Luke 2:25-31
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When Joseph and Mary brought in the child Jesus to do what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations.”
The Feast of the Presentation is actually celebrated every year on February 2nd, which put it into the middle of last week, so we’re going to talk about it today. It is also called the Purification of Mary, because two separate acts are celebrated with this one reading.
And the second of February is also Groundhog Day which – believe it or not – has a connection with this feast day, but we’ll get to that later.
Every Jewish male child was required to be circumcised by the eighth day of his life, according to Levitical Law. They were also to be taken to the Temple in Jerusalem to be formally presented and, in the case of the first-born males, to be dedicated to a life of service to God. These two dates were not the same, the presentation taking place almost a month after the circumcision.
Every Jewish mother was considered ritually unclean for 40 days after giving birth, and they went to the Temple after the 40 days to be officially declared clean again, therefore it sounds like the Purification Ritual for the mother and the Presentation for the child would take place at the same time, being the first day on which she could reenter the Temple precincts.
This leads to a bit of confusion, as some sources refer to this feast day as the Presentation of Jesus, and some others as the Purification of the Virgin Mary. It appears that the western church tends to lean toward the emphasis on the purification of Mary, while the eastern church focuses on the presentation of Jesus. Still others refer to it as the Feast of the Holy Encounter. Some writers manage to confuse things even more with introducing the Circumcision into the whole conversation.
And just as if the poor researcher is not confused enough, the common English name for this feast is Candlemas, because Jesus is the Light of the world. Candlemas somehow has crepes involved in its celebrations. And don’t forget the groundhogs – we’ll still get to them.
This makes researching this day feel a little like trying to strike a piñata while blindfolded, but I think I got the basics in place here. At this point I pretty much gave up on information gathering, and we’re just going to focus on the encounter which takes place in our opening reading – the one between Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and the ancient holy man, Simeon.
Joseph and Mary are in Jerusalem this day to fulfill the law as put forth in Leviticus about presenting the recently born child in the Temple. As The Message version of this bit of scripture puts it:
The liturgical season of Epiphany begins with a manifestation. Some of you may be familiar with this word in its current most common usage which is the belief that you can bring something tangible into your life through attraction and belief, or to put it simply, if you think it, it will come.
But the spiritual meaning is something different. A manifestation is a sign of something long promised or long expected that has finally appeared. In our scriptural sense, that something is clearly the long promised King or Messiah – in the person of the infant Jesus. After hundreds of years of prophesies, the one who was promised has arrived.
This is what the infancy narratives in scripture are meant to express. The sky filled with singing angels that Luke gives us is about as big an announcement of something very special happening as one could find, and Matthew’s three Magi – representatives of foreign nations come to pay homage to a baby – are likewise a sign that all nations will one day bow down before him. These are manifestations – physical signs of God’s promise.
In a couple of weeks, on the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, we will hear the story of the journey to the mountain top and Jesus’ transfiguration before the eyes of his astonished followers. This, too, is a manifestation story – a showing forth of the divinity of Jesus.
So today’s story is also a manifestation. The infant Jesus, looking, no doubt, just like any other month-old child, is presented in the Temple and immediately recognized by Simeon for what he is – the salvation of his people – the fulfillment of an ancient promise.
But if a manifestation is a showing then there is another piece needed to complete it. A showing, in order to be complete, requires seeing – it requires recognition and acceptance – and that is on us.
How often does God show Godself to us? And maybe the more important question is, how often do we even notice? Probably one of the most obvious ways to see God showing Godself is in some of the spectacular sunrises and sunsets we have seen lately. I have seen sunsets – years ago – that I remember with full clarity because they were so awe inspiring and left no doubt in my mind that God was present.
But there are so many other ways – there are days when I feel like the whole world is falling apart and that the mean people are winning – the ones who just want to break everything – and then someone or some group come to my attention doing something perfectly loving and I’m reminded of the goodness in this world – and I recognize that as God showing off to say “hey, I’m right here.”
God is visible to us in so many ways – in a friend’s smile, in hoards of strangers showing up to help those caught in natural catastrophes, in a warm bed on a cold night. Have you ever tried to count your blessings? Just try it – it will amaze you -- all the times and places God is here for you – just as promised. So be open to finding the many manifestations of God all around you.
Oh, yes – the groundhogs. This little factoid comes via preacher/teacher/writer Mary Luti who explains that Candlemas was a day that people made weather predictions and she quotes an old English song:
Who would have guessed that those groundhogs are simply following an old Candlemas tradition? I suspect that makes God smile ... and that makes me smile.
Blessings on your revelations in this season of manifestation.
Amen.
And the second of February is also Groundhog Day which – believe it or not – has a connection with this feast day, but we’ll get to that later.
