Sermon for Presentation of Our LordYear A 2014 So much is going on - PDF document

Sermon for Presentation of Our Lord—Year A 2014 So much is going on in today’s gospel story, right? In case there was ever any doubt about Mary and Joseph’s religious credentials, here in Luke we meet parents who are devout and faithful, going to the Temple for the qorban yoledet (the mother’s post-partum sacrifice) and the pidyon ha-ben (the redemption of the son). The story of these two events in the life of Jesus are only recorded in Luke’s gospel. Luke gives us such a vivid portrait of these events. Mary and Joseph entering the Temple with the turtledoves for an offering. At the Temple, two faithful elders tell the gathered community who Jesus is and what is happening. We don’t hear Anna’s exact words, but Luke does give us what is called the Song of Simeon, or the Nunc Dimitis (from the Latin). This song is the last of the five prayers that appear in the first two chapters of Luke. There have been many amazing instances of faithfulness before this in Luke – there is Mary’s faithfulness; and the father of John the Baptist, Zechariah’s faithfulness; then the shepherds’ faithfulness. Yet I think Simeon’s faithfulness is quite extraordinary. At least the other three had visits from angels to rely on. Without so much as a nod from a passing seraph, Simeon looks at this tiny scrap of baby and sees the salvation of the world. And then he tells us: Lord, now you let your servant go in peace, your word has been fulfilled. My own eyes have seen the salvation which you have prepared in the sight of every people. A light to the nations and the glory of your people Israel. I especially like that Simeon sang this prophecy as he held and blessed the 7-week old infant Jesus in his arms. An action that foreshadows Jesus’ own actions of welcoming and the taking of children into his arms and blessing them. And Anna, the other prophet, praises God too and begins to announce that Immanuel has come— God-with-us—the one who shares our flesh and blood. But this charming picture of hope and innocence is not without its note of harsh warning. Simeon sees the salvation of the world as well as the shadow of the Cross. 1

This scene in the life of Jesus always reminds me of the beginning of the fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty . . . Now bear with me—some of you already know my capacity for seeing biblical references or connections in unlikely places. Though in this case, I am not alone in finding theology in fairy tales . . . however that might be a conversation and sermon for another day— Where I find a connection between today’s gospel passage and Sleeping Beauty occurs at the beginning of the tale— You know when the happy, loving king and queen parents are presenting their newborn daughter, the princess,to the court— which, though it is not explicitly stated, was probably meant to be the infant girl’s “Christening” or baptism. Hence the presence of fairy “godmothers” who one by one come to the cradle to bestow a gift— in this case prophetic blessings such as beauty and grace, generosity and patience and an understanding temperament— (sounds a little like the gifts of the Spirit— oh, and by the way in the original version of the story, there were seven godmothers—one for each of the gifts of the Spirit?) . . . The gift giving is interrupted by the arrival of the wicked witch who was not invited to this presentation at court. And she offers a “curse” instead of a “gift; she pronounces that the child will prick her finger on the needle of a spinning wheel and die. But behold—the last godmother has not yet bestowed her gift and she transforms the curse from death to sleep that can be awakened by true love’s kiss. Well I hope you can see the themes of good overcoming evil, and death and resurrection. I was thinking about all of these connections— the fairy tale and this text with its tender portrait of love and welcome for this infant as I watched the documentary “It’s a Girl” earlier this past week. Because just as the shadow of death hovers over the announcement “It’s the Messiah!”, the birth announcement “it’s a girl” in some places in the world are the three deadliest words that can be spoken. In India, China and many other parts of the world today, infant girls are killed, aborted or abandoned simply because they are girls. The United Nations estimates as many as 200 million girls are missing in the world today because of “gendercide.” It was heartbreaking and horrifying to hear of the many deaths of these newborn girls— most of whom it is important to know are born into extreme poverty. The girls are unwanted because the parents cannot afford a dowry, and without a marriage dowry, the girls will be of any value— either to their families or to potential husbands. 2

