Loving God, your Spirit continues to be at work in our world, revealing Jesus to those who live in expectation and hope.  Help us not only to see Christ at work through others, but to be signs of Christ’s presence ourselves; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    The part of the story that we have heard today from Luke comes right after the shepherds have come to see the baby in the manger and have gone off to tell everybody.  On the eighth day, Jesus is circumcised and named, according to the Jewish law.  Traditionally, this is celebrated on January 1st since it is the eighth day of Christmas.  Then, about 40 days after Jesus is born, Mary and Joseph take him to the Temple in Jerusalem and offer the sacrifices that are prescribed for Mary’s purification.  At the same time, they present Jesus to the Lord as their first-born son, also according to the Law.  This is traditionally celebrated on February 2nd, which is 40 days after Christmas.  These feast days are called The Name of Jesus and the Presentation of Our Lord.  The Narrative Lectionary, however, gives us the readings in chronological order, and so we hear about both of these events today - the Sunday after the celebration of Jesus’ birth.

    Imagine the scene with me for just a moment.  Here are Mary and Joseph in the Temple with their baby boy, offering the same sacrifices that many other observant Jewish parents would have offered.  Then suddenly there is a man there with them, one who obviously believes in God, who takes Jesus in his arms and starts saying some pretty amazing things!  He speaks of this child, Jesus, as the salvation that he has been waiting to see.  He speaks of him as light and salvation, not just for Israel, but for the Gentiles as well - the hated Gentiles.  How does this man know all this?

    Then Simeon, who quite likely performed some priestly duties in the Temple on occasion, blesses them, and then speaks directly to Mary.  He tells her that her child Jesus will be a sign that will be opposed and will cause the falling and rising of many in Israel.  He tells her that this child will reveal the inner thoughts of many, and that a sword will pierce her very soul (Lk. 2:34-35).  He says this to Mary, but not to Joseph.  How odd!

    And then an elderly woman named Anna appears.  She, too, starts to speak about this child, but not to his parents.  She speaks to anybody else who happens to be nearby - especially those “looking for the redemption of Jerusalem,” and we are not even told what she has to say.  We only know that she is a prophet and that she has spent many years praying and fasting in the Temple (Lk. 2:36-38).

    Undoubtedly, there are many questions that we could ask when it comes to this encounter with Simeon and Anna.  However, one of the most obvious is simply this: How did they know?  How did they know that this particular child, who happened to be in the Temple with his parents, was the long-awaited Messiah?  It’s not as if the child was glowing or something, or all of them were sporting haloes.  We are certainly told that the Holy Spirit was involved, but for many people, they’re not too sure how that works.  How did the Holy Spirit guide Simeon to come to the Temple on that day and at that time, and how did he know which child the Spirit meant?

    It may have gone something like this: Perhaps Simeon was sitting there that day reading the prophet Isaiah and praying.  He was reading the verses that say,

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom (Isa. 9:6-7).

He sat there meditating on these verses and continuing to pray that he would see the Lord’s Messiah before he died.  As he is meditating and praying, an inner voice tells him to go to the Temple, and a picture flashes through his mind of a young couple and their baby.  As soon as he enters the Temple, the first people he sees are Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus.  And as he continues to listen to the Spirit, he knows in his heart that this child is the one.  He is the long-awaited Messiah.

    Of course, in Anna’s case, she never left the Temple, so she was already there.  She also spent a lot of time in prayer, and God’s Spirit was at work in her, too.  In other words, she was tuned in to what God was all about.  She probably had an inner nudge that directed her attention to Simeon and Mary and Joseph.  She quite likely overheard some of what Simeon had to say.  And then the Holy Spirit spoke through her, telling others about the long-awaited Messiah.

    This is not magic, or something that happened in the Bible but doesn’t happen any more.  The Holy Spirit continues to be at work, but that is often a hard sell for those who trust only themselves and what they can see and touch and prove.  The Risen Christ also continues to be among us, and it is not at all idle to ask if we would be able to recognize Jesus when we encounter him.

    And so, if Jesus were to show up here this morning, how would you know it was him?... [What if he didn’t look like all the paintings?...  Wouldn’t you only know by interacting with him?...] Even then, it would take some discernment.  Just because somebody shows up and claims to be Jesus doesn’t mean that they are.  In fact, the Scriptures talk about false Messiahs and people who claim “I am he,” and says, Don’t believe them (Mk. 13:5-6)!

    It is possible that this is an unlikely scenario, but if there were an actual person whom I suspected might be Jesus, I would look for a couple of things.  First, I would ask if he (or she) acts like the Jesus who is revealed in the Scriptures.  If not, it’s not Jesus.  Second, I would expect that Jesus would know me through and through and would exhibit the love of God towards all people.

    However, perhaps a more likely scenario is that we might encounter Jesus at work within and through another person.  We are all called to “grow up into Christ” and some people are more “grown up” than others!  And so, if I meet somebody who exhibits love for God and for other people, I know that Christ is at work through them.  If I meet somebody who exhibits the fruit of the Spirit - things like love and joy and peace and patience - I know that Christ is at work through them.  If I meet somebody who treats people like Jesus did, I know that Christ is at work through them.

    In Simeon and Anna today, we have examples of people who walked daily with God and remained open to God’s Spirit at work.  It is because of this that they recognized the Messiah when he came.  In the same way, may God’s Spirit continue to be at work in and through us, that we, too, might recognize Jesus wherever he may be found.  For God is with us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

First Sunday after Christmas (NL 3)                    Luke 2:21-38
January 1, 2017
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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