by Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!

Today the Virgin appears in the temple of God, in anticipation proclaiming Christ to all…

The angels beheld the entrance of the Pure One and were amazed. How has the Virgin entered into the Holy of Holies?

Purity and holiness, light and joy - that imperceptible spirit of today's feast and service. Upon the steps of the Old Testament shrine of the Jerusalem Temple stands the three-year-old youth, the great Holy of Holies, triumphantly and rejoicing. And her elderly and righteous parents, Joachim and Anna, and a choir of young maidens with lighted candles, "singing, playing, and exalting," accompany she who is borne as a gift to God. Embraced by sacred delight, the high priest Zacharias, the elder and father of the Forerunner, "blessed and welcomed" the holy maiden, and according to special revelation bore her into the Holy of Holies.

Small events, so why is this celebration so joyful, so memorable and significant? Why did this feast become one of the twelve? Because, my dears, the Entrance of the Most Pure Virgin into the Temple became a necessary component in God's salvific providence for the world.

This event put an end to the centuries long alienation of man from God and his sojourn under slavery to sin.

The sanctuary of the Jerusalem Temple, where dwelt God and where He manifested His presence, inaccessible to all except one high priest, and even then but once a year, where he entered with the blood offering, bringing prayer for the sins of the people, is by Divine grace opened to the God-chosen maiden - the daughter of man. And the Most Holy Virgin is brought into the Holy of Holies, and, invisibly for the world, bears within herself a great offering, a new living offering - Christ - God and Man.

The Old Testament Temple of God accepted into itself the seed of new life, the divine maiden in whom will spiritually sprout and grow the New, saving Covenant of man with God. The Old Testament Temple of God took into itself the sacred Ark of the New Testament, the animate temple of the Savior, the precious bridal chamber and Virgin - the sacred treasury of the glory of God.

With the entrance into the Temple of the God-chosen maiden the time came when the grace of God would return to people, and they would draw near to God, as to the Heavenly Father, for the Son of God is the Son of the Virgin and grace proclaims the good news of reconciliation with God, and the entrance to Heaven is opened to all desiring it.

And with this entrance it was possible for the first time to pronounce the words: "Thine own of Thine own, we offer unto Thee…"

God's gift to man - the Most Holy Virgin - the fruit of prayer of her elderly parents, and through her - Christ, returns mankind to God, as a gift to Him from man, as a favorable and fragrant sacrifice.

And with this entrance, in anticipation of the great changes in the world, it was possible for the first time to sing the words of joy and hope: "Christ is born, glorify Him; Christ is descended from Heaven, go forth to meet Him!"

With the entrance into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos is accomplished a miracle. Heaven united with earth, and eternity entered into time, hallowing it for eternity.

"Today is the prelude of the good will of God, of the preaching of the salvation of mankind…"

How great is this day, singular and unrepeatable - the day of the beginning of the New Covenant with God on earth.

A few years remained before the appearance of Christ the Savior in the world, and the Temple of God was called amongst the utmost holiness and purity and Divine power to nurture and cultivate in those years the delicate, childlike pure soul of the divine maiden, filling her with the Godhead, and preparing her for the Divine Incarnation.

Day by day the Most Holy Virgin grew in bodily and spiritual strength in the Temple of God. The strength of soul of the Most Holy Virgin was formed, grew, and strengthened by angelic converse and prayer directed towards God, and labors for the sake of God.

Her bodily strength was supported by heavenly food, brought to her by the archangel. The high priest Zacharias, himself unable to daily enter into the Holy of Holies, with astonishment, disbelief, and fear heard the conversations of the Virgin with the archangel in the Sanctuary. And, finding nothing similar in the appearances of angels to other people, the high priest was confirmed in the thought that the time of the fulfillment of the universal expectation had arrived, and from the blessed one would come Salvation, from the bride - the Promised One, from the Virgin - God.

But Mary, nourished by Divine grace, having lost in the last years of her life in the Temple her sole attachment to this earth - her righteous parents, gave a vow to God - to preserve until the end of her life her virginity and to remain the handmaiden of the Lord, Him alone serving and devoting herself in all things and always to His holy will.

… Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word (Lk. 1:38).

And her heart, given to God, became a temple not made by hands, a receptacle for God. And soon, very soon afterwards, Christ - Her Son and the Son of God - comes and establishes the legitimacy of this new temple not made by hands, the basis of which will be Himself.

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
(1 Cor. 3:16-17)

And with this renewal of the temple of God, people will worship God not only in Jerusalem, but in Spirit and in truth will they worship Him in every place of His dominion, wherever is found a faithful human heart that loves God.

For all of us on this great day of the present feast it is impossible not to ponder and understand that the path to Heaven, open to men in this time so far departed from us, all the same begins on the threshold of this temple of God not made by hands, when by Baptism man offers himself to God as a gift and becomes a temple not made by hands, and the Spirit of God takes up residency within Him. And our path in life must pass through the temple, to be reared and grow in it, that this path might end in the sanctuary of God, in Heaven, where with the offering of His own Blood has already entered Christ Himself - the High Priest of all future blessings.

My dears, the Temple of God always and at all times was an altar consecrated to God, and sacrifices brought by all. In the Old Testament times the Lord Himself blessed the Temple as a place of His dwelling:

The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
(Is. 66:1)

And the first Temple of God - the sanctuary built on earth, erected by Solomon, the son of the king and prophet David, in the year 1033 before the Nativity of Christ, was created directly at God's bidding.

I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
(3 Kg. 9:3)

And wondrous and holy and magnificent was the first Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, and the Ark of the Covenant, given to man by God, through Moses, was in it.

