Candlemas, Presention of the Lord in the Temple. Luke 2:22-40

 Candlemas, Presention of the Lord in the Temple. Luke 2:22-40

    Some things are defining.  " Men declare themselves by their attitude to Him ( Jesus).  They cannot ultimately be neutral.  When men see Christ suffer , their reaction shows on which side they stand."  The Gospel According to St. Luke by Leon Morris

 I want to focus on Luke 2: 34 "And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

1. Simeon blessed them.  He had been waiting to see the infant Christ child, and here 40 days after His birth He does. He utters words that are famous in many traditional Services at Evening Prayer since the 4th century.  We call it the"   Nunc Dimittis" literally now let depart... The Salvation He was waiting for is here.

"Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel."

The New Covenant was here.  The birth of the Child Jesus gives salvation to all who receive it.  Note Simeon took the child in His arms, and blessed God.

--The first thing we have to do is do this as well.  We cannot have Salvation apart from the Child received .

2.  Simeon tells about the fall and rising of many.  To fall is to disobey God .  Our moral compass needs a Moral Person to indwell us by faith.  That person is the Child Jesus. 

The people we encounter either fall or rise based on this fact.

"We despise people who challenge our cherished myths and kick us out of our comfort zones. The truth is that when Jesus sets about the task of saving us, he has to heal us of any myth or prejudice that is contrary to the spirit of Christ. Billy Sunday was the Billy Graham of a previous generation. He was conducting a crusade in a particular city.

 In one of his sermons he said something critical of the labor conditions for workers in that area. After the service, several prominent businessmen sent a message to him by one of the local pastors. The message was this---Billy, leave labor matters alone. Concentrate on getting people saved. Stay away from political issues. You’re rubbing the fur the wrong way."

Billy Sunday sent this message back to them: "If I’m rubbing the fur the wrong way, tell the cats to turn around."

Bill Bouknight, Collected Sermons, eSermons.com

3.  Thank God for the rising. To know God is to have eternal life.  Without Christ we cannot enter heaven on our own merits.  We don't have life without the Son. In Him was life and the life was the light of men.

Christianity has changed the world . It was this that changed the slave trade in England.

" A deeply religious man, Wilberforce had always been interested in social reform since his youthful days as a politician and student. He was initially concerned with improving factory conditions for poor workers in Britain. It was not until Thomas Clarkson brought physical and written evidence demonstrating the brutality of the slave trade to his attention, that Wilberforce became committed to the anti-slavery cause....Despite multiple setbacks, Wilberforce’s bill to terminate Britain’s slave trade eventually passed in the House of Commons and was given royal assent on 25 March 1807." from https://www.historyhit.com/key-figures-in-the-abolition-of-slavery-in-the-uk/

His rising in our lives too can change us, as well as our communities.  As Christians we too have a deep concern for others and their morals.  True morals only can come through faith in God and His Son.  His Word is our guide and His commandments ours to steer our lives by and see the lives of others change too.

Conclusion-  Simeon says Mary's soul would also be pierced .  There is a Cross before a Crown in each life that loves Christ.  We cannot change the Word to accomodate the culture or others.  It must be our anchor in times of deep stress or anxiety.  In Him is light at this Season when we close out the 40 days after Christmas.  We too present ourselves before Him and see His way.