Sermon preached by The Rev. Charles Rowins at St. - PDF document

Sermon preached by The Rev. Charles Rowins at St. Christopher-by-the-Sea, Gibson Island, Maryland, Presentation of our Lord, Sunday, February 2, 2020. Today is a special day in the Church Calendar. It’s called the Presentation of our Lord. February 2 doesn’t always fall on a Sunday, so most years this event passes us by. But not this year. So here we go. Jewish parents were expected to present their newborns on the 40 th day after birth (Luke 2:22-40) . On this day, the parents would do two things: one, present the child for a special blessing; and two, make a special offering to the Temple. These two actions are the subject of today’s gospel. Purification and Pigeons. The closest we as Christians get to this two-fold ceremony is baptism. At baptism, we present a child or an adult for a special blessing, and, as a thanksgiving for this special blessing, we often invite family and friends to a celebratory reception. What is missing or at least down-played at our service of baptism is the recognition that this child might be in for a rough ride. Now, a ride without Christ is rough enough. After all, just growing up is no picnic. But a ride with Christ is really rough. We are talking serious sacrifice. Perhaps we are even talking death. The expression “a cross to bear” is not casual. It is a realization of what following Jesus can mean. For the parents of Jesus, the rite of purification, like the incarnation itself and the birth, was troubling. There were all sorts of signs that this child was special, maybe even the Messiah for whom the Jews had been waiting for centuries. It had to be a sobering moment for the parents. We know that it was a sobering moment for a man named Simeon. He was led by the Spirit to be in the Temple on the day when Mary and Joseph presented their son. While there, Simeon had an opportunity to hold the child, after which he said to Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel ... and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Imagine yourself as a parent hearing from a witness to the child’s baptism that this child was destined for a kind of greatness that would cause grief to the

parents. Probably not what you had in mind when you invited Simeon to the baptism. Well, Mary and Joseph and their “purified” son returned home, where “the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.” The “favor of God.” A good thing or a bad thing? As a parent, we never know, do we? Sometimes a child’s life is cut short for what appears to be no good reason. Other times, a child’s life is cut short in service to one’s country or community. Not what a parent would want, but what a parent would at least know was a possibility given the dangers inherent in service. For Mary and Joseph, Simeon’s remark in the Temple reinforced the possibility that their Son was special, really special, maybe even the One who would sacrifice his life to give new life, fulfilled life, to others. Remember the description in this morning’s lesson from the Prophet Malachi (Malachi 3:1-4) , in which the Lord is compared to a “refiner and purifier of silver.” Is Jesus, their 40 day-old son, the one who will be refined, or the One who will do the refining.” Either role for Jesus is a tough one for the parents to swallow. This morning’s lesson from the Epistle to the Hebrews (Hebrews 2:14-18) speaks of one who makes a “sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people.” At-one-ment – what we all want, but at a cost that we cannot afford. So, if we cannot afford the cost, is there One who will cover the cost? “Yes, Mary and Joseph, there is One, who just might be your son, and the cost just might be his death.” If you and I felt that a service of baptism for our new-born somehow would sow the seed of self-sacrifice, we might think twice about baptism. But what we would be forgetting is that our new-born would develop his or her own self- awareness that we would need to respect and honor. This respect and honor was the path God chose for Mary and Joseph. Not an easy path, to be sure, but one we hope was filled with pride. There probably ought to be a special service of support for parents and grandparents as they reluctantly sit back and allow their children and grand-

children to make choices for themselves. At least a prayer, if not an entire service. Something like .... Dear God, give me the strength, when I want to interfere, to step back, to get out of the way, to honor the freedom of those I love facing tough decisions. Help them to make the decision that makes the most sense to them. And help me to respect that decision. When I’m tempted to say “Are you kidding me, what are you thinking, do you know what you’re doing, do you realize what you’re giving up” remind me to take a deep breath and to trust that their decision must be theirs, not mine. At the same time, Lord, continue to be by their side, as you were by the side of Jesus even unto death. Now, please do not cancel any baptismal plans. Just be aware that baptism, whether of a new-born or senior citizen, is a commitment to follow the Lord, wherever that path might lead. Confident that, for every element of danger, there is a greater element of hope. From the presentation in the Temple at Day 40 to the Cross at Year 33, Mary and Joseph had quite a run as parents, and their son had quite a ride as Savior. It was a faithfulness on everybody’s part that culminated in an ugly, undeserved death, but followed by an empty tomb and a Risen Lord and the beginning of Faith community that is our blessing thousands of years later. Good for Mary and Joseph, good for Simeon, good for a month-old child who would grow into the sandals of 33 year-old Messiah, and would willingly die on a cross, rise from the dead, and bring new life to all, including to you and me. What a story. What a gift. What a privilege. And what a reminder to us as parents and grandparents to recognize and respect the fine-line between encouragement and insistence. And what a good idea, when facing tough decisions, to remember Psalm 84 : “O Lord of hosts, happy are they who put their trust in you!” Amen.