Candlemas 2013 (Luke 2:22-40)  “ a light for revelation to the Gentiles…”

Jesus is the light of the world.

Many in his generation thought he was the Messiah God promised to the Jews. Jesus made it clear he had come to bring revelation to all people everywhere. This included the Jews to be sure. But Jesus did not come just for the Jews.

Many in our generation view Jesus as a religious figure defined by the various religious institutions that acknowledge him. Many, but not all, Christians worship Jesus. Many Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet. Some believe Jesus was a Rabbi. The Sufi branch of Islam goes so far as to name the name by which God the Father calls Jesus. That name is The Beloved.

The elderly Simeon and Anna, considered by their generation as members of the school of the prophets, proclaimed the infant Jesus to be light and glory.

Luke teaches us that Jesus is uncreated light and eternal glory. He is the co-eternal Beloved of the eternal Father. He surrendered all of his divine prerogatives, knowledge and power to unify divinity with humanity at the moment of his conception. What he did not and could not surrender was the divine nature. The divine nature is love.

As an infant, Jesus was helpless and weak as all human infants. He was completely dependent on his mother, Mary, and his foster father, Joseph. The Holy Spirit had equipped Mary and Joseph to care for Jesus physically, emotionally and spiritually.

God the Holy Spirit had filled Mary with grace and Joseph with faith. It wasn’t easy for them to hear the word of God in the midst of a world filled with the noise of fear, anger, pride and demand. Nevertheless, it is clear from this passage that Mary and Joseph heard the word of God as recorded in the book of Levitucs. They heard the word, they believed the word, and they chose to fulfill the word for themselves and for the infant Jesus.

They came to the appointed place at the appointed time with the appointed sacrifice to fulfill the Word of God. In that simple yet very difficult choice, they facilitated the revelation of God in Christ.

By grace through faith, Mary and Joseph made choices that had a cumulative effect in the Plan of Salvation. Of all the people in the Temple that day only two elderly individuals recognized the Great Mystery in the moment. It was a moment of grace, glory and light.

Simeon and Anna both honored God and made themselves available to be close to God in the place where God declared to Moses and the Prophets that He would be available to offer himself to people. The Temple in Jerusalem was the place of worship, the place where people could come and immerse their minds, hearts and wills in the infinite and eternal love of God.

Worship is the highest form of love. The call to worship is the invitation to enter into the Great Mystery of the Heavenly Banquet of Divine love. Sadly, most people most of the time then and now saw worship as a duty they performed to get credit and avoid punishment. Worship is the highest form of love. Worship is its own reward.

Simeon and Anna devoted themselves to the pattern, plan and purpose of liturgical worship in the Temple. Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple to fulfill the Law. Through that act of devotion and obedience God revealed his Son Jesus in the Temple as light and glory.

The Great Mystery of our Heavenly Father’s Plan of Salvation in Jesus is the Great Mystery of human choice in response to divine grace. Throughout the  Bible, throughout history and throughout the world today God pours grace into our souls so we can enter into a new pattern of relationships characterized by life, and light and love.

Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus is the light of revelation for all people everywhere. The light of Jesus reveals the Great Mystery of the Triune God who is infinite and eternal love. The light of Jesus reveals that we are each the Beloved of God.