Jesus Present / Presenting Jesus

The Church of St. Paul and Incarnation, Jersey City NJ

February 2, 2020

The Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord

Malachi 3:1-4

Psalm 84

Hebrews 2:14-18

Luke 2:22-40

Jesus Present / Presenting Jesus

            Today, on the Feast of the Presentation, we get a rare glimpse into the life of Jesus and his family. In this little story, Luke provides some of the only information we have about Jesus during the decades between his birth and the start of his ministry.

            It’s always good for us to be reminded that Joseph and Mary – and Jesus - were faithful Jews, and as faithful Jews Joseph and Mary traveled to the Temple in Jerusalem to fulfill two requirements of the Law of Moses.

            Forty days after the birth of a male child the mother was required to go through a purification ritual, offering a lamb to be sacrificed in the Temple. Or, if she was poor, as apparently Mary was, she could offer a pair of birds instead.

            The second requirement was that the firstborn male child belonged to God, and so the “presentation” in the Temple was a sign of that important relationship.

            So, on one level this was routine, right?

            New mothers were probably coming to the Temple to be purified all the time and new parents were probably presenting their firstborn sons all the time.

            But, we know that this is no ordinary child.

            Mary and Joseph know that too, of course, and it turns out that two other people in Jerusalem that day are also able to recognize Jesus.

            The first is Simeon who recognizes that this child is the long awaited messiah.

            And, appropriately enough, Simeon bursts into song, rejoicing that now he can die in peace. He sings that this child is a gift not only to Israel, but for the whole world.

            And the second is Anna, a prophet, an old woman, who has been living a life of prayer and fasting in the Temple and when Jesus is presented she is able to recognize him, too – and while we’re not told if she also sang, she did start spreading the word about this holy child.

            It’s a beautiful story, isn’t it?

            I love how it’s ordinary and extraordinary at the same time.

            A family is just going about their business of following the Law as faithfully as they can, but because their child is Jesus something extraordinary is happening, and at least some people are able to recognize that something extraordinary is happening – that Someone extraordinary is in their midst.

            Jesus present.

            Presenting Jesus.

           

Today is also the day of our annual meeting when we take stock of where we are as a parish, looking back on the past year and also making some changes and setting goals for the year ahead.

There will be a lot of information spoken and even more information included in the printed annual report, which I very much hope you will take the time to read.

But, with so much information, so many words and numbers, it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture.

Happens all the time.

            One of the things we started working on last year but haven’t yet finished is creating a new mission statement for our unified parish.

            It’s an important exercise, forcing us to reflect on why we are here, what we do here, and what is it we would like to be and do, or should be and do.

            The story of the Presentation that got me thinking about our mission statement, because in that long ago ordinary and extraordinary story maybe we see what we are meant to be about.

            Jesus present.

            Presenting Jesus.

            Why do we come here week after week?

            Why do you come here?

            The days of being expected to go to church are long over, so I think for most of us it’s not about obligation.

            So, why do we come here week after week?

            I’m sure there are somewhat different answers for all of us, with some coming for a few minutes of peace, some are here for the music, some because they love the tradition, some to see friends, to enjoy some time together, some because it’s what they’ve always done.

            Those are all good reasons to show up week after week, but most of all, we come here because this is where Jesus is present.

            Sometimes people say to me – and I’m sure you’ve heard this, too - that they don’t need to go to church to pray or to feel close to God, and that is absolutely true. Many of you know that I feel very close to God and do some of my best praying while on early morning walks through the streets and in Lincoln Park.

            But, Jesus is present here in a different way, an even deeper way.

            Jesus is present here in the Word that we hear, in the peace that we exchange, in the community made up of so many different kinds of people, and most of all in the Bread and Wine that is broken and poured out for us.

            Jesus present.

            And then our task, our challenge, our call, is to present Jesus to the world.

            So, when newcomers come here, we welcome them to church and, yes, coffee hour, welcoming them as if he or she was Jesus himself.

            We present Jesus to the world by not being just like everybody else, but striving to be less judgmental, less selfish and more forgiving, more loving.

