FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY

CANDLEMAS OR THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD

SUNDAY 2^nd FEBRUARY 2025

OPENING SENTENCE OF SCRIPTURE

You are my hope, O Lord God

HYMN

GREETING

Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

COLLECT FOR PURITY

Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

SUMMARY OF THE LAW

Our Lord Jesus Christ said: The first commandment is this:

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.”

The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these. Amen. Lord, have mercy.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

God is love and we are God’s children. There is no room for fear in love. We love because God loved us first.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.

SILENCE

God our Father,
we confess to you
and to our fellow members in the Body of Christ
that we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and in what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry.
Forgive us our sins,
and deliver us from the power of evil,
for the sake of your Son who died for us, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

ABSOLUTION

God, who is both power and love,
forgive you and free you from your sins,
heal and strengthen you by the Holy Spirit,
and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.

GLORIA
sung by Billy Dewar Riddick

COLLECT

Almighty and everlasting God:
as your only begotten Son was presented
and received in the temple,
so may we welcome and proclaim him
as the light of the nations
and the glory of your people;
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end. Amen

PROCLAIMING & RECEIVING GOD’S WORD

FIRST READING:
Malachi 3: 1-4
read by Andrew Ratnam

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

SILENCE

SECOND READING
Hebrews 2:14-18
read by Mark Toner

Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear, that he did not come to help angels but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

GRADUAL HYMN

GOSPEL READING
Luke 2: 22-40
read by Rev Ann Wren

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St Luke chapter 2 beginning at verse 22

Glory to Christ our Saviour

Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, light for revelation to the gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.

Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul, too.”

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

The Return to Nazareth

When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favour of God was upon him.

Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious Gospel

Praise to Christ our Lord.

SERMON

Last Monday, many candles adorned people’s windows around the world in memory of the victims of the holocaust. It was 27^th January 1945, when the world discovered the horror of genocide carried out by the Nazis and their allies. To make sure the world never forgets the atrocities of the Holocaust, the United Nations proclaimed the 27^thJanuary to be the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

Candles lit around the world symbolised light and hope in the darkness. I don’t know if you listened to any of the interviews with some of the holocaust survivors, they were very moving and touching. As I listened, I was struck by the way the survivors of the Holocaust were not full of bitterness, nor anger, nor the desire for revenge, but rather they were determined to make the most of their liberation and freedom. They all had a zest for life, and a longing to live life to the full. These survivors in my mind were lights shining in the darkness, reminding us that the darkness will not put out the light, but rather the light will overcome the darkness.

In Christ, we have the light of the world. Today is known as Candlemas or the presentation of Jesus at the temple. Light and candles feature in this celebration, indeed they are central to it. The candles symbolise Jesus as the light of the world, and they symbolise the bringing of spiritual light into our lives and homes.

The story of Candlemas, or the presentation of Jesus in the temple is told by St Luke. He tells it in a way that’s typical of the gospel that bears his name. Figures who might seem marginal or strange are brought into the centre, brought into the light. Simeon and Anna, both obscure, Anna very old and coming to the end of her life, Simeon ready to depart, are centre-stage, naming and interpreting events.

Then there are ‘the Gentiles’, to whom this child has come to ‘be a light’. The gentiles, those who don’t belong within the people of God, being drawn into the light because of what’s happening in the world because of this child.

And not least, there’s this apparently unremarkable family entering the temple without fanfare, bringing a pair of doves, the bare minimum, as their offering. With this child – who’s suddenly seen and said to be everything: we have the fulfilment of faith and the hope of God’s redemption.

Simeon has been waiting for this moment his whole life long. In a painting by Rembrandt, Simeon is in the temple holding the Christ child. It was the last painting Rembrandt produced, towards the end of his own life, and it is unfinished. Rembrandt paints Simeon as though he were blind. His eyes are lidded, closed. ‘Mine eyes have seen thy salvation’, Simeon declares. Rembrandt paints him sightless. So, might this ‘bringing into the light’ involve a different kind of seeing?

What kind of seeing is meant? If we think about it how in a temple full of young couples and babies could Simeon identify the Christ-child? I think his seeing was a divine seeing, that he saw with the eyes of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guided Simeon to the right child at the right time. This would have been quite a moment for Simeon and for the prophetess Anna.

In this small baby, the child of a poor working- class couple, Simeon and Anna saw God at work. The first thing that strikes me about this story is how these two saw God at work in such an unlikely bundle. And that’s a hope I have – for you and for me: to have the eyes and faith that Simeon and Anna had – to have the eyes and faith to recognise God at work in unlikely people and places; in the small and seemingly insignificant things; to see God working in the world around us and having the faith to proclaim it.