The Temple of God at all times is always eternity, in it lives and abides everything that was from the beginning, from the creation of the world, and what will be until the Second and glorious Coming of the Lord. In the Temple of God everything and always lives - the past, and the present, and the future. And there are not mysteries in life which the Temple of God - the Holy Church - does not know.

But why do the living not know these mysteries; why do even those who abide in the Temple remain deaf and blind to them; why do they see and hear so little?

Why was the first Jerusalem Temple, together with the great shrine, the Ark of the Old Covenant, lost? Why has that great shrine of the Second Jerusalem Temple, sanctified by the abiding there of the Ark of the New Covenant - the Most Holy Divine Maiden - and sanctified by the appearance there of our Savior and God - Christ, left us as a reminiscence nothing but the Wailing Wall? Why should the "New Israel" - Great Russia - throughout nine centuries creating within itself the House of God, like the Old Testament Israel suffer through the seventy-year captivity by their own and the abomination of desolation in the holy place - the many, many destroyed churches and monasteries of God?

We must seek again the answer to all our bitter "whys?" in the Church and in the Holy Scriptures, which the Church preserves. It preserves sacred objects, it preserves truth, but woe to us, the living, for these storehouses opened, these prophecies fulfilled before us, appearing for us because of our negligence, bitterness and secret unbelief as behind seven seals.

This is what the Lord of Sabaoth said when the first Old Testament Temple was newly consecrated. Listen to these words, my dears, spoken to all of mankind by the Lord as a warning:

But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight … And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the Lord done thus unto this land, and to this house? And they shall answer, Because they forsook the Lord their God … and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the Lord brought upon them all this evil.
(3 Kg. 9:6-9)

They to whom these words were addressed did not hear them. Will we really not hear them, seeing them fulfilled?

Falling away from God is the cause of all ills at all times.

The Jewish kings and people apostatized from God, worshiping strange gods. The Lord punished Israel with war, and in anticipation of repentance sent the prophet Jeremiah to the apostates preaching repentance unto correction. But they did not listen to the prophet, as they had not listened to the Lord Himself. And Jerusalem was destroyed, and Solomon's Temple fell, and the Ark of the Covenant was lost, and the seventy-year Babylonian captivity was the lot of sinful Israel.

The Second Jerusalem Temple, built following the return from the Babylonian captivity, was smaller and not so magnificent, but the prophets Haggai and Zechariah prophesied that it would have greater glory than the first, for the Ark of the New Covenant would be nourished there. And the fate of this Temple and the discontinuation of Old Testament sacrifices were prophesied by the prophet Daniel long before their fulfillment. The final prophecy about the Second Jerusalem Temple sounded from the mouth of the Savior Himself. The Lord Jesus Christ wept on the day of His entrance into Jerusalem, and, seeing Golgotha near, foretold the destruction of the Temple:

And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
(Lk. 19:44)

Rejected, again Israel rejected God, they rejected Christ the Savior Who took on humanity, condemned Him to death, and besought in His place Barabbas, a murderer. And finally, the world hears weeping and wailing for the blindness of the chosen people:

 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
(Mt. 23:37-38)

Your house is left unto you desolate - fearful words taking place, because people again did not want to be godly.

At one and the same time the Jerusalem Temple reared she who is the great Holy of Holies and the disciples of Christ, as well as those, who therein living their lives far from God, killed the high priest Zacharias between the Temple and the altar, killed the Forerunner of Christ John, and crucified Christ the Savior.

Do we not see that a man becomes either a co-worker with God, or a destroyer of that which the Lord creates? Look, my dears, how dangerously we walk. You can be in the Church but not have God, and God punishes people for dishonoring Him and rejecting the Church. God's salvific punishments last decades, intended to return their human hearts to God. And as a final warning to us the words of the parable of the vinedressers sounds out:

Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
(Mt. 21:43)

Let us be especially attentive, my dears, creating and restoring now in great quantity man-made churches, and not forget the most important New Testament church of God - our hearts, called to serve God in Spirit and in truth. Do not forget that we are returning from captivity amongst foreigners, and do not forget our countrymen who fight for us and our Orthodox faith, sick, lame, and spiritually depleted. We were without God for a long, long time and now stand but at the threshold of the Church, which will sanctify us, but under one condition: if we want it.

I will bring you, my dears, the words of the Lord, which especially now should help us comprehend the critical moments of our present life:

"… therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord. Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it.

Why?

saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.
(Hag. 1:5-10)

We stand upon the threshold of the Church, and must enter in, having revived within ourselves knowledge of the law of God, to enter with the fulfillment of our vows already offered to God by us. And don't forget, that rulers alone do not mete out the destinies of countries and peoples, but responsibility before God for the life of the world falls on all, on every living person, no matter how small.

My dears! The grace of God gives us the present time for repentance. The love of God endures the disease of our unbelief. The Lord waits to gather us under His wings. Let us desire salvation, return to the Church of God with love and desire for Him, and return to God the temple of our hearts, that the bounties of the grace of God, imprisoned by our sins, and Heaven may be opened.

The Most Holy Virgin, the God-chosen maiden, the daughter of man, the first to open Heaven to us, becoming the mother of suffering and ailing mankind, is always ready to support, strengthen and guide in life, along the path of salvation, by her grace all who flee to her with faith and love.

"We magnify thee, O most holy Virgin, God-chosen Maiden, and we honor thine entry into the temple of the Lord."

Amen.

Archimandrite John (Krestiankin)
Translated by Jesse Dominick

by Joshua Schneider

Gospel: Luke 2:22-40

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
Amen.