            We present Jesus to the world by going out into the world and standing beside and standing up for the least and the lost, the people the world looks at as losers, as not worth the time, and maybe even dangerous.

            In a sermon a few weeks ago I mentioned in passing about my hope of reaching out to some of the kids, the gang members, who hang out in Triangle Park, where we have our community center.

            That line got more reaction than I usually get – and it was very touching that so many of you were worried about my personal safety.

            Thank you for that.

I don’t think I would actually be in much physical danger, but I am well aware that a white middle-aged priest who doesn’t live in that neighborhood trying to somehow “save” those young men is probably not going to work – certainly not on my own and without spending a lot of time and effort building community and relationships.

 But, if we’re going to present Jesus, then we must at the very least respect the human dignity of those guys, some of them still really only children, remembering how much God loves them, and trying to find a way of reaching at least some of those kids, offering a different way, maybe even a way out.

Jesus present.

            Presenting Jesus.

Long ago Joseph and Mary traveled to the Temple in Jerusalem to present their holy child, a child recognized by Simeon and Anna.

It’s a beautiful story about faithful people, but there’s something else that we need to remember: there was a lot of tension and fear in the background.

In those days Jerusalem was an occupied city and there were plenty of Jews who hoped and expected a messiah – not one who would preach peace or turn the other cheek - but a messiah who would oust the Romans from their land and finally restore the kingdom of David.

The Romans knew all about this Jewish hope and expectation, so needless to say they were eager to get rid of any would-be messiahs as quickly and ruthlessly as possible.

In those days, there were a lot of crucifixions.

So, there was some risk when Joseph and Mary presented Jesus.

 And there was definitely danger when Simeon recognized Jesus as the messiah and sang his song – a song of rejoicing but also a song of rebellion.

And there was danger when Anna went around telling everyone about the holy child she had finally met.

And there is danger today, too.

You may have noticed that lately I have avoided commenting on current events in my sermons. I feel like we all know only too well our situation. And, maybe at least some times, church needs to give us a break from all of that. And, by now I think I’ve said all that I have to say about the state of our land, where the cruelty and ugliness that was usually at least a little below the surface has now risen to the top, and many of our institutions are proving to be not as strong as we had always assumed, not strong enough to withstand corruption, ignorance, cowardice, and shamelessness.

So, once again, there is tension and fear in the air.

I don’t know exactly what this year is going to bring, but I do know that, no matter what, no matter what, no matter what, Jesus will be present with us here, just as he has always been.

And I know that, like Joseph and Mary, like Simeon and Anna, you and I are called to present Jesus to a world that needs him so desperately.

Jesus present.

Presenting Jesus. 

Amen.       

Conversions

St. Paul’s Church in Bergen, Jersey City NJ

January 24, 2016

The Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul

Acts 26:9-21

Psalm 67

Galatians 1:11-24

Matthew 10:16-22

Conversions

            Last week I was blessed to get away to San Francisco for a few days, although now after the great blizzard of 2016 it feels like that was about six months ago!

            But, San Francisco is one of my favorite places and I’m always glad to be there to relax, to sip coffee in a cafe and work on the New York Times crossword puzzle, to visit friends, and to walk those beautiful streets – yes, even with those incredibly steep hills.

            To my surprise, while I was there I noticed quite a few Jehovah’s Witnesses hard at work spreading information about their faith.

            Unlike here, where I’m sure we’ve all seen them traveling in groups, walking house to house, ringing doorbells, carrying their pamphlets, out in San Francisco they were set up on street corners, each group standing around a rack containing pamphlets in various languages.

            They were on a corner just a few blocks from my hotel – every day, rain or shine, from quite early in the morning to after dark.

            Although I never once saw anyone stop to talk with them, still I was impressed by their commitment and determination, their willingness to try to convert people to their faith.

            Here in the Episcopal Church, along with most other mainline Protestants and even Roman Catholics, we don’t really talk much anymore about conversion.

            And, we don’t really send missionaries anymore to convert people to Christianity. Instead, most, if not all, of our missionaries go out to the poorest places on earth to teach or to heal, rather than to convert people to Christianity.

            But, seeing those faithful Jehovah’s Witnesses and thinking about today’s sermon has got me thinking about conversion.

