The Presentation of the Lord
Year B

My Eyes Have Seen the Glory of the Lord  

Readings: Malachi 3:1-4; Psalm 84:1-7; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:2-40

At this time of year I always like to watch the movie Groundhog Day.  It is about an extremely cynical weatherman who is sent to cover the groundhog’s yearly appearance and to report on whether or not he has seen his shadow.  The problem is that it is always Groundhog Day.  Tomorrow never comes.  He finishes the day only to find it repeating itself over and over again.  At first he uses it to over indulge and to do crazy things.  Over time he begins to see it as an opportunity to improve his life.  He is able to take one day and live it until he gets it right.  It becomes a story of great hope. 

  Groundhog Day is, after all, a very hopeful day.  The groundhog coming out of his hole reminds us that winter is half over.  The days are beginning to get longer.  Spring is just around the corner.  Although I hate to disappoint you we do not celebrate Groundhog Day in church.  However, Candlemas, which we are celebrating, has some curious connections to the secular celebration that coincides with it.  Not only do they occur on the same day; they both mark the day that winter is half over.  There is an ancient rhyme about Candlemas that may well remind you of the groundhog and his shadow. 

  If Candlemas day be sunny and bright,
Winter again will show its might.
If Candlemas day be cloudy and grey,
Winter soon will pass away.

It came to be called Candlemas because that was the day on which the year’s supply of candles for the church were blessed.  Candles were lit to symbolize that Jesus Christ had come into the world as light.  Today it is celebrated as a commemoration of the purification of The Blessed Virgin Mary forty days after the birth of her son.   It also marks the presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple.  It is a celebration of great hope as we recall the saving purpose of the incarnation. 

 Luke tells the story through the eyes of two saintly people.  First there is Simeon, a devout Jew who is waiting for the coming of the Messiah.  Each day he comes to the temple to pray.  Even though he faces great difficulty in his life he never loses hope.  God has promised that he will see the Messiah before he dies.  He knows that God will keep that promise.   The other is Anna, an elderly prophet who spends her time in the temple, fasting and praying.   

Then the day comes when Mary and Joseph bring Jesus into the temple.  Simeon is there.  When he sees the child he takes him in his arms and gives thanks to God.  Through his faithful prayer, through faithfully seeking God, he comes to a meeting place with God.  He knows God’s grace.  Anna too discerns the mysterious significance of the child Jesus. 

  Both are models of what we might strive and pray for.  What a wonderful concept of God they both have.  What a breadth of vision! It reminds me that our God is too small.  We want our faith to be a personal thing.  God is “my God”.  Religion is my personal possession.  It is about my well being, my problems, my needs.  God becomes the God of my church or my way of life or my race. 

  Can Simeon and Anna serve as inspiration for us as we celebrate our gifts of time, talent and treasure?  Our church needs the vision of Simeon.  We need the wisdom of Anna. This is a wonderful congregation, warm and welcoming, diverse and rich in its cultural makeup, rich in its liturgical tradition.  We have a great deal to offer in this community. 

  Yet we face many challenges as well.  How do we reach out to a growing and changing community with our limited resources?  How do we encourage young people to stay and be part of our community?  How do we bring up our children in the faith?   How do we face the challenges of a society that has become more and more secularized?  How do we keep faith when the world around us seems to be in a state of chaos? 

  This morning you are hearing from some of the Simeon’s and Anna’s in our congregation about their particular ministries.  Most of the positions that you are hearing about don’t take a lot of time.  Many are things that all of us can do.  But the fact is that most of us don’t have the high level of commitment that it takes to become involved.  We have excuses, good, valid excuses.  It isn’t the right time.  Our job is simply too demanding.  Our families need to be our number one priority.  There is someone better suited, more capable than I.  No one has ever asked me. 

  We are asking.  We are asking everyone in this congregation to consider what God is calling you to do.  What is your particular ministry?  How are you going to respond? 

  We usually think of the Nunc Dimittis as the song of resignation of an old man ready to die.  “Lord, now you let your servant depart in peace.”  Someone on Propertalk, a discussion group to which I belong, pointed out that it is every bit the call to action that we see in the Magnificat as Mary accepts God’s call to be the Christ bearer.  Our eyes too have seen the glory of God.  It is a glory that we need to share.  We do that by offering ourselves, our time, our talents, our treasures, to God.  Amen.