw our attention to Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the one who brings us to faith. The Holy Spirit is upon Simeon and through the Spirit, Simeon recognizes Jesus for who He truly is.
That Simeon recognizes Jesus is a miracle. The Temple is the heartbeat of the Jewish faith at this point. People come from all over the Empire on pilgrimage to offer sacrifice and pray to the Lord. This is where priests serve. This is where you will encounter a descendent of Aaron and only through that family line will you receive a blessing from God through a priest. There are Jewish houses of worship all over the land, but those are synagogues. Synagogues are places of learning, worship, and communal prayer. There are no sacrifices in Synagogues. Sacrifices happen in the Temple. Synagogues are led by Rabbis. Rabbis are different than priests. A Rabbi is a teacher and may come from any of the twelve tribes. Synagogues are led by Rabbis that teach, preach, and lead prayers. The Temple is where the Lord’s presence lies because that is where the Holy of Holies is. That is where sacrifices occur, and priests are the ones that conduct the sacrifices.
At this point in Israel’s history, the temple fulfills a spiritual function and need. It is an important place. Consequently, it is also a busy place. Lots of people coming and going. On top of that, lots of babies are born, lots of young families come to the Temple. On any given day, lots of babies are being dedicated to the Lord. So, how would Simeon recognize Jesus for who Jesus is? The Holy Spirit did that.
The Holy Spirit then leads Simeon to Jesus. When Simeon holds Jesus, he offers God high praise as he declares that he has now seen the salvation of the Lord. He holds in his arms the Presence of the Lord. The Presence of the Lord is not in the Temple building but now resides in Jesus.
Simeon is not a priest, he could not possibly go into the Holy of Holies, therefore he would not have seen God’s salvation there. Only a priest can do that. John the Baptist’s father is a priest. The Holy of Holies is where Zechariah had that little chat with the Archangel Gabriel. But Simeon receives insight from the Holy Spirit which directs him past all the other families and all the other baby boys to Jesus. He is looking at the salvation of humankind. He is looking at the Presence of the Lord. Jesus may be in the Temple, but he is not of the Temple.
John, writer of the Gospel of John, in 1:14 also says that Jesus is the Presence of the Lord. “14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Not only does Simeon see Jesus as the Presence of the Lord, Simeon also sees His broader mission. Jesus is not only born for the Jews, but also for the rest of the world too. The Presence of God, the light of God, is a revelation to the gentiles. In other words, God is revealing Himself through the Son to those outside the covenant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as to those who do not live according to the Mosaic Law.
The Gospel of John records Jesus’ explanation to Nicodemus: 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)
Simeon, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, sees Jesus as the Presence of the Lord. The temple is no longer where people will encounter God. They will encounter God in Jesus when He begins his earthly ministry in about 30 years. When Jesus is lifted up on the cross, all people will see the Son of God sacrificed on their behalf. His blood is spilled and his life is offered to make atonement for the sins of all people in every time and place.
Anna also recognizes Jesus. Her words are not recorded but the fact that she witnessed about Jesus as the Christ is recorded. Luke reports that Anna also saw Jesus. “And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
Luke records for our benefit the transition that is taking place. Only a select few see it then, but by the time Jesus finishes with his ministry and takes up the cross, the transition will be obvious. His presence among the people and his death for the sake of the world will be impossible to miss when Jesus dies for our sins on the cross. The veil separating the Holy of Holies from the public is inexplicitly torn in two from top to bottom. This is the final statement that the Lord’s Presence is no longer in the temple. The veil is no longer needed because there is nothing to shield the people from in that room.
As we continue in our twelve days of Christmas celebration, we rejoice that the Lord makes us aware of his movement. The Lord comes to us now in Christ Jesus, the babe born for us and for our salvation.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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