2025 02 02 Presentation of the Lord Year C
Malachi 3:1-4 Psalm 24 Hebrews 2:14-18 Luke 2:22-40
Can you imagine how bewildering it would be to have given
birth and go to present your child in the temple, only to be stopped not once,
but twice, with people declaring things about your child and his future? Obviously, this was no ordinary child.
In the Jewish tradition, when a woman gave birth to her
first born and that firstborn was male, they were to consecrate that child as
holy to the Lord. This comes from the
commands of Moses and is written in the Old testament. It says, Exodus 22:29 “Do not hold back
offerings from your granaries or your vats. “You must give me the firstborn of
your sons. Do the same with your cattle
and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them
to me on the eighth day.”
The reason for this was about remembering. The people were to remember a particular
defining moment in their history, because that defining moment was also a
prophecy of their future. That moment
was when the people were slaves in Egypt and being so hard pressed. Pharoh would not let the people go and so God
sent the Angel of Death to take the first born of every womb, both animal and
human. However, the Israelites were
spared if they had sacrificed a lamb and painted it’s blood over their door
post as a sign to the Angel. They were
then saved by the blood of the lamb.
In the future, ever after that event, God wanted to let
the people remember that the first born, who were the sign of the nation’s
strength and future, belonged to him.
Israel had a future, only because of God’s great deliverance. Therefore, the people were to give the first
born back to God, mostly through giving as a sacrifice, but the sons were to be
redeemed… or bought back by the sacrifice.
The first born was substituted for an animal or monetary payment.
This system of sacrifice, substitution and redemption
would set up the understanding of our salvation. Christ,
the first-born son of God would be the sacrifice, substitution who would redeem
us from the legal right that Satan had over us.
Our letter from the Hebrews explains this for us when it
tells us that Jesus had to share in our flesh and blood so that through his
death he might destroy the one who has the power of death - the devil. We previously have lived our lives,
unwittingly, in slavery to the devil, as those who followed our own ways
instead of God’s. It can be as simple as
any time we are trusting in our own strength to save us, instead of trusting in
God, because the Bible tells us that anything that is not of faith is sin, and
it also tells us that everyone falls short of the glory of God. And this all started at the beginning of time. Everyone ever born has done this, and it is
explained to us by our story of the garden of Eden.
Following our own ways and trusting in ourselves rather
than trusting and believing the word of God is something we all do. However, Christians strive to live by faith
and trust in God. When we aren’t
trusting in God we are living as slaves to death. Scripture tells us in Galations 2:19-20 “For
through the law I died to the law so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ, and I no
longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
We are finite and
can not save ourselves beyond maybe an immediate situation… if that. However, God has made a way to save for
eternity. It involves him redeeming us
and it is through the substitution of Jesus’ life, given as a sacrifice for al
of us. Jesus could do this because he
became one of us - yet did not sin. He
didn’t sin, not so much because he resisted temptation and didn’t do this or that,…
but because he lived his life in complete trust and faith in God the
father. As Hebrews tells us; Therefore
he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he
might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make
a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.
The key to living right, is in living by faith and trust
in God. God knows that we will still
sometimes fall…. And fall again, even while we are striving, so we are to
remember that Christ has already made atonement for that sin…. we are free and
no longer a slave to sin because we have faith and believe God.
The important question is; Do we believe God? We can believe there is a God, but do we
believe God…. Believe what he says… believe in his word? Jesus is the word of God. We are told in Hebrews 4:12”For the word of
God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates
even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart.”
To believe God means that when God says, “Don’t eat the
fruit from that tree”, we say AMEN…. And we don’t. Why? Because
we believe God…. Completely!
When God says, “don’t eat the fruit from that tree”, what
does that mean for you? What tree and
what fruit is it in our lives that we are inclined to not believe God’s word about?
Mary is told that a sword will pierce her own soul. Many have said that this refers to the sorrow
that she would experience as a mother seeing her son crucified. No doubt that was part of it all, but it
seems to me that it is about more than this.
The prior sentence tells us about Jesus.
"This child is destined for the falling and the 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."
“The inner thoughts revealed, and a sword will pierce
your own soul too”. The word of God is a
two-edged sword, judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. All of us and even Mary, need this sword to
pierce our soul. We need to be willing
to allow God to reveal to us our thoughts and attitudes that need correction,
if we are to live lives according to God’s will.
In our first reading we are also told; “he will sit as a refiner and purifier of
silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold
and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.”
Sometimes we might think being a Christian is just about
believing that there is a God. There is
more to it than that. Even Demons KNOW
that there is a God. Sometimes we might
think that being a Christian is about giving thanks to God for sending Jesus to
bring us eternal live. It is! But there is more to it than that. Being a Christian means being filled with God’s
Holy Spirit, who teaches us and refines us.
Sometimes we will feel incredible sorrow at the sin in the world and we
will feel the pain of others, because this is what it means to be the body of
Christ… we will feel his pain – and a sword will pierce your own soul. Being a Christian is about believing
God. Believing what he says. Believing what he promises. It is about allowing that sword - the word of God – to pierce our soul.
Baby Jesus was presented in the temple on the 40th
day, but the verses prior to our reading tell us about the 8th
day. The eighth day is a huge day for
any first-born Jewish son, as he is also circumcised on the eighth day. literally, the child is cut and then purification
time takes place and then the baby is presented. Everything ordered by God is a prophetic sign
declaring God’s message. We too need
that sword to pierce our soul and then we purify ourselves by believing God and
then we present ourselves to God. Here
we begin the journey that God has planned for us.
God has a plan and a purpose for us. Being a Christian means having that sword
pierce our soul…. We are cut to the heart and have had our thoughts and our
attitudes laid bare to God… we’ve brought them all to him in prayer. In revelation brought about by that sword we
realize our need for him and his salvation, - we believe him, and now we present ourselves
as his chosen people ready and willing to do his will and walk in that plan and
purpose to which he has called us. The
Christian Church has become a small army.
We are being called to present ourselves in the temple…. Here we are Lord,
we come to do your will. Raise us up as
a might army of the Lord.
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