Every Jewish male child was required to be circumcised by the eighth day of his life, according to Levitical Law. They were also to be taken to the Temple in Jerusalem to be formally presented and, in the case of the first-born males, to be dedicated to a life of service to God. These two dates were not the same, the presentation taking place almost a month after the circumcision.
Every Jewish mother was considered ritually unclean for 40 days after giving birth, and they went to the Temple after the 40 days to be officially declared clean again, therefore it sounds like the Purification Ritual for the mother and the Presentation for the child would take place at the same time, being the first day on which she could reenter the Temple precincts.
This leads to a bit of confusion, as some sources refer to this feast day as the Presentation of Jesus, and some others as the Purification of the Virgin Mary. It appears that the western church tends to lean toward the emphasis on the purification of Mary, while the eastern church focuses on the presentation of Jesus. Still others refer to it as the Feast of the Holy Encounter. Some writers manage to confuse things even more with introducing the Circumcision into the whole conversation.
And just as if the poor researcher is not confused enough, the common English name for this feast is Candlemas, because Jesus is the Light of the world. Candlemas somehow has crepes involved in its celebrations. And don’t forget the groundhogs – we’ll still get to them.
This makes researching this day feel a little like trying to strike a piñata while blindfolded, but I think I got the basics in place here. At this point I pretty much gave up on information gathering, and we’re just going to focus on the encounter which takes place in our opening reading – the one between Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and the ancient holy man, Simeon.
Joseph and Mary are in Jerusalem this day to fulfill the law as put forth in Leviticus about presenting the recently born child in the Temple. As The Message version of this bit of scripture puts it:
- At that time there was a man, Simeon by name, a good man, a man who lived in the prayerful expectancy of help for Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him. The Holy Spirit had shown him that he would see the Messiah of God before he died. Led by the Spirit, he entered the Temple. As the parents of the child Jesus brought him in to carry out the rituals of the Law, Simeon took him into his arms and blessed God, saying...”God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised. With my own eyes I’ve seen your salvation; it’s now out in the open for everyone to see.”
The liturgical season of Epiphany begins with a manifestation. Some of you may be familiar with this word in its current most common usage which is the belief that you can bring something tangible into your life through attraction and belief, or to put it simply, if you think it, it will come.
But the spiritual meaning is something different. A manifestation is a sign of something long promised or long expected that has finally appeared. In our scriptural sense, that something is clearly the long promised King or Messiah – in the person of the infant Jesus. After hundreds of years of prophesies, the one who was promised has arrived.
This is what the infancy narratives in scripture are meant to express. The sky filled with singing angels that Luke gives us is about as big an announcement of something very special happening as one could find, and Matthew’s three Magi – representatives of foreign nations come to pay homage to a baby – are likewise a sign that all nations will one day bow down before him. These are manifestations – physical signs of God’s promise.
In a couple of weeks, on the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, we will hear the story of the journey to the mountain top and Jesus’ transfiguration before the eyes of his astonished followers. This, too, is a manifestation story – a showing forth of the divinity of Jesus.
So today’s story is also a manifestation. The infant Jesus, looking, no doubt, just like any other month-old child, is presented in the Temple and immediately recognized by Simeon for what he is – the salvation of his people – the fulfillment of an ancient promise.
But if a manifestation is a showing then there is another piece needed to complete it. A showing, in order to be complete, requires seeing – it requires recognition and acceptance – and that is on us.
How often does God show Godself to us? And maybe the more important question is, how often do we even notice? Probably one of the most obvious ways to see God showing Godself is in some of the spectacular sunrises and sunsets we have seen lately. I have seen sunsets – years ago – that I remember with full clarity because they were so awe inspiring and left no doubt in my mind that God was present.
But there are so many other ways – there are days when I feel like the whole world is falling apart and that the mean people are winning – the ones who just want to break everything – and then someone or some group come to my attention doing something perfectly loving and I’m reminded of the goodness in this world – and I recognize that as God showing off to say “hey, I’m right here.”
God is visible to us in so many ways – in a friend’s smile, in hoards of strangers showing up to help those caught in natural catastrophes, in a warm bed on a cold night. Have you ever tried to count your blessings? Just try it – it will amaze you -- all the times and places God is here for you – just as promised. So be open to finding the many manifestations of God all around you.
Oh, yes – the groundhogs. This little factoid comes via preacher/teacher/writer Mary Luti who explains that Candlemas was a day that people made weather predictions and she quotes an old English song:
- "If Candlemas be fair and bright, come winter, have another flight; If Candlemas bring clouds and rain, go winter, and come not again."
Who would have guessed that those groundhogs are simply following an old Candlemas tradition? I suspect that makes God smile ... and that makes me smile.
Blessings on your revelations in this season of manifestation.
Amen.
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