"Magical Monotony" (Luke 2:21-40)

"Magical Monotony" (Luke 2:21-40)
Preached 12/31/17 at St. Peter's United Church of Christ (Carmel, Indiana)

Jesus Is Named

21 After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

22 When 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”), 24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

25 Now 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. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Guided 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, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

29 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,

    according to your word;

30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,

31     which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles

    and for glory to your people Israel.”

33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then 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 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There 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, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At 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.

The Return to Nazareth

39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

---------

Christmas Day is over, the parties are all cleaned up, the 50% sales have been picked through and we savor New Year’s Eve as one last respite before we go back to the normal day-to-day operations of our lives. In just a few weeks, the magic of the holidays  - reconnecting with friends and families, seeing the eyes of our children light up when they glympse that special thing they wanted under the Christmas tree, the melodies of hymns full of hope - will all be memories and, without special effort, could be forgotten all together.

While the circumstances are different, this is precisely the scene portrayed in Luke 2 this morning. Like our holiday traditions today, people in antiquity had them as well. Like us, some of these moments were outright magical and others were just the same-old-same, where we don’t always recognize the magic in front of us.

Some things happen in this story we might expect with a newborn: circumcision, naming, presentation at the temple. Mary and Joseph, in presenting their baby to the temple for these functions are making an important, if boring, statement: they will continue to answer the call of God - not just when awestruck by angelic visits but also in the normal day-to-day interactions of their community and religious tradition. Also normal was a sacrifice following childbirth for purification - something we would balk at today, but was commonplace at the time. Significant in this story is that the sacrifice was of two turtle doves. Our Christmas traditions romanticize the turtle dove but, in antiquity, the birds would have been a common sacrifice for the poor who couldn’t afford the lamb prescribed in Leviticus. But in the common, magic can be found. The turtle dove is known for its devotedness and it’s mournful song - its name being derived from the sound of its cry rather than any relationship to the reptile. Sacrificing this symbol tells us a Cliff’s Notes version of Jesus’ life - beautifully devoted with a song that foretells sacrifice. The turtle dove has also been mysticized as a devoted companion to the mythical Phoenix, having resolved that it’s dying love would be the fuel for the Phoenix’s resurrection. Shakespeare puts it better when he writes of this interdependence: “Beauty, truth and rarity, grace in all simplicity … to this urn let those repair, that are either true or fair...for these dead birds sigh a prayer.”

While our lives are filled with these expected experiences, other moments take our breath away. So, too, in this story. We are welcomed by two Prophets in Luke’s account of the story. First, Simeon. We often look to the wise folk celebrated on Epiphany for the communal recognition of Jesus as the Messiah. But, here it is. Simeon, led by the Holy Spirit, knows he has glimpsed the face of God, and Mary and Joseph are left amazed - and probably relieved. We might forgive the new parents for having a little concealed doubt after some conversations with angels, but here is a man - in human flesh - confirming the promise made by God. Simeon also foreshadows what we know today is still the struggle of the Christian community - it’s not always easy and is sometimes met with violent opposition. He also captures parental emotion when he tells the new parents: “a sword will pierce your own soul.” Something I never understood until I was a parent: we feel our kids highs even higher than they do, and their lows pierce our soul.

The prophet Anna takes our breath away for another reason: her unfailing devotion to God and the temple, having reached an elder age working within, almost as though she had been waiting for this little baby her whole life. We have those elders in our lives who when they say something, we trust it. This is Anna, and she tells anyone who will listen about this child. A few weeks ago we sang my favorite Advent hymn, the Canticle of the Turning. The hymn tells us to wipe away all tears because the dawn draws near, for the world is about to turn. For me, the importance of a female prophet in the first few pages of Luke tells us the dawn has come. Anna delivering the news of Jesus’ birth shows us the days of the the sexism and exclusion that dominated the old world are numbered.

After experiencing all this, the ordinary and the extraordinary, Mary and Joseph - along with Jesus - return to Galilee with the faithful resolve to raise a child in accordance with the will of God. After the week they just had, I suspect they knew then what we know now. Their future will be full of moments of normalcy: stressful travels, traditions, and what I call the transactions of parenting: diapers and soccer games, daycare and Girl Scout cookies. But there will also be moments where it seems like our lives were written by angels and prophets. Let us resolve, as Mary and Joseph did, to live our lives to fullest in both of these circumstances.