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First Sunday of Christmas                      Luke 2:22-40                         January 1, 2012
                
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
I have to admit, this is not a text I have had to spend much time with over the years.
So as I took time to study and reflect this past week I could not help but find myself thinking back on the birth of our first child, Katie.  As many of you know, the birth of a child is a big deal.  Besides having been told a gazzilion times that having a child would change my life—I guess I knew that, but I have to admit, I had no idea how much it would change my life and Julia’s life.
I knew that the amount of sleep I was accustomed to would be scaled back.
I knew that the degree of spontaneity I was accustomed to would be tempered.
I knew that the future of my 2-door Volkswagen Fox was limited.
And I knew that whatever expendable income I had was now committed to Baby Stuff.
I knew that we would need a crib, but Julia soon began talking about things about which I had not considered––a changing table––diapers––a diaper bag––bottles––a stroller—a portable crib—“one-sees”---blankets--more diapers­––––and baby toys. 
As we went shopping for all the necessities, I wondered, "How do poor people do this?" 
I wasn't rich, but I never considered myself poor, either.  Not everyone is that fortunate when it comes time to have a baby.
Mary and Joseph weren't rich either.  Joseph, of course, was a carpenter.  So when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple on the eighth day after his birth, they did the best they could do with what they had when it came to offering a sacrifice.  The preferred sacrifice for a newborn baby was a lamb and a turtledove.  But Jewish law was sensitive to the needs of poor people, so it allowed people who couldn't afford a lamb to offer a pair of turtledoves or a pair of pigeons.  Mary and Joseph took that "poor person" option. 
But even though they weren't able to afford a lamb for this sacrifice, Mary and Joseph made sure that they did what God's law required. They brought their baby to Jerusalem––and they offered their sacrifice, in compliance with God's law––and they presented their baby to the Lord.
This business of presenting their baby to the Lord goes back to the Exodus.  So allow me to offer a little background history because I suspect it might be hard for us to appreciate how important the Exodus was to the Jewish people. 
In the Exodus, God freed the Israelites from being slaves to Egypt, the greatest superpower on earth.  In that process, Israel became a nation.  Because of the Exodus, these slaves––and sons and daughters of slaves––and grandsons and granddaughters of slaves––were able to leave slavery behind them to restart their lives as free people.
How did the Israelites manage that?  How did they get free from Egypt?  It took a miracle––more precisely a series of miracles.  We call them the Ten Plagues. 
God intended those plagues to "soften up" Pharaoh––to show him that God was on the side of the Israelites.  In the first plague, Moses struck the Nile River and turned its water to blood.  Then there were more plagues––frogs––gnats––flies.
But Pharaoh dug in his heels and refused to let the Israelites go. 
So God sent the last plague––the tenth plague––the death of the firstborn.
Do you remember the Passover story?  It is the story of how God told the Israelites to sacrifice lambs and to smear the blood of the lambs on their doorposts.  Then they were to roast and eat the lambs with unleavened bread––with their loins girded and sandals on their feet and staffs in hand––in other words, ready to travel, sort of a divine dine and dash experience!
When God came to bring death on the firstborn, he would pass by the houses where he saw blood on the doorposts, but the firstborn in every other house would die. That final plague broke Pharaoh's hard heart, so he allowed the Israelites to leave.  Seeing that the Israelites had God's power behind them, Pharaoh even asked them for a blessing (Exodus 12:32).
And ever thereafter––because God had spared their firstborn––the Israelites considered their firstborn to belong to the Lord.  The Israelites did not sacrifice their firstborn children, as some people did in those days, but they did take their firstborn to the temple to make an offering––an offering of lambs or turtledoves or pigeons.  This offering was to redeem their firstborn ––to buy back their firstborn from God.
That's what was going on when Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the temple. 
They made their sacrifice in accordance with God's law––a pair of turtledoves or a pair of pigeons.  That got them started right as parents––and it got Jesus' life started right too. 
It was important that Jesus start his life in harmony with God's law, and this presentation in the temple was part of that.  It allowed Mary and Joseph to say, "We know this child belongs to you, Lord, but we thank you for this opportunity to make him our child as well."
Keep in mind that all Israelite parents did that.  They all brought their firstborn to the temple in Jerusalem to present their babies to the Lord––and to make this token offering to redeem their babies.  From Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, they all came to Jerusalem.  There must have been dozens of couples coming to Jerusalem for this purpose every day––maybe hundreds of couples. It was a very common ceremony.
But when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple, something very uncommon happened.  Two elderly prophets were at the temple––Simeon and Anna. 
Simeon had been keeping watch at the temple for a long time––probably decades. 
Simeon was watching for the messiah to appear.  The Holy Spirit had promised Simeon that he would not die until he saw the one who would save his people.
When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple, Simeon's eyes lighted up. 
He had not known what to expect.  Would the messiah be a warrior, with sword and shield?  Would he be a king, with a crown on his head?
But the Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that the one for whom he had looked so long was this little baby in Mary's arms.  Simeon must have been surprised, but he trusted that the Spirit had led him rightly.  He reached out to take the baby in his arms, just like the picture on the front of your bulletin, and then he prayed to God: "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation" (vv. 29-30a).
In other words, Simeon was telling God that he was ready to die, because he had finally seen the messiah––the one who would save his people.  Simeon was ready to die, because his eyes had seen the salvation that God had prepared for his people.
Simeon's words must have surprised Mary and Joseph.  It isn't every day that you show your new baby to someone and have them say, "Now I am ready to die."
The other prophet was Anna, an old widow who spent her days at the temple, praying day and night.  When Anna saw the baby Jesus, she began to praise God for this child, who was the one who would redeem Jerusalem (v. 38).  In other words, Anna too was saying that this baby was going to save God's people.
Then, having "finished everything required by (God's law, Mary and Joseph) returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.  The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was on him" (v. 40).
So, what does this story have to do with us?  Why would Christians all over the world devote this Sunday to reflecting on this story?  What’s the point of all this? Is there anything here for us?
I think there is.  Let me tell you what I personally find helpful in this story.  The stories of Simeon and Anna inspire me.  They give me hope.  Simeon and Anna were genuinely holy people.  They were old.  They had patiently waited a very long time to see how God would save his people––but things did not look good.  Rome had its foot on Israel's neck. 
The Israelites were not free––and there was no reason to believe that they would ever be free.
But finally, when Simeon and Anna saw the baby Jesus, they realized that this baby was God's answer.  The Holy Spirit revealed that to them––revealed it to both of them at the same time. This baby was God's answer to Israel's problem.
Simeon and Anna could not know how the story of this baby would play out, but they did know that this baby was the answer to their prayers.  They knew that this baby was somehow, by the grace of God, going to save Jerusalem––and Israel.  Simeon saw that Jesus was going to go even further––was going to save Gentiles too––was going to save the whole world. 
Neither Simeon nor Anna knew how God would do that, but they knew that God would––and that prospect filled them with joy.
So, why do I find that helpful?  I find it helpful because, like the Israelites, we too live in bondage.  We live in bondage to a thousand things––illness––conflict at work––conflict at home––a struggling economy—political stalemates, where neither side is very good at cooperation and compromise for the sake of the common good..  We live in bondage to a world so complicated that we can't understand it––a world over which we have little control.  We live in bondage to anxiety and depression.  The list goes on and on.