One mother said she killed six infant daughters because it was better that they died quickly rather than suffering for years in poverty. How truly horrible to see only a curse in the face of the promise of new life! The film also tells the stories of abandoned and trafficked girls, of women who suffer extreme dowry-related violence, but also of brave mothers and fathers who are fighting to save their daughter’s lives. There are organizations who desperately trying to rescue and protect these girls and their families. One of the most important ways to combat these practices is by exposing them as the documentary is doing and nation-to-nation “peer pressure.” It would be very easy to let anger or despair be our only response to such things, but, people of God, such conditions are a call for courageous and bold advocacy, righteous action, and prayer . . . in remembrance of the poor. Because it is poverty that is often the unseen yet pervasive condition that perpetuates abuse and neglect, exploitation and violence. The curse of poverty that wants to overshadow and consume the promise and the goodness of life. It is no good to think that we here in America are immune to this curse of poverty, which brings abuse and neglect, exploitation and violence into the lives of many of our children. Did you know that children remain America’s poorest citizens? 25% of children under the age of 5 are living in poverty here in the United States. 13.7% of children aged 6—18 do not know when they will have their next meal. They go to school hungry and are unable to focus in school— or anywhere else for that matter. Their poverty and hunger has an adverse effect on their academic achievement and it should come has no surprise that children living in poverty drop out of school and so perpetuate the cycle of poverty in another generation. And did you know that human trafficking—of children and adults— is associated with the Super Bowl? What an interesting juxtaposition these things and today’s texts make on the first Sunday of February which to the most of the world is primarily known as Super Bowl Sunday. Did you know that Super Bowl Sunday is the second only to Thanksgiving (not even Christmas!) for “overeating”? I’m not trying to “rain on everyone’s Super Bowl parade” but I think it is important for all of us to heed the warning of Professor Matthew Skinner who wrote: Enjoy the Super Bowl but be suspicious of its values ! 3

I’ll confess, just as I was unaware of the gendercide and other conditions girls and women are experiencing in other parts of the world, I have been equally ignorant of the amount of money, suffering and abuse involved in Super Bowl. The commissioner of the NFL earned $30 million dollars this past year working on behalf of the wealthy owners of the 32 teams in the league. Full-service luxury suites for the big game are renting in the neighborhood of $500,000. When I looked online at the price of tickets last week, they were selling for $1,400 and more. To park your car in the lot will cost you $250. You are not allowed to bring any food in from the outside. I don’t even want to guess at what it will cost for a soda or beer in a souvenir cup let alone a hot dog or hamburger. And all of this and more will be taking place 10 miles from Newark where about a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line, where until two weeks ago there was no emergency shelter for the homeless during these weeks of extreme cold. To borrow a phrase from one of my favorite comedians, “Something is askew!” And yet . . . we have the example of Simeon and Anna, who gaze at an infant and see God-with-us and hope for humanity and for peace and wholeness shines light into the darkness of our broken, askew world. Simeon stands there in grateful wonder. It is the future he holds in his hands. He has seen and touched it. He is satisfied. It is, as he said, enough. And then Anna, also old and approaching the end of her days, adds her own joy and praise to the moment. A reminder that goodness will overcome evil, God’s grace will have the last word over and against the curse of sin. Their proclamation and praise remind us that just like that last fairy godmother in the tale of Sleeping Beauty, God will have the last word of blessing over the curse of sin and death in our lives. By the time a mature Jesus begins his public ministry, Simeon and Anna will be long dead—asleep in Christ? So will most of those shepherds who came to see the child in the manger, and possibly Joseph, who watched over him, and some or all of the magi who feature in Matthew’s nativity story. Thirty years or more will pass before the gospel story picks up again with the ministry of Jesus. In the meantime those who saw the baby, knelt at the stable or laid their tributes before him would not know what became of him. They would know only what they had heard and seen back then. 4