Candlemas - the Presentation of Christ in the Temple

Here endeth Christmas!

The Christmas Season has taken us from the Birth of Jesus in a stable at Bethlehem, through the visits of the Shepherds and the Wise Men, then onwards through those moments of the Epiphany Season when we come face to face with our God. At first seen through the eyes of others but always raising the question, where do you and I meet our God.

Today is the final Epiphany moment with Jesus being taken to the Temple in Jerusalem where his parents, Mary and Joseph, will give thanks to God by offering a sacrifice for their new-born son. Then two unexpected things happened: first the blessing of Jesus by Simeon, but note it was not all good news; second the prophetic words of Anna.

As Simeon said to Mary, “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.”

And as Anna said, “she began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”

One of the reasons why Simeon and Anna were listened to by his parents and the people in the Temple was that they were elderly. In Jewish Society at that time there was a belief that with age there came wisdom. Wisdom was not just elderly people knowing more but that they had walked with God and had had their own Epiphany moments where they had experienced God being with them in their own lives and as a result had grown closer to God.

In many ways I think the church has lost its way in this area both because we don’t encourage people to meet with God in their prayers and in their daily lives and also because the church then doesn’t want to hear what these people have to say. But for those of us who are elderly, age does not guarantee wisdom it is only when we allow God to be the centre of our lives and then allow him to guide and change us to be his disciples in this complex world.

At least the Gospel writer understood words of wisdom when he heard them and recorded them so that through the ages, right down to this present day, we might give thanks to God for our Epiphany moments and the growth of wisdom they bring.

Andrew SSL