Simeon and Anna, advanced in years, were full of expectation and hoping for some sign that the Messiah was near. They were hopeful and expectant that their world, their life of faith, their neighborhood would change. Sometimes older people get a bad rap that they want things to stay the same or to go back to the good old days, but Simeon and Anna and many of you that I have talked to recognize the hurt in this world, the injustice, the inequality, and want to know that this world is not continuing on this trajectory. You want to know that things will change and you have hope that it will, are willing to take action to see that it does.
This is an
intergenerational story, with a baby, two young parents, and two
great-grandparent age people. The great-grandparent types have lived
their whole lives full of expectation. They were brought to the temple at
a young age and dedicated to God, as many of you were brought for baptism as
infants. In that moment, God reminded you who you are, children of God,
Whose you are, God's, and why you are here, to be in community, to share love,
to shine and share your light, to be the body of Christ, the one here
being dedicated to God.
As we grow up, eyes open
to the pressures and injustices of this world. We feel sharply the hypocrisy
of it, see clearly the places the world is hurting. We sometimes feel helpless to do anything
about the powers that keep people separated, that amass riches at the expense
of the poor. Sometimes, we seem to resign ourselves to this world. We decide it isn't our problem, that's just
how life is.
Then a couple brings a
child into the world and all the injustice seems so big again, all these forces
working against this tiny life that it is a weary parent’s job to
protect. Parents start thinking about the kind of world they want to pass
on to their child. They want to be part
of the solution.
As life goes by we start
feeling the years ticking by, wondering how much time is left to make these
changes, hopeful for a sign that things are getting better. We might find ourselves more motivated to
press for a gentler, kinder world for our grandchildren
Here these people are
coming together across the generations and feel together an ache, a longing for
a better world. A new family is being
knit together, Mary and Joseph, learning to communicate with each other,
learning each other’s habits, supporting each other, raising a newborn baby
together. And they come to the place
that has given them hope and reminded them of a vision of a better world. They come to the temple, the meeting place of
heaven and earth, with their child, both human and divine, the meeting place of
heaven and earth, and they are reminded of God’s love, of God’s liberation of
the enslaved people, of God’s leading, of God’s power. They come to the temple, this little family,
and they find their community increasing.
Here are two elders who know the stories and speak powerfully of hope in
God. In our lives we have the family we
are born into, or who adopted us, and then we have people who become our family
because of a shared bond, something in common, a shared experience. Jesus’ family is already growing as these two
great-grandparents enter the scene and share a moment that none of them will
ever forget.
It seemed to me that last
week was a true Simeon and Anna moment at Trinity. Santa Cruz could not
find a priest to serve them last week, and at the last minute requested to join
Trinity at 9:30. Of course I said yes, these are our siblings in
Christ. I felt like the innkeeper at the Posada, when Mary and Joseph
came knocking on the door requesting shelter.
I knew you would want me to say yes.
Jesus would want us to say yes.
Like Mary and Joseph
coming into the temple, bringing some birds for sacrifice, people came into
this space in humility, bringing what they had to offer. They came out of love for God and a desire to
be together. You made room for our siblings in Christ, by offering them a
true welcome.
While I was bumbling my
way through the Spanish translation of my sermon, you were praying for our
siblings in Christ, you were holding their needs lovingly in your care, you
were making space for all the various children of God. I know it isn't always easy to worship in two
languages. It is a work in progress. It takes some getting used to,
to share your pews, to struggle to communicate across languages. It is not your routine and it is sometimes
painful, a struggle. I know it can be
distracting to hear the sermon in English, then in Spanish, paragraph by
paragraph. Yet you endured some
discomfort, having been on the receiving end of such a generous welcome many
times in your lives. Maybe you were
dealing with a kid having a meltdown in the store and someone let you go ahead
in line. Maybe you had an illness and someone
brought you soup. Maybe you were looking
for spiritual support and a community made room for you, even though you might
have sat in someone else’s spot. And
last week, you made room for God’s little ones who were in need of Spiritual
support and community. Instead of
complaining, you prayed for their well-being.
You reached out and asked a name or made a funny face at one of the
children. Like Simeon and Anna, you made
memories you won’t soon forget and expanded the meaning of family.
When God sent Jesus into
the world to be a light to the nations, that light was given to us all. We are shining that light, and people are
coming. Santa Cruz has shined that light
for us, making us all tamales and introducing us to jello-cake almost too
pretty to eat, teaching us about how they celebrate Advent, by dressing up like
Joseph and Mary and re-enacting the story.
We are willing to undergo some discomfort because we see and know the
light of Christ shining brighter in our midst when we relate to people of the
nations like we do with Santa Cruz. It
is not church as usual, and yet it is beautiful to behold, a true practice of
what God has promised, to bring people together across boundaries and
differences.
When I interviewed at
Trinity, the relationship with Santa Cruz rose to the top. It showed an
openness to new experiences, a flexibility in sharing, a willingness to
endure some discomfort for the sake of another. I was looking for a
congregation with a little something special, a challenge for me, something new
to learn, people interested in living as a light to the nations, open to
receiving light back, and Trinity fit the bill.
Last Sunday you showed
that you are like Simeon and Anna--hopeful that this world will change to be
more compassionate to those who are hurting, and you are willing to do part of
that hard work. Thank you.
Jesus is here in our midst. He has gathered us, not for
comfort or to re-enact church as it used to be. Jesus is calling us
forward into something new and beautiful that will mean a better world for us
all. We don’t know what that will look
like. It takes faith to take the next
step. Jesus promises to go with us on
this journey of faith and show us the way to abundant life.
Two interesting
things about this day, according to Roman Catholic tradition, Anna here is
designated as Mary’s mother and Jesus’ grandmother. The legend goes that Anna entered the temple
after her husband’s death and after some time found herself pregnant by the
Holy Spirit, an immaculate conception, exactly like Jesus’ conception. Anna delivered Mary, who served God all her
life in the temple, making her more likely to say yes to the angel who came to
ask Mary to bear the Christ child. Anna
and Mary are so familiar with each other.
Are they blood relatives, or chosen family, people with shared values,
love for God, and courage to follow where God leads them?
Secondly, this day
is also called Candlemas in the Roman Catholic and Episcopal churches. Our Episcopal siblings in Christ encourage
families to bring their candles from home to be blessed so that each time they
light one, they remember to be a light to their siblings in need, to their
hurting neighbor. The richness of other
traditions can spark our imaginations and give us new insights as we seek to
follow the light of the world.
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