It was a necessary part of our salvation that Jesus keep the entire law from His birth till His death - because it's by His innocence according to the law that we're saved. Here at the Temple in Jerusalem, through His parents Mary and Joseph, Jesus is already passively keeping the law as they perform the sacrifices for the consecration of a firstborn son. And as they make these sacrifices, in keeping of the law, they encounter an aged and faithful believer named Simeon. It's Simeon's encounter with the baby Jesus in the Gospel that we focus on today. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Joseph and Mary had no idea that the elderly Simeon had waited his whole life for this very day. They had no idea that the obligatory task of going to the temple for purification after childbirth, would be the occasion for Simeon's majestic prophecy and song about what their humble infant Jesus would be known for. Parents usually love it when both familiar and unfamiliar people coo and fawn over their newborns. The pride of parents to see their beautiful child, and everyone's adoration and smiles. To wonder what this little child will grow up to be - a doctor who discovers a cure, an inventor who patents a useful machine, a teacher who inspires children, a concert musician. Or maybe we don't have such grandiose schemes for our little child prodigies, but a parent wants to know that their child will be loved and valued.

Who knows what hopes and dreams Joseph and Mary had - they knew He was no ordinary child - but what to expect? Surprise seemed to surround Jesus as all sorts of unannounced visitors and strangers praised His birth. So Simeon and later Anna were but the latest pair of unexpected followers of their infant Christ. But Mary and Joseph were amazed - they marveled when Simeon basically gave his deathbed confession of Jesus Christ. What I mean is that Simeon was promised by the Lord that he wouldn't die before seeing the Lord's Christ. He wouldn't die until he'd seen the Christ, God's promised deliverer and consolation of Israel. And now, in this moment of holding the baby Jesus - he declared that he was now ready to die! He was ready to go home in peace to his Lord because he'd now seen God's salvation!

It says that Simeon took Jesus and blessed God. At the same time that he blessed God in heaven - he blessed the infant God in his arms. Praising God for allowing him this delight to hold the Messiah, according to God's Word - His promise to Simeon. It's admirable that Simeon ended his life this way, and had the confidence that he could depart in peace, according to God's word. Often at death people are preoccupied with settling old scores, making amends with bad relationships. Hopefully we won't wait till death to reconcile with people we've wronged. People are often preoccupied about who'll take care of family, or fearful of whether they had lead a life worthy of heaven. But Simeon knew as every believer in Christ knows, that he could never lead a life worthy of heaven. He knew that there wasn't anything in himself that would get him there - but it was by faith, by trusting in Christ promises, that he could depart in peace. He saw salvation in Jesus with his own eyes, and that was enough. He went to his death in peace.

Just about a week before our dear sister Anne Cassidy died, I took communion to John and her. After we'd finished the Lord's Supper, as she lay there in bed, weak and near death, we prayed with the words of Simeon's song.

"Lord, now you let your servant go in peace, your word has been fulfilled. My own eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people."

We prayed that the Lord would let her go in peace, according to His word, because she had seen the Lord's salvation in her own life. She knew that she was a saint - not by her own making, but by faith in Jesus Christ. It was His peace that accompanied her through death.

Simeon saw salvation in the baby Jesus. Anne saw salvation in her life through God's Word and Sacrament richly working grace in her life. We see salvation when we depart in peace from the Lord's table, as the same Jesus comes to us in body and blood for our salvation. So for centuries Lutherans have sung Simeon's song after departing from the Lord's Supper. It's a song of faith that God will deal with us mercifully according to His Word.

Simeon's song of blessing over the child declared that this child was for all people. God was preparing salvation in the presence of all peoples - Israel and all the Gentiles. Those near to God and those far. So the message of Christmas, the message of God's unfolding salvation belongs not to us alone, but all the world. How can we hold back this message that rightfully belongs to all people? We're obliged to share it because it belongs every bit as much to all friends, neighbors, and strangers afar as it does to us.

But after Simeon's glowing words over Jesus, there followed a more ominous warning about what heartache and hardship would accompany the life of this young Messiah. "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also) so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." Even at the birth and infancy of Jesus, He couldn't escape the cross as the overshadowing purpose of His life and ministry. First the Magi's gift of myrrh, the bitter perfume that was used in burial, that spoke of the gathering gloom of His death. Then the first shedding of Jesus' blood on the 8th day for His circumcision and naming. Next the offering of sacrifices for the consecration of the firstborn and purification of the mother - sacrifices that pointed forward to Jesus' perfect sacrificial death. Finally, after His birth, this prophecy of Simeon to Mary - "a sword will pierce through your own soul also." Mary would share unspeakable pain and grief when she would stand beneath the cross of Jesus, watching the son that she once cradled die a brutal death. She felt the grief of seeing Him opposed and rejected through His ministry - though He was the very promised salvation for His people.

But through His death the thoughts of many hearts are revealed. The last part of Simeon's prophecy was that Jesus would expose all the thoughts of mankind's hearts. An author made this comment on the strange way in which all hearts were exposed at the cross:

The disciples believe, but in their fear they run away. Peter makes bold promises but falls into denial. The high priest wants to preserve the sanctity of the temple and keep the Romans from intervention in his sacred space. In the process he participates in the death of an innocent man. The soldiers only obeyed orders, and those orders violated Roman justice. Pilate wanted to keep his job and stay out of trouble…his true nature was exposed by the cross. The thoughts of the hearts of many were revealed by the suffering of the cross, and Mary participated in that suffering. On Golgotha Mary chose to remain to the end and witness the suffering of her son until his death. She was not under arrest and could have walked away. She knew she could not change what was happening before her by arguing with the soldiers or pleading with the high priests. The only decision she was free to make was to choose to remain and enter into Jesus' suffering. Indeed a sword passed through her heart, and in the process, once again, she became a model for Christian discipleship.
(Bailey, Jesus through Middle-Eastern Eyes, p. 60-1.)

