Bible Text: Luke 2:22-38 | Preacher: Pastor Karen Bartkowski | Merry Christmas! We did it! We made it through this period of Advent waiting. Now we celebrate the birth of Jesus. For sure, this year, we didn’t celebrate the way we have in the past. We didn’t get to gather in this beautiful sanctuary decorated with wreaths and greens and poinsettias. We didn’t get to see each other all dressed up in our Christmas best! We didn’t get to sing all of our favorite carols with our church family. We didn’t get to see the sea of candlelight as we sang Silent Night and then Joy to the World. Right, we didn’t get to do a lot of things…but, you know what- Christmas came nonetheless! Jesus is born! God is here! The light has come into the darkness! That we can count on!
On Christmas Eve, our advent wreath would have been glowing with the 4 candles we have been lighting all through Advent and then even brighter with the addition of the Christ Candle. The large white Christ candle represents the light of Jesus. As John says in his Gospel, “The true light that shines on all people was coming into the world” (John 1:9). And now we celebrate that the light has come!
Fire and light are such important parts of our faith history. God met Moses in the desert in the burning bush. Remember that God led the Israelites as a pillar of fire from the Tabernacle in the darkness of the wilderness. This light not only led them physically and also spiritually as they recognized God and were comforted by God’s presence in the fire. Jesus called himself the Light of the World and told his followers that they too are a light- one that should not be hidden under a bushel and one that should shine like a city on a hill. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit arrived as tongues of fire. Light and fire- reminders of God’s presence, God’s protection and God’s desire for God’s people! We can count on that!
Candles are a common sight in churches and places of worship throughout the whole year, not just at Christmas. We use candles on our altar in every worship service. It is quite typical to see two candles and the meaning behind this can vary. Some see the 2 candles as representations of Jesus as both human and divine. Both human and God. Others explain that these two candles represent that Christ has come and that Christ will come again. For me, this is such a beautiful description, especially when I can see ourselves living in between these two candles- these 2 sources of light, hope and promise. We experience great joy in the birth of Jesus and sustain great hope as we continue to anticipate – to live in Advent Waiting- for the day that Jesus comes again. We live in that time of now- God is with us- Emmanuel, in company with the Holy Spirit. But we also live in the “not yet” time- the time when God’s Kingdom will be revealed when Christ comes again. Now and not yet. The present and the future. Living in the moment and looking forward to something better. This is where we find ourselves as Christians.
So, that means our waiting isn’t over, right? Jesus’s birth is really a game changer in the story of God and God’s people- but it is not the finale. It is not the end of the story! We live in this space between the candles, this space where we can look back and celebrate what has already come and look forward and wait for what is still to come. We talked a lot about waiting during our Advent time this year. Our study taught us how to wait with anticipation, hope, patience and obedience.. But, we were only waiting for Christmas, right? 4 weeks…easy, peasy… we had our sights set on the 24th of December. We only had to wait for 4 weeks…and there you have it, the birthday of Jesus! But, what about this waiting period we find ourselves in now?…waiting for Jesus to come again? Do we only need what we have already learned? I say, most certainly, we need anticipation, hope, patience and obedience. But, what else might we need in order to wait for what could be a long time, what do we need when we don’t even know exactly what we are waiting for? What do we need to be able to count on? I would say that faithfulness is vital in our ability to wait.
In our scripture today we read about how 40 days after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph bring him to the Temple, as is Jewish custom, to be dedicated to the Lord and for Mary to offer a sacrifice for her purification. Following childbirth, women were considered unclean for 40 days and this sacrifice at the temple ended that unclean period of time. Mary and Joseph were poor and their journey to the Temple was not filled with fanfare of trumpets, there were no loud announcements of the baby Jesus! No one would have even known, or likely cared, that Mary and Joseph were even there. We heard that Simeon, a righteous and devout man- that means he heard and obeyed God- was led to the temple by the Holy Spirit. It sounds like he had heard from God throughout his lifetime that he would indeed meet the Messiah. And on this day, he just knew he had to go to the temple. And then he saw Jesus and he knew, he just knew that he was indeed the Messiah who God had promised! Simeon had spent his whole life in anticipation, in hope, with patience and obedience. God’s faithfulness prevailed! God’s promise was fulfilled. He was overcome with joy as he held the baby in his arms.
