Loving God, you gave your servant, Simeon, the eyes to see your salvation in the infant Jesus. Grant us that same vision by the power of your Holy Spirit, that we, too, might be able to see your salvation and your power at work; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

As Mary and Joseph made their way to the Temple that day, the average person would have seen simply a young, poor couple coming with their baby to do what the Jewish Law required. 40 days had passed since the birth of Jesus, and sacrifices needed to be offered for Mary’s purification after the birth (Lev. 12). At the same time, Mary and Joseph would be presenting their firstborn son, almost 6 weeks old now, to the Lord. The average person would have seen nothing unusual in this event.

However, when Simeon sees this young couple coming with their child to the temple, he sees much more than the average person. Simeon looks at this baby - at Jesus - and sees the Saviour of all people. Simeon looks at this baby and sees God’s promised salvation. Simeon looks at this baby and sees the light of the world. Ordinary people with a newborn child, and Simeon can see all this! Who says that your eyesight has to get worse with age?

Anna, too, at the age of eighty-four sees more than just a young couple with their child. Instead, she sees in this child the Redeemer of her people – the one who would set the people of Jerusalem free. In this child, Anna sees a reason to praise God and to tell others about God’s salvation.

The prophet Malachi had told people, “the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple” (Mal. 3:1). Simeon and Anna both praised God that they were there to see it when the Lord showed up! “My eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples” (Lk. 2:30-31).

Are any of us able to say the same thing? Have we seen God’s salvation? Have we seen a reason to praise God in Jesus Christ? Have we seen great things in what looks like an ordinary event? The thing is that with any event there is more than one way of looking at it. The challenge for us as Christians is to allow our seeing to be guided by the Holy Spirit so that we can see God’s salvation and power at work, no matter what the circumstances.

For example, it would be quite possible for somebody to watch a person being baptized and simply see some water being poured over them and a few words being said. However, it is possible to look at that same event and see so much more. In baptism, we see God reaching out and touching a weak and vulnerable part of his creation and saying, “You are forgiven. You belong to me. You are adopted as one of my children. You are saved through Jesus Christ.” In baptism we see people dying to self and being raised to a new life in Christ. In baptism we see people being called to lives of love and service, and being given the gift of the Holy Spirit. When we see baptism in this way, we see God’s salvation and power at work.

In the same way, you can see any number of different things when you look at Holy Communion. It would be quite possible for somebody to watch others sharing the Lord’s Supper and see something that looks like no big deal. A few words are said - something about Jesus, and then everybody gets a piece of bread and a sip of wine and a few more words are said. However, once again it is possible to see so much more. In communion, we see Jesus giving to us the gift of himself – his own body and blood offered on the cross - so that we might be empowered to be his body in the world. At the same time we see forgiveness, salvation and strength for life, given to us in, with, and under the gifts of bread and wine. In communion, we see how we are united as one with all Christians of every time and every place who have shared in this same heavenly meal. When we see communion in this way, we see God’s power and salvation at work.

In a sense, it is easier for us to see God at work in things like baptism and communion, because those are things that happen in the church and have God’s message of salvation proclaimed along with them. However, it can be much more difficult for us to see God’s power at work in the events in the world around us, especially when tragedy strikes. In fact, rather than seeing God’s power at work, the most common responses to tragedy seem to be to blame God, to wonder where God is, or to say that there must not be a God at all.

However, it is possible to look at the same events and see them simply as part of life in a sinful and broken world. This is the same world that crucified Jesus. On that cross, Jesus identified with the worst that any of us could possibly go through as human beings: pain and suffering, abandonment, weakness, vulnerability, and death. Because of that same cross, we know that God understands our pain with a compassion that comes from experiencing it himself. When tragedy strikes, God does not disappear but embraces us, meeting us most profoundly when we are confronted with weakness, pain, solitude and death (Erlander, Baptized We Live, p.4).

At the same time, we are given victory over the power of sin and death through that same cross of Christ. When death strikes, we can look at it not as the end for that person, but as the beginning of a new life for them. When illness strikes, we can look at it not as an indignity that should never happen to us, but as a time for us to really experience God’s power at work in our lives. When we sin against God and against others and cause pain and problems that we regret, we can look at it as good cause to change our ways, and turn to God in repentance and faith, and receive God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Lord. Yes, sin and death are still part of life on this earth. – All of the human beings would need to be removed in order for it to be otherwise. However, there is victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. There is light that shines in the darkness, even in the midst of tragedy.

This is the same light that was spoken of by Simeon as he held the infant Jesus in the temple. He saw in Jesus the light of the world, who had come for the salvation of all people. He saw in Jesus the one who would bring victory, even in the midst of sorrow, and opposition, and the division and separation of families (Lk. 2:34-35). He saw in Jesus the Saviour of the world, come to bring resurrection where there is death, and forgiveness where there is sorrow over sin, and comfort where there is sorrow, and healing where there is brokenness. He saw in Jesus the fulfillment of all of God’s promises, and hope for the future.

May God grant to us the same eyes to see by the power of the Holy Spirit, that we, too, might see God’s salvation, and the power of God at work in our lives. Amen.

Christmas 1(B)      Luke 2:22-40
December 28, 2008
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2008 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved