First Sunday after Christmas (2021)
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There is a TON going on in Luke 2:22-40 but the theme that seems to preach to the choir the most today is that of simple church attendance.
If you’re counting attendance since Wednesday, which was online and is sort of like free parking today is now big number three in five days. Some of you may be asking, what are we doing here? We were literally just here.
What we should point out here is verse 25.
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.
The name Simeon in Hebrew has a connotation of ‘I hear I am hated’, so here is this guy that just hangs around the temple with a name that is more of a title. He spent his time waiting. What is it that he is waiting for?
The consolation of Israel.
Specifically, he is waiting for the encouragement of Israel. The man who’s namesake means ‘I am hated’ is just waiting around for the encouragement of His people- Israel again means? Strives with God.
Can’t you just picture this? The old timer that just hangs around church and every time a nice young couple wanders in He is just amped to see them? Just floored, encourages them and just by their presence he is slightly encouraged, hopeful even that the next family he encounters may just be the desire of nations?
We need to briefly consider the things that Simeon is looking for deliverance from and encouragement towards.
Jerusalem is at this point occupied by Rome, so there something there for sure.
There’s also the ritual piety.
I am sure at times he felt like there was no meaning in the ritual of his life.
Have you ever been this way? Driving to work after a hard week going... Why. This may be how some of you may feel tomorrow or whenever you return to work.
Simeon’s ritual was HARD.
I thought it was interesting as I read through this, the passage in english described Simeon as ‘righteous and devout’. The language for ‘devout’ is a morphological change on the verb ‘to take’. Piety in this case would most easily have meant that he regularly took sacrifices to the temple.
This piety had to border on pietism. Now, I don’t know Simeon but as a human who had some sin in his world there were likely moments where his constant temple visitation wasn’t exactly encouraging.
It was expensive and messy
Mary and Joe had to sacrifice two turtle doves.
Every animal that he slaughtered had to be brought to the temple and then he could eat it.
LOTS OF WORK
His anticipation of the savior had to be scented by the reality that when the promised Messiah came, he could likely dispense with all of that.
The last weeks I’ve done a fair share of shoveling and I’ve thought a lot about what could make my life better and I think I may just start saving for a heated driveway in whatever home I retire to.
Honestly, it may never even happen but to think that it’s even possible is encouraging.
For Simeon, Jesus represents not only freedom for himself but for millions of people and a whole new population of people that he now us invited to reveal God’s work to.
Think about it, for a long time Simeon had been wandering through Jerusalem with his sacrifices. Past the homes of friends and relatives that had not darkened the temple doorway for lifetimes. Then there were people that I am sure he knew from the market and neighborhood that would have loved to been welcomed but for one reason or another they were outsiders.
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
See part of the encouragement of the Christian life is that you and I are not alone. Not only are we not alone in the church but we are not alone across time. All of humanity is invited into this salvation.
In the back of my home visitation book there are versions of the Lord’s prayer and the creeds in spanish and german. German because that is the predominant history of our church and Spanish because the bulk of Christendom now lives below the equator and is migrating to the US.
We the church welcome outsiders into God’s kingdom gladly because our eyes have seen salvation and we recognize that it is for all people. All People.
This is why it is imperative that we hold continuity with Simeon, with Anna, with Luke and Paul, with Christ Himself, to encourage the next generation. We don’t get to just decide that our generation does not like something. We have inherited the faith and practices from these people who held our Lord and from Christ Himself. He participated in many, many things that the crowds would consider mere ritual.
I was alarmed to see that a recent study discovered the average lifespan of a Contemporary Christian song is… four years.
Our Sermon Hymn, Joy to the world is 300 years old but its lyrics are a paraphrase of Psalm 98, Here’s a chunk of it:
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
This Psalm is probably at least 4000 years old. When we say we believe in the communion of Saints, we should recognize that when we say we believe in God the Father Almighty an entire army of saints in Heaven Echo a resounding “YEAH! Me Too!”
Friends, our faith is not some humdrum routine. This is life itself. We do eternal things here. We hold things beyond mere rituals. We, like Simeon, hold the body of Christ, the joy of life, in our hands.
Let us sing for Joy, work for life with meaning because eternal life has come.
Amen.