At the cross all the conflicting thoughts and motivations of sinners are laid bare. All the people that surrounded Jesus that day - friends or enemies - they all became transparent as they faced the confusion of that day. Those who tried to stand by Him found it impossible to stand. Those who stood against Him fell trembling to the ground at His name and at the earthquake that followed His death. Earthly rulers that would try to stand over Him toppled and fell.

The same is true today. We stand or fall with Jesus. If we try to stand for Him on our own goodness, our own strength, our own courage - we'll prove sinful, weak, or cowardly in the time of testing. If we don't believe in the Lord Jesus and try to stand against Him, we'll still fall to our knees before Him one day. If we have positions of power and authority, and think that we stand over the humble story of Jesus, and treat the cross as mere shame - than we'll be ashamed on the last day when Christ comes back with all power and authority over heaven and earth. While men fall and rise around Jesus and His cross - its only those who stand under His cross and in His suffering that will finally rise in the resurrection of the dead one day. Like Mary freely witnessed the suffering of her Son when she could have turned away. We also stand under the cross, fixing our eyes on Jesus. With our own eyes we look to His salvation, and with our heart we believe what He's said according to His Word.

We stand under His cross - counting no honor or credit to ourselves - counting only the guilt of our sins that put Him there. Standing there we fall. We fall under the burden of our sin that is too great to lift. Until Jesus, with out-stretched arms embracing the whole burden of the world, lifts the heavy weight of sin from our shoulders, and bears it Himself. There with hearts exposed - with our false motives, hidden agendas and intentions laid bare under the cross, God sees us transparently and with righteous judgment. Yet God also sees the thoughts and intentions of the only pure heart at the cross - the heart of Jesus. Jesus, who alone came with transparent motives and actions, who did precisely what He came for with no boasting or pretensions or hidden agendas. When God looks down from heaven and sees fallen sinners toppled by sin, He also sees the innocent heart of Jesus, pierced by the soldier. Then God in heaven and God dying on the cross, does a miracle. God the Father sees the innocent motives and sacrificial heart of God the Son, and He sees more than enough innocence in His divine Son for all the world. He pronounces forgiveness for all mankind who trust in this Savior on the cross - this sign opposed by the world.

Then we, sinners slain and fallen beneath the cross, rise together with the many of Israel. We rise under the power of the Risen Christ who sends our hearts leaping for joy into the life of His forgiveness.

"Hail, the heav'nborn Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Ris'n with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die, Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth" (LSB 380).

Those who stand under His cross rise with Christ. They rise with the healing in His wings, lifted up as a glorious eagle soars to heaven's heights. We sons of earth are born a second time after our sinful flesh dies with Him at the cross. We've participated in the glorious exchange of our guilt for His innocence - of our sinfulness for His holiness.

And finally we can go to our death, whenever it should come, with peace. We can sing on our deathbed -

"Lord, now you let your servant go in peace, according to your Word. My own eyes have seen the salvation which you prepared in the sight of every people!"

With Simeon, with Anna, with Mary, with Anne Cassidy and all the saints who've gone before us this year and every year before, we can sing that song of Simeon knowing that God will take us home in peace. We live in faith in His Word, knowing His salvation in our lives with our own heart and our own eyes. For we have seen salvation in Jesus Christ, born for us men and for our salvation. In His Name. Amen.

May the peace of God which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting. Amen.

Talking Points:

1. Why was it essential that Jesus fully keep the Law, even from birth? Gal. 4:4-5; Heb. 4:15. What laws of God did Mary and Joseph keep for Him after birth? Genesis 17:9-14; Exodus 13:1-15; Leviticus 12:1-8. How did each law hint at Jesus' future death?

2. What joy inspired Simeon's song? What did it tell about the significance that lay ahead in baby Jesus' life?

3. How was Simeon able to face his death with peace? What gave him the assurance that his salvation was assured? How does God's Word and Sacrament give us assurance at death?

4. How does Simeon's song announce that this message belongs to everyone? How can we withhold it from others, since it's the rightful possession of all mankind?

5. What more ominous note to Mary about Jesus' future, followed Simeon's song? How did this relate to the cross?

6. How does the cross expose all hearts and motives? When have we acted with hidden motives and agendas? How often have we been deceptive in our actions? Why is this not fitting of Christians/followers of Christ? 2 Cor. 4:1-3

7. Why is standing under the cross of Jesus in repentance and humility the only way to rise with Him? Luke 2:34-35; Romans 7:24-8:8; Romans 6.

by Bill Randles

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said…
(Luke 2:25-28)

One of the last prophetic words given to Israel through the prophet Malachi, was a warning that "The Lord Whom you seek shall appear suddenly in the temple", and the prophet asks, "Who may abide the day of his coming? for he shall be like a refiners fire, and a launderers soap and He shall purify the sons of Levi that they may offer an offering in Righteousness…"
(Malachi 3:1-2)

Little did the worshippers who thronged the temple that day realize, that the scripture was being fulfilled in the little peasant couple, making their way through the crowds, the new mother, having been ritually purified after bearing her first Son, and the Son having been redeemed according to the law of Moses.

