A Time of Confirmation – December 31, 2023
Isaiah 11:1-9, Luke 2:22-38
December 31, 2023
I’ve been following a History Channel series on the life of Jesus. Maybe you’ve seen it. Over the years, I’ve found their programs to be very well done. And I’ve appreciated this series for the same reason you’ve heard me talk about when looking at scripture – especially the Gospels.
That is, I like to have us think about what was happening in the lives of the people involved, from their perspective. In other words, I like us to think about their lives without thinking about what we already know about them. And that’s not easy! But this series has helped me do that.
The program I saw recently was about the Holy couple, Mary and Joseph. And it was interesting because I had already been talking about them during Advent. (You can re-read those sermons from December 10th and 17th on our website.) As I said, their place in history is very unique, and it’s good to try to put ourselves in their shoes! (Their sandals!) What were they thinking when they were given the news about what was about to happen to them?
Think about that. Mary was told she would have a child. Joseph was told his fiancé was “expecting.” And the “docudrama” I was watching emphasized – as I said to you – that there would have been social repercussions about that, especially in a very small town where everybody knew everybody. But it was more serious than I said that day. It was said on that show, that, if this was perceived as adultery, that was a crime that was punishable by death! So that whole business of Joseph “resolving to divorce her quietly” took on greater meaning for me. How “quiet” was he about this?
By the way, I just used the word “docudrama.” And that word that was actually accepted in my computer dictionary! I didn’t get a spelling error! And just for fun I hit the Thesaurus button, and it gave me the word, “Infotainment!” That’s another fun word! (But, I digress…)
As I said about Joseph, it may indeed have been the case that Mary told him about her “condition,” and he didn’t believe her. And it was probably very upsetting to him! I think it would have been for any of us! They may even have had “words!” (The program filled a little of that in.) And that may give new meaning to that whole idea that “Joseph’s words were never recorded!” Maybe there were harsh words! Remember also, that for good or for bad, this was a patriarchal society, and women did not have the same status as men.
So yes, Joseph then had a visitation from an angel. And by the way, none of the depictions of these events in the program matched the mental images I’ve had for years! But, the way they portrayed it, the results of the visitation did match my feelings about what this all must have been like for Joseph. The angel assured him that what he was learning about Mary was indeed true, that he was part of something big – something world-changing – and that he should not be “afraid” to take Mary as his wife.
So, the feelings of Joseph – and Mary, for that matter – have made more sense to me this year. I feel like I’ve understood their perspective a little better. And I hope you have, too! Because they do hold a unique place in all of history! And the Bible doesn’t always fill in all the details for us. As I’ve said before, we often read it in our “Bible voice,” and we don’t always think about what it was like for the people in these stories.
Well, our story for today is an interesting addition to the story of Mary and Joseph. Because, if you think about it, the Bible really doesn’t say much about the community’s reaction to this whole thing. Who knew about Mary’s situation? Was Joseph successful in “keeping it quiet?” Or did they know what was happening, and think Joseph to be a noble man for taking Mary as his wife, anyway? We really don’t know these things and we can only speculate.
What we do know is that something special happened in the Temple that day. That’s our story for today. And I see this as “a time of confirmation.” More specifically, it was a time of public confirmation, although I’m sure it was a further confirmation for Mary and Joseph, too. But now, there was confirmation for others that there was something very important of this child!
Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple, as part of the ritual of the time, and they met this man Simeon. And Simeon, Luke tells us, had been told by God that he would live to see the Messiah. And when Jesus was brought into the Temple, Simeon took him in his arms, and said these amazing things about him.
“Lord,” he said, “Now lettest thou they servant depart in peace… for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples!” (And of course he spoke in King James English!) And again, his words were a confirmation for Mary and Joseph, for sure! But imagine what all of those people were thinking when they heard that. Especially the next part where he went on to say, “…Thy salvation prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for thy people Israel.”
Again, those were amazing words. But think about how difficult that whole “light to the Gentiles” thing would have been for them! And keep in mind that it’s clear in the Old Testament that that’s what God’s plan was for them! Simeon was quoting from Isaiah. “I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6) They weren’t crazy about those passages! But that’s what they were supposed to have been doing all along as “the chosen people!” That’s why God chose them! He chose them so they could reach the world with his message – with his light. But instead they had made their faith very exclusive. and they had looked down on the other nations!
So here was a time of confirmation for the people in this story. And again, from their perspective, they needed this! Many years would go by before this would come to light. But I wonder about the people who were there that day. Would they have told others what they heard? Would the word about this child have spread? And would they remember this years later when this Jesus started to become famous? And in the meantime, would they treat this boy any differently? Or did the Mary and Joseph simply go back to Nazareth and say nothing to anyone there about the angels, the shepherds, or the prophets in the Temple. (That doesn’t seem likely, because it was a small town, and everybody knew everybody!)
It’s hard to know for sure about those things. But what we can know is that we need that confirmation, too! Don’t we? We need to remember again, who this child was, and what he represented. That’s one of the reasons we celebrate these events year after year. And I ask you, are we not also confirmed in the same way those people were? They were chosen to bring the light and salvation of God to the ends of the earth. Are we not chosen – called by God – for the same reason?
That doesn’t mean necessarily that we do what Jesus did. But it does mean we do our best to live as Jesus lived, and to love as Jesus loved. It means we are to be the light of the world as Jesus said he was, and as he called us to be! And when he did so, when he said, “You are the light of the world,” I wonder if he had Isaiah 49 in mind! “I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” As an old mentor of mine once said, Jesus was always quoting scripture.
So imagine being in the Temple that day. Here, this relatively unknown couple brings their newborn son in to present him to the Lord, as their scripture required – as any parents would do. But then you hear some amazing things that were said about him. What would you think?
Prayer
Eternal God, we thank you for the story of Jesus. We thank you for the way he came into the world and into people’s lives, and into our lives. Help us to live as he called us to live. Help us to be his light to our world, to your glory and praise! For we pray in his name, and for the sake of his kingdom in our midst, Amen.