            Or, actually, conversions.

            It’s not my place to criticize missionaries, past or present – and, without their courage and faithfulness, quite a few of us wouldn’t be in church today - but I do think that we made a mistake by fixating on conversion as one big moment, instead of thinking of conversion as a process.

            God is all about conversions – working at us, working in us, working with us -converting us into who we were always meant to be.

            Today we celebrate our patronal feast – the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle.

            As we heard in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles and from Paul himself in his letter to the Galatians, as a young man Paul (or Saul as he was then called) persecuted some of the earliest followers of Jesus.

            Elsewhere in Acts we hear the story of the first martyr, Stephen, who was stoned to death while Saul cheered on the rock-throwers and watched everybody’s coats.

            Saul persecuted the first followers of Jesus until he had his powerful conversion experience on the Damascus road, the blinding light and the voice of the Risen Christ saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

            Saul was truly converted, transformed from a persecutor of Christ into an apostle who brought the Good News to the gentiles, who carried the word of Christ to non-Jews, to as many places and people as he could, who, ultimately gave away his life for Christ.

            Conversion.

            But, we know from his letters that after his big conversion Paul didn’t have an easy time of it.

            The leaders of the church were understandably suspicious of him, remembering only too well his not so long ago persecution.

            And, they weren’t sure about his mission to the gentiles. They needed to be convinced that these non-Jewish followers of Jesus could skip Jewish dietary and other rules.

            And, we know that Paul wasn’t always so successful as a preacher and teacher. He had some kind of unnamed disability – maybe a speech impediment or something wrong with his eye – that made him less persuasive – that made people wonder if God really did favor him.

            We know that there were other more attractive and eloquent evangelists who taught a gospel different from Paul and may even have had more success, at least in the short-term.

            And we know that sometimes Paul would set up a Christian community and move on only to find out that they had been led astray and were doing exactly what he had told them not to do.

            We know that he endured arrests and beatings and shipwrecks - and ultimately death in Rome.

            And, we know that Paul didn’t always handle all of these setbacks with grace and humor. Instead, in his letters we hear plenty of anger, jealousy, insecurity and boasting, disappointment, and frustration.

            As powerful as Paul’s conversion experience on the road to Damascus was, I don’t think it would have been enough to keep him going.

            Yet, Paul didn’t give up on God.

            Because God didn’t give up on Paul.

            Instead, even in the midst of all those setbacks and disappointments, God kept working at, working in, and working with Paul – continuing to convert him into who he was always meant to be.

            So, despite all his hardships, Paul the converted apostle was able to write to the little Christian community in Philippi, “I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until.”

            And, in the middle of a pretty tough criticism of the church in Corinth, Paul the converted apostle was able to write his great hymn to love, ”Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

            God kept working at, working in, and working with Paul – continuing to convert him into who he was always meant to be.

            And, the same is true for us.

            Like our brother Paul, we all face setbacks and hardships.

            And plenty of times when things don’t go our way, we get angry and jealous, disappointed and frustrated. We may even puff ourselves up out of our own insecurity.

            But, as long as we remain open to God, God will continue to convert us.

             And, just as God used Paul, God will use us – use St. Paul’s - to convert a world broken by all kinds of sin into the world of love, the world revealed by Christ and proclaimed by Paul.

            Conversions.

            Thanks be to God.

            Amen.

Endurance

St. Paul’s Church in Bergen, Jersey City NJ

January 25, 2015

The Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle

Acts 26:9-21

Psalm 67

Galatians 1:11-24

Matthew 10:16-22

Endurance

            Human endurance is amazing, isn’t it?

            It’s so impressive what the human body can take – how fast some people can run, how high they can jump, how strong the human body can be.

            Human endurance is amazing.

            It’s probably why so many people love to watch sports.

            Recently we’ve had some pretty incredible examples of human endurance.

            I don’t know if you’ve followed this – if you’ve seen any of the incredible pictures of Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson, two American climbers who spent 19 days climbing the 3,000 foot high Dawn Wall of El Capitan, a mountain in Yellowstone Park.

