Baby Jesus, Light to the Nations

Sunday Sun. Dec. 28, 2008

Baby Jesus, Light to the Nations Luke 2:22-40

22When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 24and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” 25Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, 29“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; 30for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” 33And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” 36There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Next Sunday, we will celebrate Epiphany Sunday. It’s appropriate then today that we hear this song from Simeon. He rejoices that Jesus, the promised Messiah has finally come to serve as God’s light to the nations. God has come to us with a Star above the stable to demonstrate that yes the light of the world has come to us a fragile Jewish baby born to Mary and Joseph.
I think the Nobel prize should be given to who ever came with the idea of placing day care centers next to senior care facilities. Have you ever been in the community room when these precious little ones are brought in and the elder residents play with them? I have this image in mind when Simeon and Anna see Jesus being presented in the Temple.
A promiment African scholar Malida Some tells of a tradition in Ghana. When a child is born they spend a lot of time with the elders in the village. There is a belief that the child has come from another dimension where their ancestors dwell. The child is communicating wisdom to the elder as he/she prepares to eventually join with the ancestors, the cloud of witnesses if you will. Some of our favourite pictures of our grandparents are them holding their grandchildren and great grandchildren. This circle of life will never be broke n.
Simeon and Anna are like Sara and Abram who had to wait a long time for God’s promise to be fulfilled. In the words of Dr. King “How long, not long, my eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” Simeon’s song resonates with a people who are extremely hungry for freedom and deliverance. God how it that your chosen people constantly seem to live under occupation? When the House of David be restored again?
Last Wed. we sang, O Come, O Come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel, who mourns in lonely exile, until the son of God appears. Rejoice, Rejoice. Simeon has been a faithful Jew trusting in God’s promises. He can rest these last days of his life knowing that he has seen the promised one. Like Moses, he will have to pass it on Joshua, but his soul is at peace knowing the light is shining bright through this baby named Jesus. Yeshua, God saves.
There are poignant parallels between what Jesus’ community was going through under Roman occupation, and what his ancestors were going through in the Book of Isaiah. Here God’s chosen people were faced with yet another occupation, this time is was the Babylonians. God’s chosen people have had to endure being kicked around many times over the centuries. The Hebrew people have grown weary and wonder if God’s promise will ever come to pass.
Many scholars have noted how this song of Simeon harkens back to the 40th chapter in Isaiah. We also see these parallels with Mary’s song and Hannah song for her son Samuel when he was presented to God as a servant in First Samuel. It is Jewish custom to present your first born son to God as a servant. Hear these words from Isaiah 42:6-7.
I am the Lord I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you. I have given you as a covenant people, a light to the nations , to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
Can you hear these parallels with what Jesus reads at the beginning of his ministry in Luke 4 when Jesus opens the scroll to Isaiah 61:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to preach Good News to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.
These are words of comfort for a people who are facing the crisis of a yet another occupation, this time it’s the Babylonians. Isaiah was trying to warn King Hezekiah what was going to come to pass. A popular Advent song, Comfort, Comfort O My people comes from this section of Isaiah.
Isaiah was being pastoral to a people very anxious about what the future would home for them. Will we be killed? Will our families be broken up as we are taken into captivity? Many Jewish families were taken into captivity. It was not until Cyrus, the King of Persia conquered the Babylonians that God’s children could return to Palestine and begin the process of rebuilding. Can you imagine the struggle they went through wondering if they could return home again? We get home sick at summer camp and when we off at college. Our Jewish brothers and sisters endured a lot but God’s light and promised remained with them.
The Jewish people of Isaiah’s day and Jesus time were hungry for the Good News of God’s promise to be fulfilled. They endured and thrived in spite of the oppressions heaped upon them. The voices of their prophet have carried throughout the generations. God let your light shine through your children, raise up your anointed one. The one who will lead the nations down your righteous path.
God’s chosen ones continue to lead us in this eternal song of peace and justice. In line with Isaiah, Hannah, Mary and Simeon, we sing of God’s promise to us. The Messiah has finally to come and bear his light to all the nations. May we continue to serve as vessels and instrument reflecting this light in the world.
Our Western Civilization is founded on the Judeo-Christian morals that the Hebrew prophets have taught us. We need to mine deep the wisdom and truth found in Hebrew bible.
God’s chosen people have endured far too many dark nights, but God’s light has always shined through. God’s love endures forever. As children of Abraham, we embrace our common calling to be peacemakers. We seek out we share common ground and roll up our sleeves to chop the wood, and carry the water together. Jesus was a good Jewish boy,and he stands on the shoulders of the Hebrew prophets who prepared the highway for him. They carried the torch until Jesus was ready to pick it up in Luke chapter 4.
Today, we heard from Rabbi Dworsky, the Jewish chaplain from Carelton College about the tradition of Hannukah, the festival of lights. During these eight days, the Jewish people remember how their ancestors heroically resisted the occupation by the Greeks during the Maccabean Revolt. God performed a miracle and kept the oil replenished in the menorah candles. God’s promise for his chosen ones to be lights to the nations was being fulfilled once again.
When I look at the work of the United Nations, and remember the words that are posted in the front entrance, I am very moved by how Christ’s light shines in their peacemaking efforts. If you are ever in New York visit the UN in midtown. There you will see a sculpture of a gun with a twisted barrel. In front of this are these words from Isaiah 2: “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks.” When you read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Millenium Development Goals you can see the light of Christ shining through their efforts to release the captives and bring sight to the blind fail to see the plight of their fellow children of God.
Our hearts and minds are warmed by the light of Christ shining in these darknest of nights. There is a lot of work to be done and our hearts can feel like they will break when we see the headlines. As Paul reminds the church in Phillipi, shine like stars in the world. When we follow the call of the prophets and embrace the stranger, the widow the orphan, Christ light shines through us. When we embrace the least among us and give voice to the voiceless, we shine as one of the spiritual descendants of Abraham. We are one of the stars God promised to Abraham.
Jesus was a child who brought immense hope to his people who longed for the day they would be free. Today, we are a nation that can truly like up to its calling to be a shining city on the hill. This is going take a lot of effort, and there will be resistance. These songs of old calling us to prophetic action do not promise peace and tranquility. No matter where we are and how dire things may seem God’s light will always shine. Like Paul’s account of his road to Damscuss experience, when Jesus tells him, “I send you to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light.” It takes courage, resolve and the constant dwelling in God’s Spirit to be able to bear the light of Christ in our world. God’s promise and the light of Christ will never fail us. The oil will never burn out. All of God’s children share in this festival of light. May the light of Christ burn bright in our hearts and minds. Baby Jesus, thank you for coming to show us the way. Shine, Jesus, Shine.