This ability to see and discern was for Simeon a life’s time work. Simeon waited his entire life in anticipation of the coming Messiah. His wait was in Jerusalem, which was the political and religious centre of Israel, where all the action took place. There was nothing special about Simeon that qualified him to take up the Christ child in his arms and bless Him. To our knowledge he was not an ordained religious leader, and he had no credentials or special authority. He was simply a “just and devout” man who had a close walk with God, a layman in today’s terms. Simeon’s name means “God hears,” and he is an example of how God honours those who engage in quiet prayer and constant watchfulness.

Simeon’s watchfulness and longing was echoed in the heart of every Jew. They longed for the coming of the Messiah who would bring peace and comfort to the people of Israel. Simeon was waiting for the Consolation of Israel. His waiting and watching were not solitary. He was working with God’s Holy spirit. We are told that the Holy Spirit was upon him. This is significant because at this time in God’s history, not all believers had the Holy Spirit upon them. The Holy Spirit could come upon a person for a while and then could leave later. Prior to Pentecost not all believers had the Holy Spirit. He only came upon a few, and sometimes, only for a short while.

Simeon, however, was one of those privileged saints prior to Pentecost who had the Holy Spirit. Simeon was sensitive and intuitive to the Spirit’s leading. How else would he have known that this child in the temple amongst so many was the Christ child? Having God’s Holy Spirit in those days meant that Simeon was specially chosen by God to do a specific task for God. There is a clue to this task in Luke verse 26 – it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord Jesus Christ. His task was not only waiting, watching and working with God’s Holy Spirit but it was a task of witnessing the arrival of the world’s Saviour.

Simeon had been told by God that he would not die until Jesus Christ came. This is quite a promise of God to Simeon! We don’t know exactly how old Simeon was here, but tradition says he was 113 years old, but that is only tradition. So, Simeon had been waiting for God for much of his life, and he knows that he will see Christ before he dies. The question though is, why would God tell Simeon this? Why did God think it was important that someone be there to see Jesus Christ? Why is it so important for Simeon to spend his whole life waiting, just to see the Messiah? That’s incredible, but what’s the point?

The point is found in Deuteronomy where we read there that on the evidence of two or three witnesses shall a matter be confirmed. Simeon was one of three witnesses that God used to confirm that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, had come to Israel in the flesh. The shepherds were the first, Simeon is the second, and Anna is the third. Simeon needs to do his witnessing. Witnesses speak what they have seen and heard, and Simeon needs to speak. So, this is what he does in the temple. The wait and watching is over and the work and witness begin. God has called upon Simeon to speak, and Simeon, though he has been on the sidelines for so long, steps forward to be a witness. His witnessing is about two things. Firstly, he thanks God for sending the Messiah and secondly, he blesses the Holy Family.

Simeon speaks of salvation that has been “prepared before the face of all peoples and is a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles. Simeon understood that Jesus came to be a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the Gentiles, and to reveal himself to the Gentiles.

Simeon’ heart is full of wonder at the sight of this child. He moves from watching and waiting, from working with God’s Spirit and witnessing to wonder. What a moment it must have been to hold the Christ child in your arms-this Christ child that you have waited for your whole life to see! What a privilege and honour! His heart is bursting with wonder, praise and thanksgiving. Then he moves from wonder to a word of warning. This warning comes in the prophetic voice. “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.” This warning hints at the power of this child to change the world forever. Something that Simeon longs for and welcomes.

What can we learn from the life of Simeon? Simeon and Anna would be considered elderly by today’s standards, and yet neither one of them thought that being old meant that God was done with them. Sometimes, in our modern culture, those of us who are younger seem to think that those who are older have nothing to teach us, and sometimes, those of us who are older, believe it. Even in the church, there are hundreds of things that can be done by those who are older that younger people cannot and are not able to do.

Like Simeon we are to be devout and just, trusting in God and in his promises. We are called to wait and watch, to work with the Holy Spirit. We are called to be ready to witness to others about Jesus and to wonder in awe and thanksgiving at Jesus’ great love and compassion for us. We are to warn others of the foolishness of the ways of the world and the futility of the world’s values. We are to help people find Christ, the true light of the world. Amen

THE CREED

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one substance with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son,
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

PRAYERS

Lord of hosts,
we praise your holy name.

Lord, your faithful servants, Simeon and Anna,
watched in hope for the fulfilment of your promises.
Give to the church the same patience and trust.
Give voice to your people,
to praise and speak of your redemption.