Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN
And 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 male who first
opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice
according to what is said 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,
and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel,
and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy
Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he
came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child
Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his
arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart
in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you
have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the
Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother
marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary
his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in
Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your
own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”” (Luke 2:22–35 , ESV)
Grace and peace to you from Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Ok, so Christmas is long gone... well, at least in some ways it feels
that way. New Year’s Day is only hours
away are probably not thinking much about Christmas. But here in the church it is still Christmas,
after all in the church the Christmas Season continues until Jan 6. So, it's been almost whole week since you
opened your gifts and there's been time for the luster to wear off, and maybe
even a few of them are broken, don't fit, or not exactly what you wanted. Well, your friends and family meant
well. They just missed the mark. There's always next year... or you can use
that gift receipt and try to get something you want for yourself... In that way, Christmas is always a
disappointment. When we focus on the
stuff (and who doesn't!) we are setting ourselves up for it.
Now that's quite a contrast with Simeon. This is the last real Christmas story in
scripture and one of the most important.
He sees the True Gift for what it is and rejoices.
Here's the picture. The temple
is crowed as usual. Mary and Joseph are
dutiful parents. They have brought the
baby Jesus to the temple to do what the law requires. Every first born male child in Israel was to be
dedicated to the Lord at 40 days old. This
was all set up by God in Exodus (13:1).
It has to do with the Passover. All
those years ago in Egypt, the angel of death took every first-born child that
was not protected by lamb's blood on the doorpost. Since God provided for the first born of
Israel to be redeemed by the blood of a lamb, he claimed them all has his
own. "Consecrate them to me!"
God said. "Remember that I am the
one who redeemed you out of slavery in Egypt."
And so faithful parents for all those generations packed up the first
born and made the offerings at the temple.
Joseph and Mary sacrifice the two doves, because they didn't have the
means to sacrifice a lamb (this was allowed for in the law, Lev 12:8 ). But when God appears in human flesh nothing
is quite that simple. The couple and the
baby enter the temple, but they are immediately interrupted. A man, Simeon, takes the baby from the
parents. Now Simeon is no ordinary
man. He is full of the Holy Spirit. A devout believer, waiting for the Messiah,
"the Consolation of Israel." That
is the "comfort" of Israel.
Think of the words from Isaiah
40 .
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her
iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all
her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1–2 ,
ESV)
Think forgiveness of sins. Simeon
is holding in his arms the forgiveness of sins for Israel! He was faithfully waiting, who knows how
long. And he was uniquely gifted to know
that he would not die until he had seen Forgiveness with his own eyes. So, holding him in his arms and filled with
joy he sings... "Lord now let your servant depart... I've seen what you
promised. I can die in peace."
Now I don't know if you catch what's going on here or not. In fact, it's been kind of a theme in the
Gospel of Luke so far. It beings in the
fields, with shepherds watching sheep. The
angels appear and scare the beejesus out of them. After all the shouting is over (yes, the
angels probably didn't sing the Gloria they spoke it!). It ends up like this. The angel said:
And this will be a sign for you: you will
find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”” (Luke 2:12 , ESV)
Really! That's the sign? A baby in diapers! There's nothing special about that. And the manger thing is very easily
explained. In fact, there may have been
other babies in Bethlehem in mangers that night. After all it was a crowed town, unable to
hold all the visitors. A manger in an
inn would be a perfectly logical place to place a new born. The sign is nothing. The baby doesn't seem like much. In fact, everyone who hears the story the shepherds
told, "wondered" at it, as if to say, "That's the sign? But that's just a baby!"
That's all that Simeon has too!
A baby, in the crowded temple, among many other babies who were there
for the same reason. Nothing
unique. Nothing special. Nothing miraculous. In fact, a bit under-whelming wouldn't
you say. Kind of like the gifts you got
for Christmas. Kind of like the things
you went out and bought for yourself. Kind
of like the let down every day of your life because things just don't live up
to their promise. Nothing special. Nothing unique. Nothing miraculous.
But, Simeon has eyes to see it differently. He has eyes of faith. For him, the baby he is holding is
salvation, comfort, and forgiveness. He
sees past the plain everyday looking things to the reality of what is
there. He sees the baby Jesus, but he
sees something else.
And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his
mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in
Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your
own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”” (Luke 2:34–35 , ESV)
It's a perfect picture of what Jesus would do. He would be rejected by everyone even to the
point of death on the cross. Jesus, the
humble baby in his arms was the "suffering servant" spoken about in
Isaiah (53). But don't forget he also sees baby Jesus as
God's salvation for Israel and the whole world.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried
our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But
he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon
him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are
healed.” (Isaiah 53:4–5 ,
ESV)
There was nothing in Jesus that would point you to that
conclusion. To look at the baby, in
diapers, in the temple was to see what had happened thousands of times over the
years. But, Simeon sees with the eyes of
faith. This is the promised Savior of
the world. The biggest thing in a humble
package. And don't forget why Jesus is
there. He's to be consecrated to the
Lord. Set aside for God's purposes. It all comes full circle from the
Passover. All the male children were
saved by the blood of the lamb, so they are dedicated to the Lord. Now God-in-the-flesh, baby Jesus, is dedicated
as the Lamb of God who sheds his blood to redeem people from slavery to
sin. You can't see it by looking. But you can see it with the eyes of faith.
Now about Christmas and presents and disappointment and a New Year with
failed resolutions already in the works.
When we look back at our Christmas joy from here it just seems a bit
foolish, or maybe a bit misguided. After
all, Christmas comes and goes, and nothing really changes. People are still poor. Car accidents still take lives. Politicians still lie. You and me, we can't live up to our
expectations. Our relationships are
difficult, at best. A little Christmas
joy didn't really change any of that. At
least that's what it looks like. But
that's only when you see it with your sin-filled eyes. If you look at it with the eyes of faith you
can see something different. Baby Jesus
does make a difference. His birth is
joyful because he is the "Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the
world." When we look with the eyes
of faith, our...
eyes have seen [God's] salvation [which he has] prepared in the
presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory
to [God's people]."
You see (you know) that the little joy we have a Christmas is joyful
only because it points to a greater joy to come. Everything that Jesus did, beginning with his
birth, his circumcision, his dedication in the temple, his first miracle, his
life with his disciples, his passion, death and resurrection are for the great
restoration yet to come. The new heavens
and the new earth. Perfect and sinless
human bodies. Perfect and sinless human
relationships. Joy-filled reunions with
all those who have died in faith before us.
Not to mention power over sin and Satan right now. All of it ours, right now, in the forgiveness
of sins won for us by the baby grown, crucified, dead, buried and raised on the
third day. All of it seen in the eyes of
faith, if not by regular human sight. It's
what makes Christmas more than a fleeting, month long festival of avarice and
selfishness. It's what makes Peace on
Earth something real instead of only a human wish. It's what make Good Will Toward Men something
that is true even in the face of bloodshed and violence.
Oh, and don't forget Simeon's song.
Yep, we are going to sing it today.
And not only that but if you look at what God places in the cup and on
the platen, you'll see...
[God's] salvation [which he has]
prepared [for you].
There it is again, something that doesn't look like much. But with the eyes of faith you see Jesus,
God's salvation, in his very body and blood, hanging on the cross for the
forgiveness of your sins, and placing himself in your mouth to give it to
you. It's God making his promise true
for you right now, forgiving your sin, restoring your relationship with him. Showing you that all that is promised is
yours right now. It's the joy of
Christmas. It's the joy of Christ. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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