Having Seen Salvation – sermon on Dec. 28, 2014
Scripture: Luke 2: 22-40
About a month after Jesus was born, it was, according to the Law of Moses, time for Mary and Joseph to bring the baby to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. The law said that every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord. They offered a sacrifice of two young pigeons. Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, and he looked forward to the time when Israel would be healed and whole and strong. God’s spirit was strong in Simeon, and he’d been told by the Spirit that before he died, he would see the Savior of Israel, the Messiah. One day while Simeon was going about his day, the Spirit urged him to go to the temple. When Jesus and Mary brought the baby Jesus in and made their sacrifice, Simeon went to the baby and took him in his arms and praised God. He said, “Master, you can now take me, your servant, in peace, 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 will be so important for the fate of our nation, and even the world. Through him, the pain and problems of the world will be revealed. It will hurt, but it is the only way the world can be healed. It will hurt you, too. Both of you.
There was also a prophet, Anna, at the temple. Anna was 84 years old. She had been married for just 7 years when her husband died, and she had been a widow now for a long, long time. She never left the temple, but stayed there fasting and praying night and day. When she saw the baby Jesus, she began to praise God and to speak about the child to everyone who came to the temple praying for Israel to be saved.
When Mary and Joseph had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. T he child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
Having Seen Salvation – sermon on Dec. 28, 2014 by Rev. Doreen Oughton
We have been celebrating the good news, the good news of God’s incarnation in Jesus, the good news that God’s salvation has come and is coming. But here on this first Sunday of the Christmas season, we hear that this good news has an edge to it. It is like the good news that the cancer is responding to the chemo and radiation. Of course it is good news, but it is not smooth sailing. It means more chemo and radiation, which are not exactly something to look forward to. So what you look forward to, with that news, is longer life, hopefully years of health and wholeness. The diagnosis is devastating, the treatment process debilitating, but with all of that comes hope. And if the alternative is feeling horrible without knowing why, watching life drain out of you without a clue how to stop it, a diagnosis and treatment plan are indeed good news.
God has made the diagnosis. God’s beloved Creation was sick – not living as they were designed to live, not whole, not healthy. Some knew it, some did not, but the things they were trying to make them feel better were not working. So God developed a plan for salvation – God’s own self taking on flesh and modeling how to be human as designed by God. The dead end efforts at self-correction would be revealed in their ineffectiveness, and a new way shown. Simeon, through the wisdom of the Spirit, understands all of this, and he sings a song of praise and thanksgiving. He has seen God in the flesh, the savior of the world, and he was ready to depart this world in peace. He didn’t need to see the end result – a world transformed – to know that God’s promises would be kept, God’s vision fulfilled.
This story reminds me of others who lived in anticipation of a world transformed, who even worked for it, and were able to let go of their lives in peace. Of course there is Moses, who led the people to the edge of the promised land, but did not cross over. God accompanied Moses up Mt. Nebo and showed him the whole of the land promised to his people. And then there was MLK Jr., who gave a speech the night before he was murdered, saying – “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! And so I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!”
Now we have the testimony of our spiritual ancestors – John the Baptist, Simeon, Anna, the magi, the apostles and saints, men and women through the ages who have told of their salvation through Jesus. But I cannot help but look around and still see so much that is broken – so much suffering and destruction. I wonder, if I heard from the holy spirit that I would see clear signs of salvation at work before I died, what would it be that would allow me to sing the song of Simeon. What would it be for you? World wide agreement to disarm / demilitarize? All nations working together to be good stewards of earth’s resources? Adoption of restorative justice practices in dealing with crime instead of retributive justice? Meaningful work at decent wages for anyone who wants it?
These are big things, and so I am impressed that all Simeon needed to see was a tiny baby. And I wonder if I have already seen the evidence, but skipped right over it looking for something big. Maybe salvation can be seen in our packing lunches for WF, or collecting cold weather gear. Maybe God is at work in the comfort of poinsettias to our church friends and members stuck at home. Where might you have seen salvation?
In closing, I’d like to share a story from a book called Parables, by Megan McKenna.
There was a woman who wanted peace in the world and peace in her heart and all sorts of good things, but she was very frustrated. The world seemed to be falling apart. She would read the papers and get depressed. One day she decided to go shopping, and she went into a mall and picked a store at random. She walked in and was surprised to see Jesus behind the counter. She knew it was Jesus, because he looked just like the pictures she’d seen on holy cards and devotional pictures. She looked again and again at him and finally she got up her nerve and asked, “Excuse me, are you Jesus?” “I am.” “Do you work here?” “No,” Jesus said, “I own the store.” “Oh, what do you sell in here?” “Oh just about anything!” “Anything?” “Yeah, anything you want. What do you want?” She said, “I don’t know.” “Well,” Jesus said, “feel free, walk through the aisles, make a list, see what it is you want, and then come back and we’ll see what we can do for you.”
She did just that, walked up and down the aisles. There was peace on earth, end to war, elimination of hunger and poverty, peace in families, healing of all drug abuse and addiction, harmony, clean air, careful use of resources. She wrote furiously. By the time she got back to the counter she had a long list. Jesus took the list, skimmed through it, looked up at her and smiled. “No problem.” And then he bent down behind the counter and picked out all sorts of things, stood up, and laid out the packets. She asked, “What are these?” Jesus replied, “Seed packets. This is a catalog store.” She said, “You mean I don’t get the finished product?” “Oh no, this is a place of dreams. You come and see what it looks like, and I give you the seeds. You plant the seeds. You go home and nurture them and help them to grow. Most likely, someone else reaps the harvest. “Oh,” she said.
What do you think she did next? What would you do?
