This first Sunday after Christmas, and the first day of the year, we study Luke’s account of the parents of Jesus presenting him in the temple, naming him, and of his bris, or circumcision, a sacred rite. We also are invited to see Jesus, as Anna and Simeon see him after many years and through the clouds of their life disappointments, uncertainties and experiences. No wonders, no miracles. Simeon was old and waited many years to see the Messiah. God granted his wish. He will grant our wish to see him, too, if we open the eyes of our hearts.
In his sermon, The Rev. Ben Helmer tells us that as the light shining forth in the darkness, we need to examine how we have been living, and that it is time to go to work and be the gifted people God created us to be. To be about God’s business, committed to redemption and bringing graciousness to the lives of all people.
The Rev. Dr. Ozzie E. Smith, in “A Sight for Certain Eyes,” invites us to see what happens when expectant eyes see the Lord’s gift. How can we see with certain eyes in jaded times, with an uncertain economy, high prices, foreclosures, war, and the list goes on…? Look through the eyes of enduring faith and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit as did Simeon and Anna.
In “Has the Messiah Come?” Paul Tillich, in The New Being, questioned how we can know the Messiah has come in a world with the Holocaust, weapons which can annihilate us, and those who are unhealed, hungry and broken. He sees the character of salvation having the nature of a child. Seeing the Messiah in the mystery of a child. Somehow appropriate this season… and all seasons.
And while we are on the subject of children:
- What expectations do we have for our children as they grow towards adulthood?
- What are our hopes for them?
- How do we utilize the resources of our faith communities to support children?
- What protection and guidance do we offer them so hopes and expectations can be realized for their flourishing?
- What responsibilities do all adults have for children, regardless of whether or not they are related to them by blood or marriage?
May God’s peace and the Holy Spirit be with us and guide us through this New Year. In the blessed name of Jesus, we pray.
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