Light In Ordinary Places

We trace the story of Jesus’ presentation in the temple and ask where light can be found when the world feels dark. Simeon, Anna, and Miep Gies show how ordinary people carry hope that grows from small, faithful acts into a bright, shared flame.

Transcript

Presentation In The Temple

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Our gospel reading this morning comes from Luke, the second chapter. When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. As it is written in the law of the Lord, every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord. And they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle doves or two young pigeons. 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. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. 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, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, 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. And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, This child is destined for the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed, so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed, and a sword will pierce your own soul too. There was also a prophet Anna, the daughter of Fanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 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. When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him. You may be seated. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my rock, and my redeemer. Amen. Where is the light? Where is the light? This is a question that has been weighing on me recently. I like to think my calling in the church, in the world, is to point people to the light. And every time I stand up here and preach, that is what I try to do. But over the past few weeks, this hopeful sense of call I have been having has been eluding me. What is going on in our world right now is terrifying. People are dying. Families are being torn apart. Violence and fear have become all too commonplace. Kindness and compassion seem to be virtues from a distant past being replaced by hate and self-centeredness. In the midst of all of this suffering and turmoil, in the anxiety, worry, and fear we may be feeling, I keep asking myself, what can we do? Where is there hope? Where is the light? In our gospel reading this morning, we heard about the presentation of Jesus in the temple 40 days after his birth. In Jewish tradition at the time, it was expected that women would be purified after giving birth, and that firstborn sons were to be presented to God in the temple, with certain ritual sacrifices being prescribed for this event. At the temple, priests and various temple attendants would have coordinated and performed these rituals. We don't even hear anything about the priests who we would expect to play a central role. However, who we do meet, whose names have been remembered throughout all history, are two seemingly ordinary people. First, we hear of Simeon, described as devout, awaiting the coming Messiah and nearing the end of his life. The Holy Spirit guides Simeon to the temple to see and hold the Savior after a lifetime of waiting. With the baby Jesus in his arms, Simeon praises God and acknowledges the light this child will bring to the world. Then we briefly hear of Anna, a prophet who has been widowed for quite some time and who spends all her days in the temple praying and worshiping. While her words are not recounted in this gospel like Simeon's, we know that she also acknowledges the light and redemption that this child will bring to the whole world. Neither Simeon nor Anna are particularly remarkable in and of themselves. They are ordinary people. Yet the recognition and truth in their praises are all too extraordinary. They waited a lifetime to see the promised hope. And when they were finally able to see it, to see that light that overcomes even the darkest of days, they learned that hope comes in places you would least expect. With God's help, they were able to see it and proclaim that salvation has come in the form of a seemingly ordinary child, in the baby Jesus. God is constantly revealing herself through things that appear ordinary. God becomes incarnate in the form of a vulnerable child. In the bread and wine of communion, an ordinary meal is made extraordinary by Jesus' presence. And in the waters of baptism, ordinary water is embedded with the Word of God, bringing new life and salvation to all who are washed by its waters. What Simeon and Anna proclaim and what we experience in our community of faith is how the hope God promises us is found in the seemingly ordinary. It is not a hope lost in the distant past, but one given to us for all time through the life, death, and resurrection of the light of the world, Jesus Christ. And while the world has gone through many ages of struggle and turmoil, of times that seem hopeless, the light of Christ continued to shine. But as always, it didn't shine in the places we would expect through the smartest or most powerful people, but through seemingly ordinary people like you and me. Matthew chapter 5, verse 14, a text we will hear more about next week, reminds us we are the light of the world. We may seem ordinary, but the light and hope of Christ shines through each and every one of us. And with this extraordinary light within us, God helps us to share it with others, to be a manifestation of God's hope and promises in our weary and troubled world. One of my favorite examples of this hopeful light is in the life of Meep Ghiz. She was an ordinary secretary in Amsterdam during the 1940s. Yet the cruelty and injustices of the Nazi regime thrust her into history as she hid Anne Frank and her family along with many others for two years. We may want to attribute her actions to some otherworldly courage or bravery that only a few possess. But looking back on her life, Gese stated, quote, I don't like being called a hero because no one should ever think you have to be special to help others. Even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can turn on a small light in a dark room. With God's help, we can let the light of Christ that resides in each and every one of us shine out on our weary and tumultuous world. Our acts may seem small or insignificant. Maybe we are providing food for those who are hungry or are advocating for justice for the oppressed and marginalized. But when when our one small flame combines with others, it becomes a blazing light that cannot be ignored. So today, my fellow light bearers, as we look forward, as we look to, as we prepare to look at what our church has done this year and look forward to where God is calling us now. May God help each and every one of us see the light of Christ that shines in us. May we be encouraged by the faithful witnesses of saints like Meep Geese, Simeon, and Anna, who have shared the promised light and hope of Christ throughout every age. And may God give us the strength and the courage to serve others, and let the hopeful blaze of Christ's light be seen throughout the entire world. Thanks be to God. Amen.