The Presentation of Christ in the Temple Candlemas - …

1 The Presentation of Christ in the Temple Candlemas Today as we keep Candlemas , the feast of the Presentation of Christ , the celebration of Christmas is officially over. In our gospel reading we heard again of Simeon, a man of mystery walking in the Temple . We don't know much about him beyond his name. Traditionally, he is pictured as a wizened, elderly man who has led a good life of many years; but the Bible only tells us his name. It also says that Simeon "was righteous and devout, looking forward to the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah." That's why he is at the Temple - he is waiting to see the Messiah. Suddenly, the long-awaited Messiah is there.

2 The Lord has come to His Temple . The Son of God has become flesh to be the Saviour of the world, and He is making His first incarnate visit to His Father's house. The prophecy is fulfilled! The Messiah is on the Temple grounds. And it seems that nobody notices. Nobody cares. But Simeon does. Simeon knows, because the Holy Spirit has told him. He confidently walks up to the Messiah and His entourage. He boldly takes hold of the Saviour. And there, in the middle of all the Temple activity, he sings the words we know so well as Nunc Dimittis. The Lord Himself has come to His Temple with salvation; He has come to redeem His people. It is a glorious, divine truth; so Simeon sings a song of praise. It seems likely that others around might have thought him mad or blasphemous.

3 The other Temple -goers had come to worship the almighty Lord who made the heavens and the earth, and they find Simeon holding a 40-day-old baby in his arms, guarded by a poor-looking husband and wife. Simeon isn't concerned with the Holy of Holies, where the Lord dwells in His glory. He's peering at the baby in his arms and singing the strangest of lullabies. As if the Baby has words. As if the Baby is able to send Simeon away. As if the Baby is the Lord. As we know, if we go by our eyes alone, we are likely to miss the Saviour. People who are looking for some glorious display of power to prove the presence of God will pass by the Baby and keep on looking. But by faith, Simeon knows that the flesh and blood he cradles in his arms is the Son of God incarnate.

4 He is Immanuel, "God with us," present with His people as God and man. He is with His people to bring peace, salvation, light, revelation and glory. Don't let the hairless head and the tiny toes fool you: This is the Lord of heaven and earth. And though that toothless mouth can't yet form words, He has been speaking from eternity. By faith, Simeon acknowledges His Saviour and rejoices in His salvation. He embraces the Word made flesh, and he is forgiven for all his sins by the Baby Jesus. That is why he can depart in peace. Whatever happened next for Simeon, and we are not told, he departs in peace because God is faithful. He doesn't depart to peace, but he is at peace because God who is faithful has not forsaken him but has come to redeem him.

5 The Lord has kept His promises, and Simeon knows the end of the story, that is life everlasting, because the Son has come. So how does this speak to each of us today? We know we have made it this far, but we have no idea what is going to happen tomorrow. Not knowing can lead to all sorts of temptations. We are tempted to worry, especially in these uncertain times; and while a Godly concern is good, worry too often turns into doubt of God's will and faithfulness. We don't like not knowing, because not knowing means we have to live by trusting. Faith isn't natural; in fact, it's impossible unless it is given by God. But God gives us faith - faith by and in a blessed truth that we do know. Today, we stand with Simeon because we behold our Saviour.

6 The Holy Spirit has revealed this to us by His holy, inspired Word. His Word announces to us that the Baby in Simeon's arms grows up and bears our sins to the cross. That same body is pierced, and that blood is shed before He is placed in the tomb. That same Saviour, with the same body and blood, is risen again on the third day. And before Jesus ascends into heaven, He speaks to His disciples of teaching and baptizing. He speaks of Word and Sacrament, and promises, "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." He is with us in His Word and Sacraments. It was He who washed each of us clean of sin in the waters of Holy Baptism. It is He, the Word made flesh, who is present in His Word when it is proclaimed. It is He who says to you, "Take and eat, this is My and drink, this is My blood, for the forgiveness of sins .

7 " The same body and blood that Simeon held and beheld. And that went to the cross. And rose again. And ascended into heaven. Like Simeon, we know that God keeps His promises. His Son has come, died and risen, as promised. His Son is here, in Word and Sacrament, to forgive, as promised. We know this by faith, not by sight. And as we reflect on Simeon, as we think about his story, we can see that by our receiving Jesus our waiting can be over too. God desires us to know his peace, for each of us to say: My eyes have seen your salvation. Your rescue. Now I may depart in peace . We can walk by and ignore our Saviour; we can wait around for a lifetime even, or like Simeon we can embrace this Saviour Jesus knowing that in him there is peace, salvation, and rescue.

8 By accepting Jesus we have something that lasts forever. So what are you waiting for? What are you looking for? God s hope is that each of us will say - My eyes have seen your salvation and that we will find in Jesus the source of all peace, power, and glory, for he alone is the end to our waiting, the joy in our looking, and the peace in our searching. For Jesus himself calls each of us to get involved in the story of God s Great Rescue Plan. At the end of our services, each of us will be invited to depart in peace. In Christ , we don't know what chapters life still holds, but in Christ we do know that the end of the story is life everlasting. This is why we depart in peace. The One who suffered, died and rose again is with us, to raise us from our sufferings and from death to life everlasting.

9 What does tomorrow hold? We cannot know. But we can commend tomorrow to the Lord, trusting that He will indeed work all things for our good. He has promised to do so for His servants, even as He promises that His Son has died for each one of us. Therefore, even now, we depart in peace: For we are forgiven for all of our sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen