12-31-06 Story

Alas, how is it in your house now that the "the happy morning is over"? I know in our household we will "dismantle the tree" tomorrow. Thank you to those of you who will help us today.

And so, all too quickly we turn the page of Christmas, and now face the long winter ahead. Already I hear grumbles about the weather, or from some of you skiers, the lack of weather.

Or as W. H. Auden puts it, "The night of agony still to come." But, come now, let's not be too Good Friday gloomy. We are, after all, still in the middle of our twelve days of Christmas, and there is yet one more song of Christmas to be heard. So this morning, "the rest of the story."

We are in the final verses of Luke, chapter two. The same chapter that began so many verses ago, "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus..." leading to our lovely nativity story, and our holy family of Joseph, Mary and their infant son, Jesus.

It is now forty days after the birth of Jesus, and our family, being good Jews, has come to the Temple, for according to the Law, as it is written in Exodus, "Every first born male is to be dedicated to the Lord." One did this on day forty. This was in gratitude of God's deliverance of the Hebrews from captivity in Egypt some 1200 years earlier. You remember the tenth and final plague, where every first born son of the land was slain except where the blood of the lamb was upon the doorpost, signifying a Hebrew home to the angel of death "passing over," thus sparing the first born son in the Hebrew household.

Now in gratitude and ever after the Jews are to dedicate their first-born son "to the Lord" as a part of their Law. Mary and Joseph are keeping the faith. Where they have been the past month, Luke does not tell us. Perhaps after the census was taken, which is why Mary and Joseph made the trip to Joe's home town of Bethlehem in the first place, even while Mary was great with child, (I mean, hey, the Emperor says "go", you go), the crowds subsided and our family was able to find room in an inn to await the Purification of Mary at the Temple, another Hebrew rite to perform thirty-three days following childbirth, and then followed by the dedication of the son ceremony one week later.

We can understand this religious rite. It is akin to our baptism. The parents acknowledging their gratitude for the gift of life and promising to raise their child according to the love of God.

We learn something else about the family during this ceremony. A part of the parents' response is to offer a sacrifice to God in the Temple. Luke tells us Joseph and Mary "offer a sacrifice according to what is stated in the Law, a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons." (2:24)

Actually several sacrifices are suggested in the Law. The standard sacrifice is a lamb. But only rich people can afford this. So other options are made available, according to one's wealth. At the bottom of the sacrificial scale are turtledoves or pigeons. This is where we learn that Joseph and Mary are poor people. Which is an astonishing revelation.

Common folks did not produce Messiahs, Saviors of the World, Lord of lords, and King of kings back then. Such leadership arose from aristocracy, from the genes of royalty. There was no "log cabin" myth in the Bible. Until now.

Joseph and Mary are poor. When Jesus was born, he was born among us, in the great sea of humanity. Not to the silver spoon set, but to simple folk, for whom a "pigeon" sacrifice was sufficient, meaning for whom day to day life was a struggle to survive. God bless them, everyone.

Joseph and Mary go to the Temple to dedicate their son in obedience to the Law. An old man is there. His name is Simeon. We are told Simeon is "righteous and devout." These are high biblical credentials. Which is to say, Simeon has read his Bible and knows from Malachi, which is the last of the Old Testament scrolls, that it is prophesied when the Messiah comes, he will "come to his Temple." Therefore, smart Simeon is hanging out at the Temple.

Simeon has also been told by the Spirit that before he sees death, he will see the Messiah. As I say, Simeon is old. Not the buff middle-aged guy on your bulletin cover, but an old man. No one wants to live forever. So Simeon is waiting at the Temple, so he can see the Lord and check out. Every morning he gets up, has his coffee and bagel, and gets down to the Temple to keep his "Messiah-watch."

I suspect he has been dutifully doing this daily for years. Enter Mary, Joseph and the baby. Understand, Simeon, the one with the credentials to recognize the Messiah, is not looking for a baby. He is looking for a full-grown Messiah. His expectation, like everyone else's, must be of a handsome warrior with sword drawn atop a war horse descending upon a cloud preceded by a pillar of fire.

But Simeon is a "righteous" man, and he is strangely drawn to the Madonna and child entering the Temple. Mary cradles the baby. Simeon bends over and asks to see the child. Mary must be anxious, this strange old coot being so attentive, but she obliges Simeon a peek.

Simeon sees the infant, and you just know his eyes fill with tears, as he sings the last song of Christmas. The Christmas story begins with the Magnificat, the glorious song sung by Mary following the annunciation, "My soul doth magnify the Lord..."

Christmas concludes with Simeon singing a solo called the Nunc Dimittis, taken from the first words in the Latin translation, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel." (2:29-32)

Simeon's watch is over. The Messiah, for whom Simeon and the Jews in general have been waiting, is here. He is here, astonishingly enough, for all the world. For the Jews and the Gentiles. Come to save. This is what Simeon sees. "For mine eyes have seen thy salvation (for) all peoples."

We can only imagine the shock of Mary and Joseph, and the Temple attendants at the time. Luke tells us, "Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him." Furthermore, the old man is not finished.

He follows his song with a prophecy, saying to Mary: "Behold (which in the Bible means "listen up!"), this child is set for the falling and rise of many in Israel, He shall be a sign from God which many people will speak against, and thus reveal their hearts." And then Simeon concludes, sadly, "And sorrow, like a sharp sword, shall pierce your soul." Simeon speaking to mother Mary, while she stands there at the Temple door come to dedicate her infant son. "And sorrow, like a sharp sword, shall pierce your soul."

Whoa! Now we understand why W. H. Auden concludes his Christmas oratorio with: "The happy morning is over, The night of agony still to come..." Apparently Auden had read his Bible, and knew "the rest of the (birth) story."

So where do we go with this? What are we to make of this? Normally we preachers just skip over this, and get on with the Magi in Matthew, skipping Matthew's ending as well, which if you recall is Herod's "slaughter of the new borns." I mean, this is a hard book. What are we to make of this?

First, Simeon is here to announce a change in plans. Simeon is old enough, and spiritually blessed enough, to see it. There has been a change in plans. Instead of the Messiah coming suddenly, shockingly, dramatically, powering in a new age where evil is defeated and the peaceable Kingdom commenced, things are going to be pretty much the same as they have always been. Just another day. At least it looks this For The Time Being.

You will notice this soon enough. Tuesday you will wake up and go back to work, unless you are a Federal employee. (Odd tribute to hard working President. Instead of paid holiday, why not work extra day without pay? Real memorial!) Back to work, same old job. What has changed? The world will still be imperfect, including your employer. For those with arthritis pre-Xmas, they will wake up with arthritis post-Xmas. For those who went to bed hungry before Christmas, they will wake up hungry after Christmas. For those with broken relationships, troubled hearts, guilt on their minds, worry in their bones, it will be the same. No miracles.

The newspaper headlines will be the same old stuff, so many killed in Iraq, even with Saddam hanged.

Yes, Simeon's postlude to the Christmas story reveals a change in plans. But subtly. Oh, so subtly. For those with "eyes to see and ears to hear." Instead of sweeping everything aside, as in the Flood, and starting over again, or instead of taking charge by force and banging some heads, which is what everybody expected, and prayed for, God chose another way to change the world.

God chose love. God chose to save the world rather than to do away with the world. God chose to work with and redeem the world rather than destroy the world. Which I guess is the Creator's prerogative, don't you think? It does says a lot about God.

It says, "God so loved the world that God gave God's only begotten son...not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through the son."(John 3:16-17)

Simeon was the first to see this, that is, the first to see God's Son. So Simeon sang, "mine eyes have seen thy salvation..."

The second thing Simeon's story tells us is, this is not going to be easy. Eventually God and love will win. Eventually "thy Kingdom come, thy will be done." Eventually, but not all of a sudden, as in my lifetime, let alone next week. Many people expected this then, as now. But Simeon says, "t'ain't so."

Simeon is pleased enough just to know it is going to happen someday, and therefore he is free to pass on to the next life.

The way of love is harder, and takes longer to change things, than, say, the way of war. Simeon sees this in the Christ child, so fragile, so vulnerable, so dependent. If you are expecting immediate salvation, don't count on it. It is going to take awhile, and it is going to cost something. "A sword is going to pierce your soul." Beginning with this child. You see, we are talking change here. And there will always be resistance to change, especially by those who have all the change in their pockets. So it will not be easy.

Which I think is why Anna is in "the rest of the story" as well. We almost miss Anna, skip right over her, which is what she is used to. Anna is an old prophetess, that is, a female prophet. So she is used to being ignored.

She is even older than Simeon. 84. And a widow for over sixty years. To be an old widow in those days was to be poor. And unnoticed. Anna spends her days in the Temple also, praying and fasting.

Her presence in our story gives testimony to another dimension. Luke tells us by his description of Anna that this is a woman who has suffered much, and who knows life is not easy. So when Anna adds her testimony, saying, "This is the One, this baby is the Messiah," it means something. Anna speaks for the survivors. For those of us who struggle, and know Christmas is not going to remove all our problems. Nevertheless, if Anna can recognize the love of the Lord and give thanks to God, then we can, too. Surely we can. Even with our problems.

So you see, what this text tells us on the Sunday after Christmas is the Messiah has come, but not as we expected. Simeon and Anna testify to this.

The Lord of all creation comes to us as an infant. Enters life subtly and silently. As we sing "How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given." (O Little Town, v.3)

The Lord does not come on a white horse to rescue us and deliver us from this world. The Lord comes to be with us, to dwell with us, "where meek souls will receive him," to heal us and to empower us to change the world.

It will not be easy, but the Lord will lead us in the way of love, so no one will be "forgot" this Christmas.

Simeon and Anna say, "This is what we have been waiting for." So Simeon sings, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation."

Anna, she is too old to sing. But if she could, she would sing as you just did the 3^rd verse of "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear."

"And ye, beneath life's crushing load, whose forms are bending low, who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow, look now! for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing. O rest beside the weary road, and hear the angels sing!"

Praise God the birth of Christ is not the end of the story, nor the end of the world. For Simeon and Anna recognize Christ in the child, and tell us, in spite of our still imperfect world, we can embrace the future with hope. "Let earth receive her King, and every heart prepare him room."

AMEN.