Loving God, grant us the eyes to see and the ears to hear as we encounter you this day, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Both Anna and Simeon had been waiting for a long time.  Anna, we are told, had been a widow for more than 60 years, and at the age of 84 was actually living in the temple.  She is a prophet – meaning that she speaks God’s word – and she spends most of her time in prayer and worship.

         Simeon, who is also a prophet, is described as righteous and devout, and the Holy Spirit rests on him.  He has been looking forward to the consolation of Israel – the coming of the Lord’s Messiah – and the Holy Spirit has made it known to him that he will see the Messiah before he dies.  We are not told exactly how old Simeon is, or how long he has been waiting, but it is surmised that he is an old man.  However, he is not so frail that he cannot hold a baby in his arms.

         On the day in question – the day when Simeon and Anna and Mary and Joseph and Jesus are all at the Temple in Jerusalem – a number of promises are fulfilled, as well as the requirements of the Jewish Law.  There are two different rituals that are described in today’s gospel.  The first is the rite of purification for Mary, which takes place 40 days after the birth of Jesus.  This is the rite that required two turtledoves or two pigeons for all those who could not afford a sheep (Lev. 12).  After this sacrifice, Mary’s purification would be complete.

         The other ritual that is described is the presentation of their firstborn child to the Lord.  The Torah makes it clear that all of the firstborn males, both human and animal, belong to God.  Firstborn males among the animals are to be either sacrificed or redeemed by substituting a sheep (Ex. 13).  However, all human firstborn sons are to be redeemed for five shekels of silver (Nu. 18:15-16).  This was to be a reminder to the people of the death of the firstborn in Egypt before Pharaoh finally let them go.  And so, Mary and Joseph bring their firstborn son to the Temple to present him to the Lord and to redeem him, as the Law required.

         As for the promises that are fulfilled, the most obvious is the promise given to Simeon that he would see the Lord’s Messiah before he dies.  Because he is guided by the Holy Spirit, Simeon is able to look at this baby being presented in the temple and see who he is and what his life will mean.  Anna, too, is able to see more than meets the eye in this couple and their child.  She, too, is in tune with the Holy Spirit, and is among all those who have been waiting for the redemption, not only of Jerusalem, but of all of God’s people.

         Just like last week, we hear today about revelation, and good news to the poor, and recovery of sight for those who are blind – or, if you will, being able to see God’s salvation in the infant Jesus – being able to see more than meets the eye.  One has to wonder how many people were nearby when Simeon and Anna spoke about Jesus – as well as how many of them would have believed what they were hearing!

         In a book by Daniel Erlander called Baptized, We Live, the very first chapter talks about Lutheranism as “a way of seeing.”  The image he points to is Christ on the cross, as we are invited to see in this image a picture of where God finds us: “in our darkness, our pain, our emptiness, our loneliness, our weakness” (p. 4).  He also writes about how the Holy Spirit helps us to see both God’s embrace and God’s victory in the cross of Christ.  We are loved and saved and set free.  At the same time, we are invited to see God’s presence in the world around us – “weeping where there is pain and alienation, [and] rejoicing where there is wholeness and love” (p. 6).

         I expect that God is doing a lot of weeping these days, as people’s homes and livelihoods and dignity and safety and even family members, are stripped away from them.  Tyrants continue to rage, just as they did when Jesus was born.  In the midst of hatred and tyranny in our world, it becomes even more important for us to promote wholeness and love in whatever ways we have open to us.  It is also important for us to be in tune with the Holy Spirit in order to see past what meets the eye – to see those things that God is revealing.

         Just like in our world, today’s gospel has rejoicing and praise and thanksgiving right alongside sorrow and poverty and the specter of the cross.  Mary and Joseph are poor – or at least, poor enough that they can’t afford a sheep.  Anna is also among the poor, and more than likely lives at the temple because she has nowhere else to go, and she fasts because she has very little to eat.  And Simeon points to the future sorrow and suffering that awaits both Mary and Jesus, as he speaks of a sword that will pierce her very soul (Lk. 2:35).

         As we gather this day, may we be able to join Simeon in praising God for the salvation that we have seen in Jesus and his love.  And then, having received the living Christ into our hands and into our mouths, may we be able to join in the song, “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.”  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

The Presentation of Our Lord        Luke 2:22-40

February 2, 2025

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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