SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2023 - LONG AWAITED JOY
December 10, 2023
Deborah Laforet
Long Awaited Joy
Let us pray. May the words from my lips and the meditations of my heart be guided by
your Spirit and be words of wisdom for this day. Amen.
Right now, the children are rehearsing for the pageant. They are practicing their lines
and possibly figuring out costumes. It’s a time of excitement when the children get to be front
and centre and you all have the privilege of supporting their accomplishment.
The story they will be sharing is called, Extended Invitations. The story is filled with
characters that we don’t typically hear from during Advent or even during Christmas. Two
weeks ago, you heard about two of these characters, Elizabeth and Zechariah, parents to John the
Baptist, whose story is often intertwined with the story of Jesus. Last week, we heard about
Herod, a horrific story of a royal edict that killed children under the age of two in and around
Bethlehem. It’s a story we tend to avoid because it doesn’t match with the warm and fuzzy
feelings of this time of year.
This week, we look at two more characters. Technically, they come into the story, shortly
after the birth of Jesus, like the Magi, but I think they also deserve to take their place at the
manger with the Holy Family.
In the story Laura read for us, we hear that Mary and Joseph had their child circumcised
eight days after his birth and gave him the name, Jesus, all according to the Law of Moses.
Another requirement of this law was that they present the child, their heir, to the Temple in
Jerusalem, forty days after his birth and at the same time Mary was to complete her ritual
purification.
At the temple, they meet two people - Simeon, who had been told by the Holy Spirit that
he would see the Messiah before his death, and Anna, a prophet. We know from the text that
Anna was 84 years old and had been a widow for most of her life, but we don’t get to hear the
age of Simeon. Most assume he was of a great age. Simeon had been waiting a while to see the
Messiah, and, upon seeing him, cries out that God can now ‘dismiss your servant in peace.” We
assume he has come to the end of his life.
And there is something unique about this child. Simeon only has to see the child to know
that he is seeing the salvation of his people, the light of revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of
Israel. Anna, arriving at this moment, gives thanks to God and then, as prophets do, she talks
about the child to all who are anticipating the deliverance of Jerusalem. Remember during this
time that Jerusalem and all of Israel were being occupied by the Roman Empire, so most were
anticipating and crying to for this deliverance. Whatever that deliverance might look like, Anna
is sure this child is part of it. Simeon and Anna - two people who have waited their whole lives
to proclaim the good news.
When someone tells you they have news and asks you if you want the good news or the
bad news first, how do you respond? I always ask for the bad news first because I want it to then
feel better with some good news. Some may like hearing the good news first, so that it can help
them prepare for the bad news when it comes. Simeon doesn’t ask Mary what she’d prefer. He
starts by telling her what a brilliant and wonderful child she has - one who will be the downfall
and the rise of many in Israel. He tells her he is to be a sign that is rejected so that the secret
thoughts of many will be laid bare. It a powerful prophecy. This child is going to make a
difference in the world, something every parents longs to hear. But then, he looks at Mary and
says, “And you - a sword will pierce your own heart as well.”
Today, we lit the candle of joy. What is joy? Is it about being happy? Is it about laughter
and jokes? Is it the opposite of sad where one is either full of sadness OR filled with joy? It can
mean all of these things, but when we use it during Advent, when we talk about joy as a part of
our faith, the meaning is deeper and more complex.
Many of the stories in our bible are filled with grief, struggle, hardship, betrayal,
abandonment, and injustice. In fact, Jesus, himself, experienced all of these things. But if the
bible were only about these things, I don’t think people would feel so inspired by it.
The book of psalms, filled with poems, was written by people expressing their feelings,
whether they be feelings of lament or joy. We can look at a painting or hear a piece of music that
was created by someone feeling extreme anguish, and find beauty, and this beauty can be found
in the words of poetry and the psalms. The stories of the bible are about a people who are
oppressed, enslaved, and ridiculed, but the other side of the coin, is that we also hear stories of
people lifted up, redeemed, freed, and saved. We read stories of people who curse god and cry
out for mercy, and then stories of people who cannot help but sing their praises of God and all
God’s creation.
In our story this morning, we meet two people grateful that they are alive to see this
small, miraculous child, who will one day cause great change in the world, but they also seem to
know that there will also be hardship and suffering. As most parents know, having a child can be
the most glorious and wonderful experience in life, but we also feel that sword Simeon mentions
to Mary, that sword that pierces our hearts when our children are hurting and we just don’t know
how to help.
Joy and struggle go hand in hand. Life is full of both. I actually think the main
difference between those who constantly feel bitter and sad and those who are optimistic and can
laugh is our intention. When we are struggling, do we retreat and hide, or do we seek the
company of others? When we are grieving, do we suppress the grief and stop feeling, or do we
cry and express our grief to loved ones or through art?
I don’t want you to hear this as blame. If you’re sad, if you’re depressed and finding life
difficult, I don’t expect you to just put on a happy smile and spread sunshine. Lament is a solid
emotion that needs expression and validation, but I do think we can choose to make that our
identity and live as the martyr who never has life go well for them. We can also choose to find
beauty in life, to express gratitude, and to even laugh through our tears.
Joy is always within us. Joy can always be found around us. Joy is in our blood, in our
bones, and in the very atoms of all creation. May we always find ways of discovering and
unearthing it, during even the most difficult of times. May the Spirit fill us with the love of
Christ, with all the love that permeates this world, with the love that lives within all of us,
helping us to find joy and share it. May it be so. Amen.
Luke 2:21-40
(Introduce yourself.)
For the first three weeks of Advent, we are reading stories of those who were not at
the manger with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, but who are a part of the Christmas story.
This has been to prepare us for the pageant, which we get to experience next week.
Today, I’m reading from the second chapter of Luke, about two prophets named
Simeon and Anna. I am reading verses 21 to 40 from the second chapter of Luke.
21 When the eighth day arrived for the child’s circumcision, he was named Jesus,
the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
22 When the time came for them to be purified, as laid down by the Law of Moses,
the couple took Jesus up to Jerusalem and presented him to God. 23 For it’s
written in the Law of our God, “Every firstborn heir is to be consecrated to God.”
24 They likewise came to offer sacrifice, “a pair of turtledoves or two young
pigeons,” in accord with the dictate of the law of God.
25 Now there lived in Jerusalem a man named Simeon. He was devout and just,
anticipating the consolation of Israel, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. 26 She
had revealed to Simeon that he wouldn’t see death until he had seen the Messiah of
God. 27 Prompted by the Spirit, Simeon came to the Temple, and when the parents
brought in the child to perform the customary rituals of the law, 28 Simeon took
the child in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Now, O God, you can dismiss your servant in peace,
just as you promised;
30 because my eyes have seen the salvation
31 which you have prepared for all the peoples to see -
32 a light of revelation to the Gentiles
and the glory of your people Israel.”
33 As the child’s mother and father stood there marvelling at the things that were
being said, 34 Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, the mother, “This child is
destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that is
rejected, 35 so that the secret thoughts of many will be laid bare—and a sword will
pierce your own heart as well.”
36 There was also a woman named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of
Asher, who was also a prophet. She had lived a long life, seven years with her
husband, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the
Temple, worshiping day and night, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up at that
moment, she gave thanks to God and talked about the child to all who anticipated
the deliverance of Jerusalem.
39 When the couple had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the Law of God, they
returned to Galilee and their own town of Nazareth. 40 The child grew in size and
strength. He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was with him.
May the Spirit bring us understanding of our sacred text. Amen.