            Caldwell and Jorgensen free climbed this wall, meaning they didn’t use any climbing aids, just their own legs and arms. This was such a daunting challenge that many people thought it simply couldn’t be done, yet, through an amazing, almost superhuman display of endurance, these two climbers managed to reach the top of the mountain – did I mention after 19 days? - where they were greeted by family and friends.

            In a few weeks we’re all about to start witnessing another amazing feat of human endurance.

            In March an American astronaut named Scott Kelly along with a Russian cosmonaut will be sent to the International Space Station, where they will remain for one year. A few cosmonauts have managed to do endure a year in space but this will be the longest stay for an American.

            NASA will be studying the effects on Scott Kelly’s body during such a long time in near zero gravity and comparing it to what’s going on with his twin brother back here on earth, who also happens to be an astronaut.

            Scott Kelly says he will be performing a lot of experiments and also reading, emailing, journaling, checking social media, but even with modern technology and distractions, a year in space is a real test of human endurance.

            Now, we’re not going to climb El Capitan or spend a year in space but our endurance gets tested all the time doesn’t it?

            Sometimes there are the difficult people we need to endure.

            Sometimes we need to endure medical tests and procedures.

            Sometimes we endure the breaking of relationships and sometimes the death of people we love so much.

            And, if we do it right, it requires endurance to be a Christian.

            In today’s gospel lesson, Jesus paints a pretty scary picture of the Christian life – “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.

            Jesus warns us about the endurance needed to be his follower but promises that “the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

            Today we remember someone who knew all about Christian endurance. Today we celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, our patronal feast.

            After Jesus himself, Paul is probably the most important figure in Christian history. His letters make up a large chunk of the New Testament.

             And, I love St. Paul but, I admit, he’s a complicated character.

            He was a Pharisee, a member of that group that clashed with Jesus and his first followers.  We know from the Acts of the Apostles – and Paul admits - that he took part in the persecution of some early Christians.

            But, then Paul – or Saul as he was then known – had a powerful conversion experience where he encountered the Risen Christ. This mysterious experience transforms Saul, converting him into Paul the Apostle.

            Paul spent the rest of his life traveling around the Mediterranean world, telling as many people as he could about the Good News of Jesus.

            It was very hard work indeed.

            Imagine talking about Jesus with people who had never heard of him. Where would you begin?

            For the rest of his life, Paul endured many hardships.

            Apparently he wasn’t the most attractive or most eloquent person, which made his work even more difficult.

            Often he would no sooner get a Christian community going and move on to the next place when he would hear that things had gone off the rails and his new Christians were doing exactly what he told them not to do.

            Paul faced ridicule, rejection, arrests and beatings, and a shipwreck.

            He clashed with other early Christian leaders, including Peter.

            And, according to tradition, Paul finally gave up his life for Christ when he was beheaded in Rome around the year 67.

            St. Paul endured to the end.

            And, Jesus tells us, “the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

            So, how about us?

            Are we here at St. Paul’s like St. Paul? Are we “Enduring Christians”?

            Of course, only we can answer that question for ourselves.

            But, in preparation for our parish meeting next week, I’ve been working on our annual report. And, I see a lot of endurance here at St. Paul’s.

            I think of those of you who endured the lean years here when the church was nowhere near filled – and neither was the offering plate – and yet you endured, believing in God, believing in this place, keeping things going, enduring to the end – enduring to another beginning.

            On an average Sunday last year there were 95 people in church, up from 69 the year before and 51 the year before that. This amazing number tells me that people have endured – coming to church week after week, coming when it was cold or hot or rainy or icy or when we couldn’t use the St. Dom’s lot or when we just didn’t feel like it – we endured because we are called to worship God and be here for each other.

            And then there are our weekday services.

            There are never huge crowds but week after week for about a year and a half now we have kept to our weekday worship schedule and no matter what we have never canceled a weekday service.

            We have endured and bathed this room in prayer.

            I think about our Thanksgiving community meal. Trish Szymanski and her band of volunteers spent so many hours chopping and butchering and boiling and roasting – cooking into the wee hours of the night so that people who might not otherwise have had Thanksgiving were fed in body and in spirit.

            Those volunteers endured all the way to the cleanup – endured to the end.

