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If you come this morning feeling a little flat or fragile then you've
come to the right service. I'll explain in a moment. Of course it wouldn't
be surprising if you felt a little low this morning. We have well and
truly lost sight of Christmas. The weather keeps changing and can't be
relied on in February. We are still in winter with its threats of colds
coughs and worse. And ahead of us is Lent. Ah Lent! No sweets or chocolate
(or worse if we have chosen to take fasting more seriously) and on-going
guilt about good intentions to pray more and not quite achieving it. And
the themes of temptation and sin, pain and suffering don't quite fill
us with joy. Well whether that's true for you or not this is a turning
point. Candlemas was the last feast in the Christian year that was dated
by reference to Christmas; subsequent moveable feasts are calculated with
reference to Easter. i.e up to now we have looked back to the birth of
Jesus; from now on we look forward to his death and Resurrection.. If
any of you in the choir want something to do whilst I am talking, count
forward 40 days from the 25th December and see where you get to. Under
Mosaic law as found in the Torah, a mother who had given birth to a male-child
was considered unclean for 40 days. Not yet able to carry out household
duties fully or take part in religious ceremonies. Candlemas therefore
corresponds to the day on which Mary, attended a ceremony of ritual purification.
That was followed by Jesus' presentation in the Jerusalem temple. And
of course it was in the Temple that Simeon and Anna met Mary, Joseph and
the baby Jesus. (How are our counters going? 40 days from 25th December
is February 2nd) Jesus was 6 weeks old. And as he is brought to the Temple,
the old man Simeon, guided (Luke tells us) by the HS, recognizes in this
child what he had been praying and hoping for all his life. 'My eyes have
now seen your salvation. Here is Israel's glory, and here is God's light
for those outside Israel, the Gentiles.'
And that's why this is Candlemas. God's light has come into the world.
The term "Candlemas" refers to the practice found in former
Roman Missals whereby a priest on February 2 would bless the candles for
use during the coming year. And we are going to do the same this morning.
We are also invited to light a candle as an offering of prayer. Can I
encourage you to start thinking about what your prayer will be at that
point? I said at the beginning that this is a festival for the fragile,
for those who feel frail. As the light of the candle flickers you may
wonder if it will go out; that fragility can represent the fragility of
our faith and hope.
Luke seems to present it like that. In their own way, each of the characters
in this drama is fragile It is as though he invites us to identify with
1 of them.Yes, God's light, His Salvation has come into the world but
at any point it could have been snuffed out. Let's look in turn at why
each of the players is, like us, frail and fragile.
Joseph we know little about. He almost comes across as a supporting act;
bemused by all that has happened since Mary conceived. He is open to hear
the angels message to stick by Mary and he does. But what does he make
of all that he is witnessing? Does he wonder if he can provide adequately
for his wife and child?
Have I really heard God correctly? Have I made the right decision to stand
by her?
And what about Mary? Young Mary. Fragile in so many ways. Conceiving before
marriage and facing judgment from many. Having come through the risk of
childbirth she was now facing the demands of motherhood with limited means.
She knew God's hand was on them, but like Joseph, she was amazed at what
Simeon and Anna were saying about her son. Like her husband she is open
to hear from God even though the message is not comfortable: 'A sword
will pierce your own soul too' Simeon tells her. Sometimes God's word
does not tell us what we want to hear.
Now Simeon, probably an old man, though Luke doesn't say so, for he blesses
Mary and Joseph and talks about being ready to depart. He was 1 of a small
number in Israel who quietly trusted the ancient prophets and believed
that God would honour His promise to send an anointed One. Not for Simeon
the taking up of causes, seeking to overthrow the Romans, and usher in
God's rule for Him. Maybe others had mocked him for this… "It's
all v well praying and waiting Simeon, but God expects us to act as well
- he can't bring about change without us. " And maybe others were
fed up of waiting and stopped believing. "Simeon old chap, God hasn't
sent us prophets for 400 years. I admire your sincerity but you're a bit
out of touch with reality." 'The Son of Man comes at a time you least
expect." So Simeon's quiet trust was rewarded.
And lastly there is Anna. Married for only 7 years before her husband
died. Fragile through her gender, vulnerable through her circumstances,
but like Simeon devoted to prayer and worship. And like all the players
in this drama, open and obedient to the Director. Willing to be shown
what He is doing.
And here is the key for us I would suggest. It is not our circumstances
which give us the cue for trust. Faith is not about being invulnerable
and sure. It is about trusting the One who has spoken. How is it that
the writer of Hebrews puts it in chapter 11? 'Faith is the assurance of
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.'
As we light our candles shortly, let's remember that faith usually feels
fragile, like the flame. But let's remember too what this story says to
us. It says that God trusts fragile people. He brings about His will and
purpose through human beings who are vulnerable, weak and needy. All he
needs is an openness to Him and a willingness to be guided by Him. We
often make faith sound too complicated. It isn't. It can be exercised
by the simple, by the young, by the old and frail, the broken and those
we call the disabled. So as we offer our prayer and seek to put our trust
in Him afresh, let's remember that He places His faith in US! He trusts
us with His message of salvation. 'My eyes have seen your salvation…
a light to reveal you to the Gentiles.' We have now been entrusted with
carrying the Word of God, as Mary once was.
One final point. What is this Word? What is its message? It is above all
things good news for the poor. Mary and Joseph cannot afford to bring
a lamb and a pigeon to offer at the Temple. They bring two pigeons, the
offering of the poor. 'Though he was rich yet for our sakes he became
poor.' Yes, that refers to heavenly riches but not only that. Jesus identified
himself consciously with the poor, the needy, those on the edge and often
neglected by the rest of society. As His followers, that is our starting
point, not an added extra. Many churches today are marking Poverty action
Sunday and quite right too. We are exploring this theme in Lent - do come
to the study courses if you can. We shall also be seeking to support someone
who works with some of the world's poorest and most fragile. Jenny Green
lives and works in S Uganda and is establishing Potters Village - a scheme
to address the long as well as short term needs of abandoned babies. It
is inspiring work and it needs our prayer and our money.
So as Jesus was presented in the Temple, we present ourselves to Him.
First we do so in prayer, lighting our candle to offer our prayer to Him.
Then, we present ourselves at the altar, for Him to meet us there and
feed us. As we do both those let's be honest about how fragile we are
and how frail our faith, but let's too come with the trust that we do
have an an openness to hear from Him and to receive from Him. Let us pray…
"Master, now …. Israel."
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