My nephew, Mason, had a rough time during childbirth. Multiple initial tests revealed that there was no brain activity and his chances of survival were slim. During his baptism service held in the NICU, the priest asked his mother what she wished for him. The expected answer was “baptism”, but Courtney said “I just want him to be well”. When I held that very alive and well baby for the first time several weeks later, I was overcome to the point of tears. A miracle was in my arms. I can imagine that is exactly how Simeon felt- holding a miracle- the Messiah- the son of God.
Anna was there too, in the temple. She was always there we hear in the scripture. She had been a widow for 84 years. That makes her likely close to 100 years old! Widowed at such a young age meant she lived the majority of her life in poverty, and marginalized. She chose to be faithful in marriage to her husband even in death and she became faithful in her relationship with God. As soon as she saw the baby, she recognized Jesus as the redeemer of Jerusalem. No one told her, no one introduced her. She instantly knew this was the son of God. God’s faithfulness prevailed! God’s promise was fulfilled! Now she was in the presence of God incarnate!
As I studied and prepared for this message today, I found many people who believe that Simeon and Anna were rewarded for their individual faithfulness. Simeon and Anna are seen as the center pieces in this story and that because they had been so devoted and for such a long period of time, that their prize was meeting Jesus in the temple. The message that their actions resulted in their ability to meet Jesus can lead us astray. Now, don’t misunderstand me! A life meeting and knowing Jesus is a gift! God’s faithfulness is not dependent on our level of faithfulness. Anna and Simeon’s ability to recognize Jesus is a gift from God- given out of God’s faithfulness to them.
The entire Bible is a story of God’s faithfulness. We spent the fall studying Exodus- we heard over and over how the Israelites consistently looked back and remembered the faithfulness of God and then looked forward toward the promises God had made. The cycle of looking back, recognizing and acknowledging God’s faithfulness, and then looking forward, anticipating and relying on God’s promises to never leave us or forsake us- to be with us until the end…this is how we move between the 2 candles- this is how we exist in the now and not yet time! Because God is faithful, we can wait faithfully.
In Galatians 5, Paul writes that faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit. It is a fruit that is cultivated by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We can only display faithfulness because of God’s initial and sustaining faithfulness. Without the foundation, the root system, the anchor of God’s faithfulness, our ability to show faithfulness or be faithful are impossible. The roof cannot exist without the foundation. The flower cannot blossom without the roots and the boat cannot remain stable without the anchor.
It is by God’s grace alone, God’s unmerited gift to us, that we can show faithfulness. This grace- this amazing grace- that is what we can count on!
We can only be faithful because God is faithful! God’s grace enables our faithfulness.
This is the last Sunday in this crazy year of 2020. We typically spend this time of year doing 2 things: looking back on the year, recalling the good and bad times, identifying the situations, opportunities or people who have impacted our lives this year….reminiscing. Certainly COVID 19 and all that has come of that will make all of our lists. But it is also the time people look forward. Wondering and hoping what the new year has in store for all of us. It is a time to look back and look forward. To live in the now and the not yet.
I would encourage us to do a deeper dive into our reflections this year. Using this time of transition from one year to the next to reflect on God’s faithfulness can be a powerful and revelatory experience. Spend time telling the stories of God’s faithfulness in your own life and in the lives of those around you! Tell a friend, write them down, make a video! Where and when could you count on God? Where and when were you aware of God’s presence? Look back…
And then spend time looking ahead- expecting God’s faithfulness. How will we see, experience and encounter God this year? What is God up to in our lives and in the lives of those around us? How can we wait with anticipation, hope, patience and obedience as we live this life between the 2 candles.
It is God’s faithfulness that will sustain us in this time and space. It is God’s faithfulness and love for us that will hold us when we need support, comfort us when we are heartbroken, challenge us when we are complacent, encourage us when we are frustrated and celebrate with us when we are joy-filled. God’s faithfulness- that is what we can count on!
To God be the glory! Amen.
Benediction
Our key verse today comes from Lamentations 3:22-23. The prophet perhaps Jeremiah is talking to the Israelites during a rough time. Jerusalem and the temple have been destroyed. They are in exile, they are separated from each other, and feel separated and abandoned by God. The prophet helps people mourn their losses, helps them acknowledge their loneliness and grief. Listen to the verses leading up to and following the key verse today:
I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
Leave this space with hope and the promise of God’s faithfulness- new every morning! May this hope and promise give you strength to serve God and God’s people! Go in peace!