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.
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