What We Have Seen...

 

What We Have Seen…

 

Luke 2:22-40
2:22 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

2:23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"),

2:24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."

2:25 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.

2:26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah.

2:27 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,

2:28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

2:29 "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word;

2:30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,

2:31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

2:32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."

2:33 And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.

2:34 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

2:35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed--and a sword will pierce your own soul too."

2:36 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,

2:37 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.

2:38 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.

2:39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

2:40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

 

 

Simeon and Anna were prophets. We are witnesses. Collectively, our eyes have seen salvation. If you want to begin the new year with both a challenge and a good word, here it is. We have seen salvation.

 

The two prophets reported on in Luke’s narrative are bringing their exciting (and yet, daunting) word to the parents and the child, as he is brought to the temple for circumcision. It is an affirmation to his “father and mother” that their child really IS something special. Obviously, we know that Jesus was more than just “special,” but these kinds of prophetic affirmations are precisely what we offer at the baptism of each child presented before the church, and God. Again, we are ALL witnesses. 

 

At baptism, the parents are challenged to live out their Christian discipleship in such a way that the child they present will be “saturated” with good examples. Likewise, the congregation vows to do the same, to the end that we will help this child make her or his own profession of faith, and discover and live out their purpose in life.  In this Luke 2 passage, the parents are also being charged with raising their son in such a way that his life will glorify God, and fulfill his purpose on earth. It just so happens that Jesus has quite an agenda ahead of him, which the two prophets readily point out. While Joseph disappears from the biblical narrative sometime after the “left behind” incident in Jerusalem when Jesus was about twelve, Mary is around for the whole miracle—and ordeal. I wonder if one of the reasons we have the story of the “water into wine” miracle at the wedding at Cana of Galilee is to show that Mary is fulfilling her parenting vow? After all, she is the one who gets Jesus to intervene when the wine runs out, and it may be a sign that she continues to fully believe that her son is exactly who the angel, Simeon, and Anna said he was. She went from witness to activist in this story, raising a bit of ire on Jesus’ part. Even the Son of God is a bit miffed when “nudged” to do what I’m sure he knew was the right thing to do. We pastors understand this.

 

Think of all the things we have seen, friends. As 2023 ends, take time to recall the stories of what God has done in your life, or in the affairs of the world. Absolutely, there are still horrible pockets of grief that seem godless, such as the bloodbaths in Ukraine, Gaza, and in genocidal, “tribal” wars in various nations throughout Africa. We should continue to pray not just for peace in these inhuman activities, but for wisdom for people who comprise the forces driving them. Even as “the child” in today’s narrative “grew and became strong, filled with wisdom,” may these modern leaders also be aware that they should be seeking “the favor of God.” In the politically, racially, and religiously motivated violence they perpetrate, they are not; in fact, I’m sure it’s safe to say they are stoking God’s eventual judgment. 

 

However, we see signs of progress in other areas. Ever since the pandemic, the economy has been on a respirator, but over the past couple of years, with some wise leadership on the part of the White House and the Fed, we have seen a rising market, lower unemployment, and now, interest-rate stability. A recession—long forecast as inevitable by some—has apparently been avoided. Even the price of gasoline has been dropping. While some folk in the middle class continue to proclaim themselves as victims, the facts do not support their doomsaying. Food prices are one area that remain a challenge, but there is evidence that food suppliers may have used the scarcity of the pandemic to bolster what had been failing margins on these prices, anyway. From farmers to supermarkets, food prices may have been brought so low by both competition AND lower demand (many of us were making public restaurants our personal “kitchens” before COVID) that they were on the brink of failing. Many did. If higher prices could bring stability to these vital supply services, so be it. We Christians should cheer and promote this kind of fairness, rather than decry our own “pain” over the price of Pop Tarts and Corn Flakes.

 

I just read a rather lengthy report in Thursday’s press that violent crime and homicide is DOWN in most major cities in the U.S. in 2023, in some cases, quite markedly. This is despite what you may hear from some politicians who stand to capitalize on public fear. The only “exceptions” to these positive trends were Houston, Texas and Washington, D.C., as I recall, and both of these cities have seen significant increases in population over a short period of time, which often adds to crime, at least initially. Still, the news is largely “better” on this important front. If we are wise, we will be “witnesses,” possibly even “activists” of these facts, rather than continue to believe—as does over 70 percent of the American public, according to recent polls—that “violent crime” is a growing epidemic. Fear is a funny thing: it is a useful “tool” in ginning up the ire and irritation of voters; and it is very hard to dispel, even with hard facts, once it gets momentum. 

 

What I love about Simeon is that he believes the prophecy he has received from the Lord, he follows the Holy Spirit, who leads him to the child, Jesus, and he tells of what he has seen. He may be the original “Christian” witness to the grace and goodness of God, as manifest through Jesus Christ! Now, here we are, generations and generations later, and ready to witness a new year. What will WE tell the world what we have “seen and heard” like the shepherds? What will we witness to, like Simeon, that will have us telling of God’s salvation and God’s glory? Or we just allow the negative events that will also surely come with the new year just pummel us and victimize us, only then crying out to God for help and healing? Not that that’s a bad thing, but both Simeon and Anna may be telling us it’s time to be proactive with our positive witness. It may be the very thing that can ward off the victimization, fear, and un-truth-telling that has led us to such division and strife.

 

Jesus said it would be the TRUTH that would set us free. May we, in the new year, become “prophets” and witnesses to the truth, and may we witness God’s salvation, which is NOT just a “personal relationship with Jesus,” but a life-altering, world-rescuing, justice-bringing EVENT that is still unfolding in our midst! Like Simeon, may we yield to the Holy Spirit, show up where Jesus IS, and proclaim the greatness and grace of our Lord! And may we then add the activism to our proclamation and seek to bring about the peace, justice, and goodwill toward all humans prophesied and promised by the Heavenly Host! 

 

My prayer for you, and for all of us in the new year, is that God WILL break in through us and through the church to announce to the world a “year of God’s favor,” not because we have caused it, but because GOD has not given up on God’s people. May we finish 2024 on a much higher plain because we have seen with our own eyes just what God can do. To quote Stuart Hamblen:

 

It is no secret, what God can do;

What he’s done for others, he’ll do for you.

With his arms wide open, he’ll pardon you.

It is no secret, what God can do.

 

Let’s not keep it a secret in 2024! Happy New Year, Beloved! Shalom!