Date: 1st
February 2009
Preacher: Thea
Oliver
Churches: Draycott
and Rodney Stoke
Readings:
Malachi 3, 1-5
Hebrews 2, 14-18
Luke 2, 22-40
The Presentation, Candlemas
Forty days ago we celebrated the birth of Jesus. Today we remember
the day on which he was presented in the Temple, when he was offered to the
Father and shown to his people, and in their old age Simeon and Anna recognised
him as their Lord, just as we do today.
This week with the
news of the American Octuplets & our readings focusing on babies &
candles reminds me of the story of the West Country farmer & his pregnant
wife who lived in the middle of nowhere with no electricity or running water. The
time came for her to give birth & the midwife arrived, as things progressed
she called the farmer to bring more candles & the baby arrived! A few
minutes later she called again for more candles and the 2nd baby was
born, a few minutes later she called again for more candles, more candles…and a
3rd baby arrived! A few minutes later she called again for more
candles but this time the farmer refused to go upstairs & called back: no way
I think it’s the light that’s attracting them!
Candlemas celebrates the ‘The
Presentation of Christ in the Temple’, and ’The Purification of the Blessed
Virgin Mary’ 40 days after Christmas. In our tradition this falls on February
2. Candlemas is a watershed in the church year; it marks the point at which we
take a last look back at Christmas and then turn our minds firmly towards the
cross. Now we leave Epiphany behind and soon it will be Lent, for this reason
it has been called a ‘bitter-sweet Sunday.’ This feast of Candlemas can be traced
to at least 543. The Feast of Lighted candles is mentioned by Bede and St.
Eligius, who was bishop of Noyon from 640 to 648.
Let’s look at the history behind this festival
Today we remember the almost 6 week old Jesus being taken to the
Temple by Mary, in accordance with Jewish Law as set down in Leviticus Chapter
12. I think it’s worth hearing this law to fully understand the context of
today:
The
LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'A woman who becomes pregnant
and gives birth to a son will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as
she is unclean during her monthly period. On the eighth day the boy is to be
circumcised. Then the woman must wait thirty-three days to be purified from her
bleeding. She must not touch anything sacred or go to the sanctuary until the
days of her purification are over. If she gives birth to a daughter, for two
weeks the woman will be unclean, as during her period. Then she must wait
sixty-six days to be purified from her bleeding. "'When the days of her purification
for a son or daughter are over, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance
to the Tent of Meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon
or a dove for a sin offering. He shall offer them before the LORD to make
atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of
blood. "'These are the regulations for the woman who gives birth to a boy
or a girl. If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young
pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way
the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.'"
So according to Jewish law, women were considered unclean after the birth of a
child and were not permitted to enter the Temple to worship. This state of uncleanness
lasted 40 days for a son and 80 days for a daughter. After this she was brought
to be ritually purified, and could once again attend religious services and go
out in public.
Luke tells us that when Mary took her sacrifice to the Temple, she did not
bring a year old lamb, but ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons,’
Mary presented the option for poorer people indicating that she
and Joseph were not very wealthy. Nevertheless as faithful Jews they did their
religious duty and observed the Law of Moses.
Luke is always careful to point out that Jesus was a Jew who had
his roots in the Old Testament. But clearly in this passage he is making the
point that with Jesus there is more than just a following of the old order of the
law.
Candlemas is a time when we remember Jesus transforming the old into
the new.
This new order was confirmed by two prophets, Simeon and Anna. We
have this marvellous story of Simeon to whom it had been revealed "that he
would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord.’ Prompted
by the Spirit he came to the Temple; and when the parents brought in the child
Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and
blessed God; and spoke the beautiful words which we know as the The Nunc
Dimittis (Luke 2:29). As the King James Version has it:
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Simeon says that God has released him in the same way as a slave is granted
liberty. He is now free to die (for the Spirit's revelation has been
fulfilled), and Israel is free of bondage. God has saved Israel & “all
people" so God's salvation is for Gentiles as well. The old could pass
away because the new had come and the future for us all would be safe in his
hands.
But, Simeon concludes with some disturbing words. This marvellous salvation
through Jesus had a dark side. Not everyone will take kindly to Jesus; there will
be a falling as well as a rising of many in Israel causing crisis. People will
decide to be for him or against him. The sword of Jesus will divide,
discriminate, and judge the thoughts, attitudes, and relationships of everyone.
Mary his mother will go through her own agony; everyone must decide what to do
with Jesus. Simeon recognised something special and he knew that he had indeed
seen the Lord's Christ, and that he could now depart in peace, for with the
eyes of faith he had seen God's salvation: perhaps not the salvation that had
been expected: the vindication of a particular people: but something bigger and
better, the salvation which God had prepared for everyone.
Like many Christian festivals, the root of Candlemas lies deep in
pagan understanding of nature as this date is half way between the winter
solstice & the spring equinox.
Imbolc was an important day in the Celtic calendar. (pronounced 'im'olk') comes
from an Irish word that was originally thought to mean 'in the belly' or maybe
'ewe's milk' (oi-melc). As winter stores of food were getting low Imbolc
rituals were performed to harness divine energy that would ensure a steady
supply of food until the harvest six months later.
Like many Celtic festivals, the Imbolc celebrations centred around the lighting
of fires. Fire was perhaps more important for this festival than others as it
was also the holy day of Brigid, the Goddess of fire, healing and fertility.
The lighting of fires celebrated the increasing power of the Sun over the
coming months. For the Christian calendar, this holiday was renamed 'Candlemas'
when candles are lit to remember the purification of the Virgin Mary.
As Candlemas traditions evolved, many people embraced the legend that if the
sun shone on the second day of February, an animal would see its shadow and
there would be at least six more weeks of winter.
If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come,
winter, have another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Go, winter, and come not again.
Today we have focused on Luke's story of the meeting between the baby
Jesus and the elderly Simeon. In the Greek-speaking world the feast was called
HYPAPANTI (the encounter). In this juxtaposition of the Child and the old man
Simeon could be expressing his hope for someone with a new determination to do
better But it is not just putting all our hopes onto a new generation - we made a mess of it but were sure that
you will do better – history has shown that they won't, they will be just
as bad as we were. At Candlemas the Church sees the encounter between the world
without Christ and the world with a new beginning in Christ, between the fading
age of the Old Covenant and the new era of the Church of all nations.
Simeon calls Jesus "a light to enlighten the Gentiles."
Accordingly this day was made into a feast of candles. The warm candlelight is
meant to be a tangible reminder of that greater light which, for and beyond all
time, radiates from the figure of Jesus. We are reminded of the need to be
prepared to burn brightly ourselves in the midst of this dark world. We take a
light, but it is not our own light, no light of our own would be bright enough,
rather it is the light of Christ. The light which at the beginning of creation
shined in the darkness and which no darkness, no blindness, could overcome, and
this light was a light to lighten the gentiles, all the nations and races and
culture of people.
So let us all go out from this service and shine with the light of
Christ!
Because in this case we want the light to attract them!
Amen