Cradled in the couple's loving arms, was no less than the LORD of the Covenant himself, making a sudden appearance in the temple. The implications of the otherwise routine events of that day, would lead to nothing less than the salvation of all men, the destruction of Satan and the downfall of all of the Kingdoms of this world, to be replaced by the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ!

But first the little child must take upon his shoulders the entirety of the LAW of God, fulfilling it in every exacting detail in Spirit and in Truth. He too must undergo circumcision, Redemption, and become a "Son of the Law of God". Though He never sinned, He must be numbered with the transgressors and suffer with the transgressor nation.

Who really saw what was going on there? At east two of the worshippers did.

Simeon was an old man, whose description seems to embody all of Old Testament piety, for He was Just( regarding his relations with God and man), and Devout, truly devoted inwardly and outwardly to God, A God fearer and a worshipper. His life was also characterized by an expectancy, He waited for the coming of the Messiah, the restoration of Israel, the end of the "Times of the Gentiles", and the "Time of favor" promised by God.

Since the "Secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him", God had shown this man, that He would not see death until he had seen the Messiah. One author said,'… it is almost as though the sting of death departs upon seeing him…'.

Simeon recognized by the Spirit of God that the newly redeemed babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes was the Messiah he, and Israel had been waiting for. He took Him in His arms and began to prophesy over the child…

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
(Luke 2:29-32)

Simeon called Jesus, "Thy Salvation", and "a Light to enlighten the Gentiles", and finally, The Glory of Israel". Flesh and Blood didn't reveal this to him, for the Glory of God was hidden beneath the roughly woven swaddling clothes and the poor man's offering brought to the temple by Joseph and Mary.

And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
(Luke 2:33-35)

Simeon also prophesied that Jesus would be a kind of sign…a sign of contradiction, that is Jesus' presence will bring out of others either the hidden love or hidden hatred for God within their hearts. People will in essence be exposed in their true nature, especially towards God, in this child.

Reaction to him will be the fall or rising of many in Israel, for there can be no neutral position. Fake love and piety will be revealed as false, depending on people's reaction to Him, the cloud of obfuscation and pretense will be cleared away in His presence and the secrets of all men's hearts will be revealed.

Will this child unite? Yes, but he will also be a divider, for he brings a sword of division. All men from here on will be divided in accordance with their reaction to him. Those who love sin will hate him, and those ready to forsake sin will cling to Him.

To reject Him is to reject goodness and truth no matter what your religion is. To accept Him is to come over to the side of goodness, to love him is the only way to love truth itself.

Those who come into contact with this one, can never be the same,either they will be bettered or worsened but they will never remain as they were.

Therefore this child is destined to endure fanatical opposition, since by contact with him, men are forced to reveal their true feelings towards God. The closer one gets to Him, the more conscious they are of their sin…The sword will even pierce your own soul,Mary, for no one is exempt from the examination of the heart which he brings.

As the Law of God says, "Let everything be confirmed by the mouth of two or three witnesses…". As if Simeon's prophecy was not enough, another remarkable elder was alert and looking in the temple and recognized "The LORD whom we seek".

Anna of the tribe of Asher, an eighty-four year old widow, who took her refuge in the temple, living to worship, pray and intercede, and fast. She too recognized Him and came in as Simeon was prophesied, to give her Amen, and to praise God for his Redemption was nigh!

And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
(Luke 2:36-38)

Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: If a woman having received seed shall bear a man child, she shall be unclean seven days, according to the days of separation of her flowers. And on the eighth day the infant shall be circumcised: But she shall remain three and thirty days in the blood of her purification. She shall touch no holy thing: neither shall she enter into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification, be fulfilled.

Mary, of course, didn't need this purification but she submitted out of obedience to the Law. Also on this day, she presented Jesus to the Temple for His "redemption," also per the Law:

Exodus 13:2, 12-13:
Sanctify unto me every firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel, as well of men as of beasts: for they are all mine...Thou shalt set apart all that openeth the womb for the Lord, and all that is first brought forth of thy cattle: whatsoever thou shalt have of the male sex, thou shalt consecrate to the Lord. The firstborn of an ass thou shalt change for a sheep: and if thou do not redeem it, thou shalt kill it. And every firstborn of men thou shalt redeem with a price

Numbers 18:15-16
Whatsoever is firstborn of all flesh, which they offer to the Lord, whether it be of men, or of beasts, shall belong to thee: only for the firstborn of man thou shalt take a price, and every beast that is unclean thou shalt cause to be redeemed, And the redemption of it shall be after one month, for five sicles of silver, by the weight of the sanctuary. A sicle hath twenty obols.

This "redeeming of the firstborn," known as pidyon ha-ben in Hebrew, is why this day is also known as "Feast of the Presentation."

Also commemorated on this "Feast of Light" ("Lichtmess" in German) or "Feast of the Candles" ("Candelaria" in Spanish, and "La Fête de la Chandeleur" in French) is the prophecy of Holy Simeon, the "just and devout" man of Jerusalem who was inspired by the Holy Ghost to know that he would live to see the "consolation of Jerusalem." It was he to whom Mary presented Jesus, and in his prophecy to her, he told Mary her heart would be pierced with a sword, a prophecy found in the second chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke 2:34-35:

And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.

This prophecy and the sorrows that befell the Virgin during her time on earth are why depictions of the Immaculate Heart almost always show her or her heart itself being pierced by a sword. Depictions of Our Queen as the Mother of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa) often show her being pierced by seven swords, one for each of her Seven Sorrows.

Now, before Simeon gave this prophecy to Our Lady, he referred to her Infant Son as the Light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and because of this, light and candles play an important role before and during the Mass, hence the most common name for this Feast -- "Candlemas."

