Sermon 1st Sunday of Christmas
Sermon
Text:
Luke 2:22-40
Grace
and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who
has been born, lives, teaches, dies, and lives.
I
was in a store this last week and the cashier started to say “Merry
Christmas” then stopped half-way through and changed to “oh,
whoops, Happy New Year.”
It's
strange, we spend all four weeks of Advent waiting for Christ to
come. And then Christmas gets here and it seems as if we think, well,
Christmas is here and done, now let's move on to the next thing.
I
think most of the radio stations that played Christmas music before
Christmas all stop that afternoon, or at least stopped by the next
morning. Stores have their Christmas Decorations coming down, and
have moved on to New Years, if not Valentines Day already.
I
heard another chat this week talking about Christmas decorations,
“Well, I guess it's time to take the decorations down.”
Personally, I keep mine up until mid January for my birthday, that
way you only have to decorate once.
This
is all odd, since it's the first Sunday of Christmas, but we
act as if it's the first Sunday after Christmas. It's hard to
remember that Christmas is a season that begins, not ends, on the
25th. It's hard to believe that after so much prep and
waiting, it's just done.
And
we have only waited for a month or so, in our text we meet two new
figures who have been waiting for much, much longer than we have.
Simeon and Anna. Simeon righteous and devout, full of the Holy Spirit
and told he would not see death until he sees the Messiah, he enters
the temple, takes the baby Jesus in his arms and praises, thanking
God for the Child who is destined for the fall, and rise of many.
And
Anna, living only 7 years with her husband and then all the way until
84 as a widow living and praying in the temple, night and day. She
sees Jesus and begins to praise and speak to all who were there, her
grief finally removed.
The
completion of their waiting is so different than ours. And I think
for a reason, they have understood that this birth is not the end,
but the beginning.
There
are two interesting bits to the this text that we tend to miss.
Simeon in his praise and words to Mary and Joseph gives praise for
Jesus “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of
many.” Not rising and falling like we normally see. And Anna, she
gives praise in the temple night and day. Not day and night like we
would think. They think of this birth differently than we do. It
shows us that Christ is born to give life, but through death.
Through that death, through Christ's death on our behalf, we get
life. In our baptism, we die, and are raised to new life in Christ.
In order to rise, we need to fall. In order for day to come, night
comes first. But, it starts with that death.
Christmas
is the beginning, which leads to the end, which gives rise to the
true beginning. Only through the ending of Good Friday, which begins
here in Christmas, does the ultimate beginning of Easter take place.
We
need to celebrate this season of Christmas, not just because of the
beginning, but the end it initiates.
I'm
not saying if you don't leave your lights up a certain amount of
time, or if you stop listening to Christmas music you don't love
Jesus, or Jesus doesn't love you. We just need to refocus our
understanding. And on this New Year's day can we make one more
resolution?
Can
we take a moment everyday and realize that like Simeon, our eyes have
seen salvation, we have seen a light for revelation to the gentiles
and for glory to Israel. Can we be like Anna and even after decades
of waiting in the midst of mourning, through Christ we are able to
praise. To add to our list of goals and plans, to lose weight, to
shed some bad habits, or to add some good habits. To that list could
we add to remember that Christmas is not one day, that Christ is not
with us only one night.
Can
we remember the gift it is that Christ came to us, the blessing it is
that he lived with us, and the joy it is to know he died for us.
Can
we remember that like Simeon we are dismissed in peace. We are free
through Christ. We can serve the needy, help the hopeless, feed the
hungry, and clothe the naked.
Can
we remember that it is in the lowliness of the world that Christ
came. His parents here are not the rich or powerful, they are only
able to offer the lowest sacrifice, two turtledoves, not the normal
lamb. Can we understand that it's not what we give that matters, but
what we have been given.
Simeon
has waited for who knows how long, and Anna for 84 years. They wait,
but then they praise and live. After we have finished waiting, do we
remember? Or do we just move on, overcome by all that occurs around
us.
In
the midst of the end of this holiday season, a season full of stress,
when we can be so overwhelmed from travel and hosting, baking and
cooking for who knows how many. A season full of anger from family
arguments reopened, or disappointment over not getting what you
wanted. Or in a season full of deep anguish over the absence of
dearly loved ones.
In
this midst of that can we remember that at the heart of the season is
not the hectic craziness of the secular world. The center is the
quiet of shepherds laying in the field watching over their sheep by
night, the joy of an old man filled with the Holy Spirit seeing his
savior, the praise of an old woman widowed for so many years whose
grief has finally has been lifted.
Can
we remember the child born, who lives, teaches, dies, and lives.
Amen.
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