            And, just last Monday a group of us from St. Paul’s and other faith communities stood in the cold over at the Hub on MLK Drive, reading the words of Dr, King, singing hymns and praying for the justice and peace that was Dr. King’s dream – a dream that is still unfulfilled.

            We endured on Martin Luther King Drive.

            So, today is our feast day: the Conversion of St. Paul.

            Today we remember and celebrate St. Paul, this important and complicated character who was converted into someone who gave away his life for Christ, who endured to the end.

            And, now we also are called to endure to the end – which, of course, with God is not really an end but another beginning.

            With God’s help, right here at St. Paul’s, together, we can endure.

            Amen.

            

Putting on the Name of Jesus

St. Paul’s Church in Bergen, Jersey City NJ

January 1, 2015

The Feast of the Holy Name

Numbers 6:22-27

Psalm 8

Galatians 4:4-7

Luke 2:15-21

Putting on the Name of Jesus

            Happy New Year!

            I’d like to begin with a story. A few years ago I was in San Francisco on a kind of vacation-retreat.

            And, as you might guess, part of my retreat involved going to church. As I’m sure Laurie will agree, for us that’s a treat. To just go to church. Sit in the pew. Look around. Pray. Pay attention to the sermon. Or not.

            Well, when I was out there I decided I would attend daily Eucharist at one of the most prominent churches in the city, which will remain nameless.

            The first day, after the service, I must have been feeling unusually warm and outgoing so I decided I would introduce myself to the priest who was the celebrant and preacher at the little daily Eucharist.

            So, when it was my turn in the short receiving line, I reached out my hand and said, “Hi, I’m Tom Murphy. I’m a priest visiting from the Diocese of Newark. Thanks for the service.”

            The priest shook my hand and said something like, “Welcome. Hope you enjoy your stay.”

            As I walked away I realized that I had told him my name but he hadn’t told me his name.

            I didn’t think too much about it until the next day when I returned for the service, led by a different priest.

            Once again after the service, when it was my turn in the receiving line, this time more as a little test, I reached out my hand and said, “Hi, I’m Tom Murphy. I’m a priest visiting from the Diocese of Newark. Thanks for the service.”

            Again, the same thing. The second priest smiled, said a few words but no name.

            This time it really bugged me and on the third day I was determined and so after I introduced myself to yet a third priest who didn’t tell me his name, I finally just asked, “And what’s your name?”

            Has this ever happened to you?

            I try to remember that experience when people introduce themselves to me here at St. Paul’s – to not assume that people know my name because it’s listed in the bulletin.

            Setting aside good manners, the experience in San Francisco bugged me. I had shared my name and they hadn’t. It irritated because our names are important, aren’t they?

            Often our names carry a lot of meaning – lots of times they were carefully chosen by our parents maybe to honor a beloved family member or friend, or to express the excitement they felt at bringing new life into the world, the joy of creation.

            And, especially today, our names certainly carry a lot of power, don’t they?

            Just having my name and knowing one fact about me – priest from the Diocese of Newark – would have given those San Francisco priests the opportunity to learn all kinds of things about me through the miracle and curse of Google, Facebook, and the rest.

            Finally, our names are wrapped up very tightly with our sense of self.

            Even with a very common name like mine (believe me, there are a million Tom Murphys out there) it’s hard for me and I’m guessing everybody who knows me to imagine a “me” apart from that name. 

            That’s why it’s so jarring when people change their names.

            We kind of take our names for granted but they carry a lot of meaning and contain a lot of power.

            That’s true today and it was at least as true in the biblical world.

            So, that’s why it was a really, really big deal when God revealed the divine name to Moses: “I Am Who I Am” or “I Will Be What I Will Be.”

            And that’s why it’s so important when the priests of ancient Israel blessed the people in the name of the Lord as we heard in today’s lesson from the Book of Numbers.

            The blessing is even described as putting on the name of the Lord.

            God says, “So the priests shall put my name on the Israelites and I will bless them.”

            Putting on the name of the Lord gives us God’s blessing, gives us some of God’s power.

            Which brings us finally to Jesus.

            The Holy Name of Jesus.