On this day, there will be a Blessing of the Candles and Procession. The symbolism of the candles is described by Dom Prosper Guéranger, OSB, in his "Liturgical Year":

The mystery of today's ceremony has frequently been explained by liturgists, dating from the 7th century.

According to Ivo of Chartres, the wax, which is formed from the juice of flowers by the bee, always considered as the emblem of virginity, signifies the virginal flesh of the Divine Infant, who diminished not, either by His conception or His birth, the spotless purity of His Blessed Mother. The same holy bishop would have us see, in the flame of our Candle, a symbol of Jesus who came to enlighten our darkness.

St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, speaking on the same mystery, bids us consider three things in the blessed Candle: the wax, the wick, and the flame. The wax, he says, which is the production of the virginal bee, is the Flesh of our Lord; the wick, which is within, is His Soul; the flame, which burns on top, is His divinity.

The Golden Legend, by Jacobus de Voragine, A.D. 1275, gives us another level of symbology -- one that illustrates the error of Protestantism's idea of "sola fide," or that we are saved by "faith alone":

...if we will appear in this feast tofore the face of God, pure and clean and acceptable, we ought to have in us three things which be signified by the candle burning: that is good deeds, true faith, with good works. And like as the candle without burning is dead, right so faith is dead without works as Saint James saith, for to believe in God without obeying his commandments profiteth nothing. And therefore saith Saint Gregory: The good work ought to show withoutforth that thy intention abide good withinforth the heart, without seeking within any vain glory to be allowed and praised. And by the fire is understood charity, of which God saith: I am come to put fire in the earth, and whom I will, I will burn.

The candle blessing will be given by the priest wearing a purple cope. He will pray 5 prayers over the candles placed near the Altar. The candles are sprinkled three times, and then they are incensed and distributed.

During the Distribution, the Nunc Dimittis -- the Canticle of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32) -- is sung:

Now dismiss Thy servant, O Lord,
In peace, according to Thy word:
For mine own eyes hath seen Thy salvation,
Which Thou hast prepared in the sight of all the peoples,
A light to reveal Thee to the nations
And the glory of Thy people Israel.

There follows a procession with the lighted candles and the singing of anthems. Then the Mass begins, and the lighted candles are held during the reading of the Gospel and from the beginning of the Canon of the Mass to Communion.

It is customary to bring candles from home to be blessed -- candles one uses for devotional purposes (candles for the family altar, Advent candles, etc.) -- so they can be lit after dusk on All Saints' Day (1 November), during the Sacrament of Unction, and during storms and times of trouble. A bit of very old poetry summarizes the use of blessed candles to ward off troubles:

This done, each man his candle lights,
Where chiefest seemeth he,
Whose taper greatest may be seen;
And fortunate to be,
Whose candle burneth clear and bright:
A wondrous force and might
Both in these candles lie, which if
At any time they light,
They sure believe that neither storm
Nor tempest cloth abide,
Nor thunder in the skies be heard,
Nor any devil's spide,
Nor fearful sprites that walk by night,
Nor hurts of frost or hail.

From the Pieta prayer book comes this prayer to pray while burning a blessed candle (or pieces of blessed palm) during storms:

Jesus Christ a King of Glory has come in Peace.+ God became man, + and the Word was made flesh.+ Christ was born of a Virgin.+ Christ suffered.+ Christ was crucified.+ Christ died.+ Christ rose from the dead.+ Christ ascended into Heaven.+ Christ conquers.+ Christ reigns.+ Christ commands.+

May Christ protect us from all storms and lightning. + Christ went through their midst in Peace, + and the Word was made Flesh.+ Christ is with us with Mary.+ Flee you enemy spirits because the Lion of the Generation of Juda, the Root David, has won.+ Holy God! + Holy Powerful God! + Holy Immortal God! + Have mercy on us.

Amen.

In Poland, the candles brought from home to be blessed are decorated with symbols and ribbons. There, the custom is to let a blessed candle burn all night tonight before an icon of Our Lady who, when the world still had forests, was relied upon to keep the wolves away during these cold nights. Now, our "wolves" tend to be of a different sort, but the pious burning of a blessed candle tonight, with prayers offered to Our Lady, still might help keep them at bay. This tradition gives Candlemas its Polish name -- "Matka Boska Gromniczna," or "Mother of God of the Blessed Thunder Candle."

End of Christmas Season

The eve of this Feast is the absolutely last (and best) day for taking down the Christmas tree, putting away the creche, etc. In some Latin countries, the creche isn't just put away, but is replaced with a figure of the Child Jesus sitting on a chair, acting as a sign that it is time for the devotion to the Divine Childhood to give way to a focus on the grown-up Savior and the public ministry, forty days of fasting, and Passion to come.

In any case, when Candlemas is finished, all feelings of Christmas give way to the penitential feelings of Septuagesima and then Lent. The English poet, Robert Herrick (A.D. 1591-1674), sums it up in his poem "Ceremony Upon Candlemas Eve" -- and reveals a folktale in the process:

Ceremony Upon Candlemas Eve

by Robert Herrick (A.D. 1591-1674)

Ceremony Upon Candlemas Eve
Down with the rosemary, and so
Down with the bays and misletoe ;
Down with the holly, ivy, all,
Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas Hall :
That so the superstitious find
No one least branch there left behind :
For look, how many leaves there be
Neglected, there (maids, trust to me)
So many goblins you shall see.

