The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ According to Luke.

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 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.      (Luke 2:22-40)

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In Luke’s Gospel, we hear of three ancient ceremonies that would pertain to the child Jesus, and which were acknowledged by his parents in the temple.

First was circumcision which every Jewish boy would have to undergo and also, on that day, receive their  name.

Then according to the law which stated that every first born male child belonged to the Lord, and had to be redeemed, Jesus was redeemed by his parents for the sum of five shekels.

Then came the purification after childbirth. When a woman had borne a boy, she was considered unclean for forty days.  At the end of that time, the new mother had  to bring to the temple, a lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon for a sin offering.

That was expensive for some families, so the law laid down that where this would cause hardship, the offering could be two pigeons instead of the lamb. This offering, of two pigeons was called the Offering of the Poor.

That tells us something of the circumstances of Jesus’ family home. Every penny counted. The members of such a family knew about working for a living and how hard it was to make ends meet. 

Jesus would learn, growing up, of the harsh insecurity of life in Palestine.

He would also grow up in a society where Jews looked forward to the coming of a Messiah, someone who would restore Israel to its former glory. A conquering hero. Someone who would free them from the Roman yoke, and establish Jewish leadership in the world.

There were others who looked to God to fulfill Israel’s destiny in a different way, and who spent their time in prayer and worship waiting for the day when God would comfort His people. These few people were called The Quiet in the Land.

This man in the temple, Simeon, was one of these praying for God to comfort His people. And today he sees in the child Jesus that this day has indeed come.

“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 Simeon then foretold  about Jesus:

He will be the cause whereby many will fall.

He will be the cause whereby many will rise.

He will meet with much opposition.

As for you ( to Mary and Joseph) a sword will pierce your soul.

Here he is foretelling something of the life and fate of Jesus.

People will rise because of Jesus. They will see in him a way to a better life.

People will also  fall because they don’t see the light in Christ.

Jesus didn’t condemn those who persecuted him, and he doesn’t condemn those who don’t follow him. But by rejecting Jesus we may condemn ourselves to an unfulfilled life. 

The sword that would pierce the soul?  Imagine his mother Mary as she sees her son hanging on that cross, heartbroken, her hopes destroyed, her soul pierced with grief. 

So this day, the  child Jesus, has been ceremonially initiated into the society he will later struggle to reform, to change, to bring closer to their God, a society which will in turn laud and glorify him, and condemn him.

They won’t get a soldier prince. They will not get a new King David.

And so, like a spoiled child they will turn on him.

But what about us?

We wouldn’t do that, would we? Turn against God?

Have you been in difficulty, or in need of healing, or depressed and needing uplifting? And did you pray earnestly, tirelessly, repeatedly and your prayers weren’t answered?

And did you feel like turning your back on God?

You didn’t get what you wanted when you wanted it, and turned away from Him?

I wonder if you have felt like that.

I have.

And you are so mad at life, and at God that you resolve to ignore Him.

What’s the use of praying anyway? He never answers!

Do you know what I mean?

And what happens when you do  –  turn away from God?

I will tell you what happens – maybe not right away, but in time, surely, you will realise that without Him you have no-one. 

You are on your own.

And whatever your hardships are, you can’t face them alone.

Then later, you look at your life, and you realise that maybe some of the things that have happened to you, you brought upon yourself…………… or you see someone who is much worse off than you are ……………; or you realise that God did indeed answer your prayers, but in a way that you didn’t realise?

And you just have to come back to Him.

There is a country song that I am fond of. There is a short verse, then the refrain begins, ” And then today, I started loving you again.”

And it’s a good feeling. To be loving God again.

I read some years ago, of what befell a young woman who was working for the Peace Corps in El Salvador. That was the time when that little Central American country was run by a dictator, and a nasty one at that.

This young woman was working with peasant women, in a cooperative, sewing garments, and so on, to provide them with a meagre living.

The government, like most autocratic governments was suspicious of gatherings, of any sort,  and one day the police arrived and arrested her, and closed down her co-op.

And put her in prison.

She couldn’t believe what had happened to her. What was God thinking?       She was doing His will.         She was looking after the poor and oppressed, and now she is in prison.      The good work she was doing was quashed.

“What were you thinking of, God? “

Surely she must have felt abandoned, and disappointed in God.

And she lamented that.  As she languished in prison.

Like other prisoners, most of her day would be spent in a large open area where the prisoners would congregate, with nothing to do, and nothing to relieve the tedium.

Many peasant women would be sitting, or lying  on the floor, dead-eyed, silent, despondent, and their children alike, (because the children had been brought to the prison also), morose, not running around as kids would do.

All just sitting or lying there, enveloped in despair.

As was she.

Where was God in her life? Why had He abandoned her? What was the use of working for Him, or serving Him if He didn’t seem to care?

A period of time went by – a week, two weeks – I don’t  recall. – but one day, she looked around and saw the situation with new eyes.

She saw women, most of them young with their children, and realised that here was a great need.  They needed something,  someone, to lift them up,  and she realised that she had the skills with which to help them. 

So she got the women together, and began to organise them into groups, Likewise with the children,, according to their ages, and pretty soon she had classes going, and things happening, within that drab prison.

She was instrumental in uplifting this group, and giving them a reason to look to the future. 

Now,  she realised why she was there! 

It was as if God had seen His people in despair, and looked around for someone to help them – and just as he chose Moses to lead his people out of slavery – He selected this young woman to go into that prison and rescue his people there. 

She thought God had deserted her, when instead He wanted her to use her gifts to help His people.

If I remember, correctly, she was there for five years.

Instead of abandoning her, God had given her a big challenge. And she had risen to it.

I think it was the Rev Dr George Matheson, who had overcome the challenge of blindness, to become a famous preacher, pastor of one of the largest churches in Scotland,  and author of many books, who said, and I paraphrase, ” Lord, I have thanked you for my many blessings, but I have never thanked you for my thorn.”

Jesus will cause many to rise  in His name.

Not by making life easy, but perhaps, challenging us with some difficulty, some hardship,    some thorn,      some new way to serve Him.

If we have eyes to see, and ears to hear.

Then we can thank Him for His blessings, and for the challenges He sends us.

Challenges He knows we can overcome. And in overcoming them, glorify His Holy Name

Amen.