We, too, are waiting for consolation. 
We, too, are waiting for God's salvation. 
We're waiting to hear good news from our doctor. 
We're waiting to hear good news from our children. 
We're waiting to hear good news about the economy. 
We're waiting to hear good news about jobs. 
We're waiting for the day when we can pick up a newspaper and read good news about peace in the world.
In the midst of all that, the Holy Spirit taps us on the shoulder and calls our attention to a baby––a baby born in a primitive time––born in a nowhere place––a baby for whom there was no room in the inn––a baby whose first crib was an oxen's feeding trough. 
And the Holy Spirit says to us, "There is your salvation. There is the one who will save you."
But we shouldn't expect that it will be easy.  We shouldn't expect a bed of roses or instant gratification. When Simeon saw the baby, he praised God for sending salvation––but then he turned to Mary and warned her that her son would face opposition––and that a sword would pierce Mary's heart.
Stop and think about Mary's life.  Mary led a blessed life, but not an easy one.  Her son attracted opposition––not from the lowlifes, but from the priests and Levites––from the scribes and Pharisees––from the best of the best, the religious power brokers.  Don't you imagine that that gave Mary pause?
And then, finally, Mary saw her son hung on a cross.  Is there anyone here who doesn't believe that the spear that pierced Jesus' side did not also pierce Mary's heart?
But, as you know, the cross was not the end of the story.  As someone put it, "The stone at the tomb of Jesus was a pebble to the Rock of Ages inside."  The cross gave way to the resurrection.  Death gave way to life.  God broke through the awfulness so that the world might be saved.
That's what we need to hear when life is hard.  God is not absent, but is with us. 
God doesn't promise to make our lives easy, but he does promise to see us through the hard times.  Jesus is Emmanuel––God with us––from beginning to end––through life and through death.
So whatever the state of our lives––and whatever the state of our world––let us awaken each morning with the realization that God is with us.  Let us pray for his guidance, and strive to do his will.  Let us receive into our hearts the light of the world, and then let that become a thousand points of light to illumine our little corner of the world.  And then let us live with the faith that, with God, nothing is impossible and all will be well in the end. 
All will be well in the end.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.


                                            Pastor Stephen Blenkush
                                            Zion Lutheran Church
                                           Milaca MN
                                           ZionMilaca.org
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