This very ancient carol also speaks of the departure of Christmas on this day. It is called "I Am Christmas," and was written by James Ryman, a Franciscan Friar, ca. 1492. Note that the reference to Hallowtide here refers to the fact that it was during Hallowtide that monarchs used to announce where they would be spending Christmas.

I Am Christmas

by James Ryman, 1492

Here have I dwelled with more or lass
From Hallowtide till Candelmas,
And now must I from you hens pass;
Now have good day.

I take my leve of king and knight,
And erl, baron, and lady bright;
To wilderness I must me dight;
Now have good day!

And at the good lord of this hall
I take my leve, and of gestes all;
Me think I here Lent doth call;
Now have good day!

And at every worthy officere,
Marshall, panter, and butlere
I take my leve as for this yere;
Now have good day!

Another yere I trust I shall
Make mery in this hall,
If rest and peace in England fall;
Now have good day!

But oftentimes I have herd say
That he is loth to part away
That often biddeth 'Have good day!";
Now have good day!

Now fare ye well, all in fere,
Now fare ye well for all this yere;
Yet for my sake make ye good chere;
Now have good day!

Foretelling the Weather

Candlemas Day is also known as "Groundhog's Day" in America, the day when, if the groundhog sees his shadow, there'll be 6 more weeks of Winter. All Europeans have a similar belief about how Candlemas weather portends the length of winter.

The English have a saying, "If Candlemas Day be bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year."

The Germans also have a few sayings about how the weather at Candlemas bodes ill or well for the nearness of Spring:

by PillarNovice

The Presentation of our Lord

Today is the feast of the Presentation of the Lord at the temple, known as Candlemas or mayaltho. The Scripture readings give us a picture of the two holy characters whom Jesus and the Holy Family meet on the day of the consecration.

First there is Simeon, who is described as righteous and devout, and patient! Luke's gospel portrays him as one waiting patiently and prayerfully for Israel's consolation. In return for living a life in the will of God, the Holy Spirit has revealed to Simeon that he will not die till he sees the messiah. In fact, it says Simeon even comes into the temple "in the Spirit."

Then there is the prophetess Anna, an 84-year-old widow who lives and worships in the temple day and night with prayer and fasting. She sees the child Jesus and cannot hold in her joy.

What did the two have in common?

They both led lives of continuous prayer. Simeon was described as devout and righteous, Anna as prayerful and pious. Anna never left the temple because her life was entirely devoted to prayer and worship.

This continuous prayer led to the constant presence of the Lord in their lives. Anna devotes her years to nothing less than the things of God -- away from the world, away from obsession with material goods, away from sin. Simeon lived his life in the Spirit, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead his steps and enfuse his character. What a close relationship! Thus, the Lord is ever-present in their lives.

As gifts, they both were given communicative powers which allow them to share their testimonies with others -- ultimately allowing them to be vessels through whom God speaks. Anna gives thanks to God and speaks about the child to all awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. I can imagine her excited voice, her praise and thanksgiving as she shares with strangers the fact that the messiah is come. Simeon bursts out in his canticle of joy, his beautiful prayer of praise at seeing the child Jesus. At the same time, his words to Mother Mary contain prophetic statements that could only have come from God.

Finally they both had a consecrated pleasure, a holy peace and joy in their lives. With the Lord in their daily walk, they had everything they needed or wanted. By allowing God to work through their talents and their availability, they experienced the most special gift of all -- being able to see the Lord Jesus face-to-face.

"Now, Master, you may let your servant go
in peace, according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples..."
- Luke 2:29-31

by Charles Henrickson

Gospel: Luke 2:22-40

Today we will take a closer look at the fourth canticle in Luke's Infant Narratives, Simeon's song, the Nunc Dimittis. It's what the aged Simeon says when he finally sees the fulfillment of what he's been hoping for, lo these many years, when he holds the Christ child in his arms. And what we will find now, as we look at the Nunc Dimittis, is that, both for Simeon and for us, Simeon's song is saying, "What a Way to Go!"

What a way to go! What a way to depart this life. What a way to end this service. And what a way to end this year and go on into the next one. Simeon's song works on all these levels.

First, though, let's set the stage. The account of Christ's birth itself is found in the first twenty verses of Luke 2. Then in verse 21 we have a brief account of what happened one week later, on the eighth day, which was the circumcision and naming of Jesus, as follows: "And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb."

Then we come to verse 22, the beginning of our text today. It is now 40 days after the birth of Jesus, and, according to Jewish custom, this was a special day following the birth of a firstborn son, which Jesus was. For one thing, after the birth of any child, at the end of 40 days, the mother would be able to come back to the temple. This ceremony was called the "purification" of the mother. But when the child that was born was a firstborn son, more was involved on this visit to the temple in Jerusalem.

The origins go back centuries earlier to the time when Israel came out of Egypt at the time of the Exodus. You will recall that what compelled Pharaoh to let the people go was the final plague, the death of the firstborn. All throughout Egypt, in every home, the firstborn son was going to die. But the Israelite homes were spared, they were passed over. Their firstborn sons lived. But to always remember that their lives were spared, every firstborn son from then on was to be dedicated to the Lord, set apart for his service, even if only ceremonially.

But, oh, what service, what real service to the Lord, this particular firstborn son will perform! He, Jesus, will be completely dedicated to doing the will of his heavenly Father! He will serve as the great High Priest, offering up the perfect, once-and-for-all sacrifice that will redeem all of mankind. Jesus will do that in his own body, when he offers up himself on the altar of the cross.

The presentation of the firstborn son, then - this is why baby Jesus is taken to the temple in Jerusalem, as we read in our text. That's where we pick up the story today.