            Luke tells us that when the angel first appeared to Mary he told her that she would name her child Jesus. And, just in case we’ve forgotten, Luke reminds us in the story of the circumcision.

            “And he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”

            Jesus – Joshua – meaning, “Yahweh is salvation.”

            And from the earliest days, followers of Jesus have believed that the name of Jesus is worthy of reverence and carries great power.

            In his Letter to the Philippians, St. Paul is probably quoting a very early hymn when he writes, “…at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”

            And, we acknowledge this great power each time we are bold enough to pray in the name of Jesus, each time we do our work in the name of Jesus.

            When we put on the name of Jesus we receive his blessing. We receive some of his power.

            So, especially as we start a new year, ytou and I are invited – privileged - to put on the holy and powerful name of Jesus and continue the work of Jesus in the world.

            We are invited to put on the holy name of Jesus and feed the hungry who form ever-longer lines at our food pantries and community meals.

            We are privileged to put on the powerful name of Jesus when we pray for the people of all backgrounds whose blood is shed on our city streets – and when we take stand against all forms of violence and work for peace.

            We are invited to put on the holy name of Jesus and welcome absolutely everybody into our churches – to welcome every stranger as if she or he were Jesus himself.

            And we are privileged to put on the holy name of Jesus and continue spreading the Good News that God loves us enough to be born, to live, to die and rise again among us – the best news of all that God pours out overflowing grace on everybody, even you and me.

            Names are important – they’re meaningful and powerful and wrapped up in our sense of self.

            Unlike those priests in California, God is willing to share God’s name with us.

            More than that, in and through Jesus, God shares God’s very Self with us.

            And we are invited – we are privileged – to put on the holy and powerful name of Jesus and continue the work of Christ right here and now in Jersey City.

            Amen. 

Presenting Jesus

St. Paul’s Church in Bergen, Jersey City NJ

February 2, 2014

The Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord

Malachi 3:1-4

Psalm 84

Hebrews 2:14-18

Luke 2:22-40

Presenting Jesus

            Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation.

            The Feast of the Presentation is sometimes called Candlemas – because it’s the day when priests would bless the candles that would be used for the year ahead.

            On the Feast of the Presentation we remember a story told only in Luke’s gospel – the story of Jesus’ parents bringing the child Jesus to the Temple.

            Actually, In the story of the Presentation, Luke combines two different Jewish rituals.

            First, according to Exodus, every firstborn son belonged to God and could be brought home after the father made an offering to God.

            Second, Jewish Law required women to undergo a ritual purification forty days after giving birth to a male child. The purification included the sacrifice of a lamb in the Temple. Or, if the family was poor, they had the less expensive option of offering a pair of doves or pigeons.

            Notice that Luke tells us that Jesus’ parents could only afford to sacrifice two birds.

            Mary and Joseph are poor.

            Yet, they are pious and faithful people who do the right thing. They obey the religious Law.

            So, imagine the scene for a moment.

            The Temple was the religious, cultural and political center of Israel. It would have been teeming with people from Jerusalem and far beyond. Jews came great distances to offer ritual sacrifices.

            Others came just to marvel at the magnificent architecture and observe the spectacle.

            There were big crowds – lots of people, lots of noise, lots of smells.

            And in the midst of all of this activity, here come Mary and Joseph, two poor peasants from Nazareth carrying their son, just forty days old.

            They have come all this way to present Jesus.

            They would have been unremarkable in every way. Mary and Joseph were a couple of nobodies in a city – in a world - filled with people just like them.

            Maybe some people would have mocked their little offering, ridiculed them for only being able to afford the two birds.

            But, Mary and Joseph do the best they can, offer the most, the best, they could to God.

            Mary and Joseph have come to Jerusalem to present Jesus.

            Now, of course, we know that this isn’t any ordinary couple. And we know that the child they present is no ordinary child.

            And we know that Mary and Joseph know that their child is no ordinary child.

            And, it turns out, thanks to the Holy Spirit, there were others in the Jerusalem Temple that day who saw beyond and behind the ordinariness and the poverty of Mary and Joseph – there are others able to recognize Jesus when he is presented.

