Luke 2:22-40
Questions …
Children ask a lot of questions …
“Are we there yet?”
“Why are there stars at night?”
“Why do we have to go to church?”
Little Susy asked her mother, “Where did I come from?”
Mother, a bit stressed about this, tried with all of her might to answer the question without getting into too much detail.
After a labored effort, Susy looked at her Mom a little perplexed, “Well, I was just wondering. Today in school, Heather said she came from Phoenix and Brad came from Houston, so I was wondering where I came from.”
Questions …
Good questions … good faith …
Faith is less about answers, and more about good questions …
We’ve been asking a lot of good questions during Advent …
With Mary, How can this be?”
With Joseph: What now?”
With the Innkeeper: Can I make room?
And, the shepherds: Are we included?
Good questions …
Over the years of ministry, I’ve always made one promise – there’s a good answer to every question … but rarely a simple “yes” or “no” – faith-questions are challenging, and so are faith-answers … but there are answers …
Yet every answer seems to have more questions …
I think God designed the world that way, faith that way, so that we never quite get there … we’re always on the road … always questioning, always pondering, always probing and testing …
To keep faith alive …
To keep the doors wide open …
To keep on growing and thinking …
To keep love expanding …
But for every good question, there is a good answer … and today we settle back and enjoy what we know.
For a few moments, we put our questions to bed …
And just celebrate:
Hark the Herald Angels Sing …
Joy to the World …
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear …
O Come, All Ye Faithful …
The ineffable glory … the blinding light … the mystery and the majesty of God’s mighty love.
There’s a time to settle back and sit on down – enjoy what we know about this thing called faith, and our Savior, Jesus!
To Mary’s question, How can this be? – the answer: by the Holy Spirit, the power of God … Okay, said Mary …
To Joseph’s question, What now? - the answer: it’s gonna be okay, Joseph; God’s involved in this one … and Joseph said, Okay!
To the Innkeeper’s question, Can I make room? – the answer: of course you can – there’s always room somewhere for Jesus.
To the shepherds in the hills, Are we included? – the answer: Of course you are; everyone is … welcome to the kingdom of God!
Answers … of course … but I suspect even as I review our journey through Advent, you’re thinking to yourself … those answers are only begging for more questions …
And that’s right …
But there comes a time to sit down and relax … to enjoy what we know … about our Savior.
That’s what we’re doing today …
With Simeon …
A good and decent man devoted to the things of God.
God promised him, You’ll see the LORD's messiah before you die.
That day, the Holy Spirit guided Simeon into the temple, and there he sees Mary and Joseph, with baby Jesus …
Simeon takes the child into his arms … and praises God …
Such a sweet image of faith …
Taking Jesus into our arms …
And praising God …
Today, we do that …
For a few moments, no more questions …
Just sweetness and love …
We take Jesus into our arms …
Simeon says, Now I can go … my eyes have seen the promise of God … a Savior … salvation for all peoples … for the Gentiles and for Israel; for all the world … everyone … because no one is ever left behind.
Those special moments in life when everything seems just right – a fine evening out … a good meal … those lovely days we all have from time-to-time, and we go to bed at night rejoicing in God’s goodness and favor.
On Friday, Eva and I drove down the 405 to the 105, and on the interchange to the 105, as the highway arches high over the 405, you can see forever … and it was a clear day … we could see downtown … snow capped mountains to the east, and then Eva said, Palm trees … alright, I’m done!
There’s nothing more to see … this is amazing!
Those special moments in life when the puzzle is all pieced together … when things make sense … and we know who we are and where it’s all going.
Today, we enjoy what we know!
A Savior, and Jesus is his name.
There will be plenty of time for more questions …
Simeon hints as things to come …
This child will cause the rise and fall of many … and many will stand against him … because he will reveal their inner thoughts, and it won’t be a pretty picture …
And to Mary, Simeon says, Momma, your heart will be pieced with a sword … you will hurt for every hurt he suffers … you will know every pain he endures … you will feel the lash of the whip, the bone-crushing nails driven into the cross … you will see your son die.
Yes, there will be time for more questions …
But I love how the text works here …
Just as Simeon begins to grow dark …
Anna the prophet comes over to Simeon and begins to praise God … this child is the one, the redemption of Jerusalem.
Anna was 84 … a widow most of her life … not an easy time of it, but a life devoted to the things of God … a woman of prayer and spiritual discipline … giving thanks to God for the child …
Today, we enjoy what we know …
No questions today … there will be time for questions later on, but today, we celebrate our Savior.
For God has done a mighty work …
And the mighty continues …
In every heart and across the world …
In every faith and in every prayer …
In every church and in every temple …
In every mosque and in every synagogue …
Wherever women and men of faith gather to pray … to worship … to read their holy texts … to practice justice and love … forgiveness and mercy …
The mighty work of God continues …
Today we celebrate what we know …
Today, like Simeon, we take Jesus into our arms … he’s small enough for that …
We praise him because he’s the light of the world and the hope of humankind …
We give thanks for a salvation that includes everyone …
We give thanks for a great love that holds us every day of our life … a great love that embraces us when we die … a great love that provides for our wellbeing, in this life, and in the life to come.
We give thanks for love …
Because all love comes from God …
God is love … and where’re we see love, we see God!
We give thanks for grace …
The power to start all over again …
The power of hope … no matter what …
We give thanks for faith …
For the light that shines in the darkness …
For the bread of heaven and the cup of blessing …
For the water of baptism and the promise of the gospel …
For goodness all around us …
For mercy and merriment …
For children who ask lots of questions …
And for all the good answers that come, sooner or later …
And for more questions …
And today, for a few moments - pure joy …
Simeon said, I’m done!
Anna said, Me, too!
What we’ve waited for is here …
A book has been finished … a new book has been opened …
Dear Christian friends, I rejoice with you today in what we know …
As we end one year and begin another …
We take up where Simeon and Anna left off …
We sing for the world around us …
We hold Jesus in our arms … and show him to the world …
Merry Christmas dear friends …
Unto us a Savior has been born …
For all the world …
For you and me …
And for all those we love …
No one is left behind!
And Jesus is his name!
Amen and Amen!
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