There are lots of people in the temple on any given day. People hanging around, worshipers who live in the area and spend a lot of time there. People coming and going, pilgrims from out of town, coming in for this or that festival or offering or other act required in the law of Moses. On this day, a couple from out of town are coming in to do the firstborn-son ritual - no big deal, it happens all the time. Nobody would pay any particular notice. And there are some older folks there in the temple - retired, pious, devout worshipers, who love to be in the house of God. Again, nothing out of the ordinary. But this is no ordinary day.

The couple with the baby boy are Joseph and Mary. They've got their 40-day-old firstborn son with them, a baby by the name of Jesus. Now his head wasn't glowing. There was no halo to mark him out as special. He just looked like a random, run-of-the-mill, Jewish baby boy - which in one sense he was. The Son of God took on our humanity, born in the flesh, our brother, true man, born of the virgin Mary and adopted as the son of Joseph. But at the same time, Jesus was more than that, of course. He is the eternal Son of God, fully divine, the Messiah sent from heaven. Only, you couldn't see that with your eyes.

Except, on this day, one man could. His name was Simeon. Oh, and there was a woman there, too, who knew what was going on. Her name was Anna. But for now we're going to focus on Simeon and the song he sang, the Nunc Dimittis. Both Simeon and Anna recognized this child as the Messiah; they spotted him when Joseph and Mary brought him in. But again, it wasn't like he was glowing or anything. The only reason they recognized baby Jesus as "the one" was because it was revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. God had made a special promise to Simeon, for example, that he would get to see, physically see, the fulfillment of all the promises made to Israel before he dies. He would see the fulfillment in the coming of the Christ. And now here he is, arriving as a little child, presented in the temple. Simeon and Anna are standing in for all of Israel in seeing the fulfillment of all of the prophecies and all of Israel's history coming now before their eyes.

And this brings them great joy and deep emotion. Simeon goes up to Joseph and Mary and takes the little baby in his arms. He utters a beautiful song of praise to God: "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word," he begins. Simeon is referring to the special promise the Lord had given him, that he, Simeon, would not die before he saw the coming of the long-promised Messiah. God now has kept his promise. Simeon has seen this baby Jesus, held him in his arms. So now Simeon is ready to go. "Any time now, Lord! I'm ready! I'm at peace. The time of waiting is over."

Simeon continues: "for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples." Salvation - salvation bundled up in this little baby boy. Even his name, "Jesus" - in Hebrew, "Yehoshua" - his name literally means, "The Lord saves," "The Lord is salvation." That's what this baby is coming as: Our salvation. Our deliverance. Sent from God to save us from our sins and to deliver us safe and sound into God's eternal kingdom. Simeon now gets to hold the Savior in his arms and see him with his eyes.

This baby is the Savior of all peoples, Jews and Gentiles alike. Simeon declares what the Spirit has told him, that this child is "a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." The Messiah of Israel was always meant to redeem the non-Jewish nations, too, not just Israel. The pagan nations that were sitting in darkness now will see a great light. We Gentiles who did not know the one true God and thus were groping around in the darkness - now we will have the light of the gospel to illuminate our way and to show us the truth. Jesus Christ is the light of the world.

"Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." And so here in this beautiful canticle, the Nunc Dimittis, Simeon is basically saying, "What a way to go!" "My life is complete now. I have seen the fulfillment of God's promises. What more is there but to have the peace of knowing the Lord has sent the Savior promised from long ago."

Simeon is even given a foreshadowing of how the salvation is to be accomplished. He tells mother Mary: "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also)." This is the shadow of the cross. Many will oppose and speak against this Messiah when he grows up. Christ would endure hostility and rejection. He would be nailed to a cross, a sight that would pierce mother Mary's soul with sorrow, as she sees her own son suffer and die.

But this is how the salvation would be won. Christ suffered and died for your sake, brothers and sisters, when he hung there on that cross. He offered up the sacrifice for your sins, which otherwise would have killed you. But now those sins are forgiven in God's sight. Your salvation has been secured, because of Christ. The baby in Simeon's arms would do it. You have salvation and peace now, resurrection and life forever, in Jesus' name, through faith in him. The Holy Spirit worked this faith in Simeon, and he is working it in you, too, through his word of promise, the gospel.

And so, what a way this is to go! Like Simeon, you are ready to depart this life, whenever the Lord decides to call you home. You know your place in God's eternal kingdom is secure, secured by Christ's death and resurrection and made yours when you were joined to Christ in your baptism.

What a way to go! What a way it is for us to end the Divine Service of Word and Sacrament, to sing the Nunc Dimittis. We sing it because we have heard with our ears the precious promise of salvation, proclaimed in God's Word. We sing it because we have received into our mouth the very Body and Blood of Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. What a beautiful song to sing, then, this canticle called the Nunc Dimittis. By the way, the title, "Nunc Dimittis," simply is the first couple of words in Latin for "Now you let depart." "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace," and so on. We've heard God's Word. We've received the Blessed Sacrament. Now we're ready to go.

And the Nunc Dimittis also works for us as a way to go from this year into the next. You see, once you're ready to die, then you're ready to live. No more fear. Your salvation and your peace are secure in Christ. Now we're ready to live, to move into 2013 with a confidence and a peace that the world cannot give. Now we're ready to risk loving people, which is always a risky proposition, since it means giving of ourselves, forgiving those who have hurt us, and serving others at the point of their need. Now we're ready to confess Christ with our mouths, telling others the good news that we ourselves have received. But we can do it. God has given us peace, a real peace and a sure salvation that are strong enough to live on and love on. We're ready to go.