            Luke tells us that one of those people is a “righteous and devout” man named Simeon. Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.

            And, sure enough, when Mary and Joseph present Jesus, Simeon recognizes him. Simeon recognizes the forty-day old infant Jesus as the Messiah – the Savior not only of the Jews but of the whole world. In his great song, Simeon sings that he can die because he has seen God’s salvation, “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory of your people Israel.”

            Mary and Joseph present Jesus. And Simeon recognizes Jesus.

            But, it’s not just Simeon.

            Luke tells us there’s somebody else – there’s also a prophet – an elderly woman named Anna.

            Mary and Joseph present Jesus. And Anna recognizes Jesus.

            We’re told that Anna “began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”

            Poor and ordinary as they were, Mary and Joseph present Jesus.

            And, guided by the Holy Spirit, at least some people, at least Simeon and Anna, recognize Jesus.

            Presenting Jesus. Recognizing Jesus.

            As you know, today is the day of our Annual Parish Meeting. It’s the day when we report and review statistics. It’s the day to celebrate that, for example, our average Sunday attendance jumped from 51 in 2012 to 69 in 2013, and, I’m happy to say, continues to climb as we become more regular in our church attendance and as more people discover and join our warm and loving community.

            It’s a day to review of financial situation, which I’m relieved to tell you is, thanks to all of you, much brighter than it was this time last year.

            It’s a day to talk about individual ministries – to celebrate what’s been done and to plan ahead for the exciting future that God has in store for us all.

            But, the annual meeting is also a time to reflect on the big picture – it’s a time to ask: Why does St. Paul’s exist?

            Why are we here?

            We aren’t here to keep me employed or to give us all a great place to be together and enjoy each other’s company. (Although, ahem, those are both good things that I wouldn’t want to be without!)

            No, at our very heart, the Church – this church – is here to present Jesus to the world.

            Poor and ordinary as we are, God has given us the awesome responsibility – the magnificent privilege – of presenting Jesus to the world – presenting Jesus to a world broken by sin, wounded by violence and haunted by despair.

            Poor and ordinary as we are, God has given St. Paul’s the awesome responsibility – the magnificent privilege  - of presenting Jesus to Jersey City – of presenting Jesus to a city broken by sin, wounded by violence and haunted by despair.

            Just like Mary and Joseph long ago, our job is to present Jesus.

            And when we present Jesus to the world – when we present Jesus to Jersey City – some, like Simeon and Anna, will recognize Jesus.

            Presenting Jesus. Recognizing Jesus.

            Here in church, here in our much-loved old building, we present and recognize Jesus in our music and prayers, and in our fellowship.

            Here in church we present and recognize Jesus when we take the Body and Blood of Christ into our bodies and into our hearts.

            And then we go out those doors into the world to present Jesus.

            Out there, we present Jesus when we actually work up the courage to talk to someone else about our faith. When we get the nerve to invite a friend or a neighbor to come to church, to come and see.

            We present Jesus when we partner with Garden State Episcopal to feed the hungry and to provide the basic human dignity that comes from, for example, having of clean teeth.

            We present Jesus when we offer a shoulder to cry on, when we work together with people in other churches to promise homeless families shelter and a better future.

            We present Jesus when we teach our children to reject violence, to respect the dignity of every human being, to live lives of love and generosity.

            We present Jesus when we give and give to those who can never pay us back and when we offer hospitality - when we help - even those who turn out to be dishonest and insincere.

            We present Jesus when we forgive those who hurt us – and forgive and forgive some more.

            First as a parishioner and now as your priest, I have seen Jesus presented here at St. Paul’s in so many life-changing ways.

            And, like many if not all of you, I have recognized Jesus – I have recognized Jesus who is presented right here – who is presented right here in and through us - in life-changing ways.

            Presenting Jesus. That’s the awesome responsibility – the magnificent privilege – the great truth – the great mission – behind all the facts and figures we will discuss today.

            God called Mary and Joseph, poor and ordinary as they were, to present Jesus to the world.

            And, today and in the year and years ahead, God calls us – calls St. Paul’s - poor and ordinary as we are – to present Jesus to the world.

            May it be so.

            Amen.