In the Name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord and Savior sanctify you in the truth, for His word is truth. Amen

The First Sunday after Christmas (2012)

The Christ Child Comes to His Temple Rev. Toby Byrd

Luke 2:22-40 (ESV)

And 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

[23] (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") [24] and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." [25] Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. [26] And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. [27] And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, [28] he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

[29] "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,

according to your word;

[30] for my eyes have seen your salvation

[31] that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

[32] a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory to your people Israel."

[33] And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. [34] And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed

[35] (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."

[36] And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, [37] and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. [38] And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

[39] And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. [40] And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

Christmas is over and we give a sigh of relief that our hectic struggle to get gifts for everyone who are on our list is over, at least for another year. Moreover, we sit back and ponder the gifts we received and give thanks for all who cared enough to remember us at Christmas. All of the gifts were nice, but some of them didn’t last long because they were meant to be eaten as soon as possible. Others, though, last much longer and they can be used over and over again. One might conclude that the longer lasting gifts might be appreciated more, but how can one put a value on a gift of love. The true worth of the gift is the gift itself.

Friendship is such a gift. The friends God gives us are not always recognized at once for what they are or for what they mean to us. According to God’s will, some friends are but brief acquaintances, while others are long lasting. Regardless though of the time we spend together, we give thanks for those happy hours, we give thanks for the sound advice they give us, and we give thanks for the loving concern they show for us.

Moreover, what shall we say of the gift of a husband or wife? To be sure, this is a gift God intends to be long lasting. A loving partner for life means more than anyone can possibly imagine. No person on their wedding day can fully appreciate how much it means to a Christian couple to have someone, for the rest of their lives, to share their joys as well as their sorrows. A gift of this nature is without value on earth.

Now, if it is true that we do not fully appreciate earthly gifts at once, it is even more so with heavenly gifts, especially the greatest of all gifts; the Gift of God’s one and only-begotten Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Receiving the gift of the Christ Child means more to us than we could ever imagine. Even if we were to reach the age of a Simeon or Anna before we become recipients of the gift of God’s Son, we would still have plenty to learn regarding the true value of this gift. In fact, the more we learn about the Christ Child, the more we appreciate the Gift and come to love Him and adore Him beyond our wildest imagination. However, our text shows that Simeon had learned to love God’s Gift without having ever having seen the Christ Child, thus when The Christ Child Came to His Temple, Simeon knew instantly he was to receive the Gift he had had long awaited.

What a marvelous day this was! It was an important day for the people of God when the Christ Child was brought to the Temple at Jerusalem. For fifteen hundred years all of the Temple service had pointed only to Him. The temple lights, the morning and evening sacrifices, the burnt offerings and sin offerings, the services of the priests, their sacrificial robes, and the appointments of the house of God all had their symbolical meaning foreshadowing the coming of the Christ Child. The laws governing all these services had been established long before the first Temple was ever built because they were observed in connection with the services at the Tabernacle which Moses built for the Children of Israel in the wilderness. These services were carried over into the Temple which Solomon erected to the glory of God; they were begun again after the seventy-year captivity in a much smaller Temple that was built in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah; and they continued unchanged in the Temple of Herod, which was still under construction in the days of our Lord. So for fifteen hundred years all of the services and sacrifices of the Tabernacle and three different Temples pointed to the coming of the Messiah.

Now, at last, the Messiah had come. This is the message of Christmas; the Lord had come to His own. When He was but a few weeks old, Joseph and Mary brought Him into the house of God, into the Temple which He could truly call His own.

However, Jesus was not brought to the Temple to take possession of it. Nor did the priests and Levites see any significance in His coming. There was no formal reception given to Him. Furthermore, there was no change in the service of the day. Think of it: Jesus, whose birth was proclaimed by the multitude of the heavenly hosts, was brought to the Temple, which was to point to His coming and yet the priests and Levites did not recognize Him.

But this should not amaze us, for on that day Jesus did not come as the Lord of the Temple; instead He came as one subject to its laws. St. Luke reminds us that He had to be presented to the Lord, “as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord” (v. 23). The Law made it necessary that the first-born son should be bought back from the Lord, the price being definitely fixed by the Law. In this and in the circumcision, performed a few weeks earlier, Jesus was declared to be a true Israelite, born under the Law. In Him the whole Ceremonial or Church Law of the Jewish religion was to find an obedient servant. Moreover, He would meet each and every requirement.

Mary also brought with her the sin and burnt offerings for her purifications, because having given birth, even to her holy Son, she had become ceremonially unclean. Being poor, she could not bring a lamb as a burnt offering; therefore, she brought the lesser gift of a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons and then she was permitted to enter the court of the women and see her sacrifice offered by the priests in the Temple court above (Lev. 12:1-8).

All of this may seem very strange to us who live in New Testament times. However, it was not at all strange to the Jews. They were well acquainted with these laws of the church, which had for fifteen hundred years regulated the life of their fathers. They took them as a matter of course, though often they were weighed down so many ordinances.

When Jesus appeared and began to perfectly fulfill the requirements of the Law, the dawn of a new day had come. It was the beginning of the end of the ceremonial law. These ordinances were given to point to Him; therefore, in Him, they found fulfillment. The Jews who came to faith in Christ could appreciate more than we can what it meant that Christ was the end of all the ceremonial laws, because they had lived under these laws. They had been in bondage. Think of the reasons they had to rejoice in the glorious liberty as the children of God through faith in Christ! However, let us not forget, the Lord also wants us to appreciate this liberty. Therefore, He has preserved the books of Moses as a portion of His holy Word. By reading them we can get some idea of what it means that the Jewish church laws are no longer binding today. Our study of these laws will help us to appreciate even more the freedom which Jesus has earned for us.

Preceding the Gospel Reading for today, St. Luke reminds us that our Lord was circumcised and named according to the Law and therefore, He was placed under the Law, to live by the Law. Moreover, the Gospel Reading for today, pointing us to His redemption as a firstborn son, also reminds us that our Lord was under the Law and what’s more, He was destined to take our place there. Therefore, He, as the Lord of the Temple, came not to receive the sacrifices of men, but to bring sacrifices and finally to offer Himself as the supreme sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Reminded of this truth, may the Holy Spirit refresh your memory as to how greatly our Lord humbled Himself when He became a servant of the Law for you and for me.

At last the great day arrives and Joseph and Mary bring the Christ Child to the Temple at Jerusalem! In His divine nature He is not a servant of the Law, fulfilling its every demand. He is not placed into a group with all other sons of men and called upon to meet the same requirements. Rather, He comes as the only-begotten Son of God, the Son of the Most High with kindness and goodness, and healing in His heart. He comes as a willing sacrificial Lamb to take away the sins of the world and; therefore, Simeon is not afraid to take Him into His arms. Neither should we be afraid to receive Him when He comes to us.

As our Savior, He comes to us and His desire is to come to all mankind. He comes to the temple of our hearts and He brings with Him the gifts of the Holy Gospel: peace and joy; light and glory; of these Simeon speaks in his song of praise.

Simeon gives praise to God, saying, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word” (v. 29). How definitely that word “peace” fits into the picture of Christ’s coming into our hearts. Where He appears with His salvation, there can be no thought of enmity and warfare. The prophet Isaiah, being moved by the Holy Spirit, anticipated His coming, and said, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins” (Isaiah 40:1-2 ESV).

Oh, if the world only knew this; that as the Christ Child came into the world in meekness and love, so He is still coming to the hearts of men. He is not a tyrant, demanding payment for sins. No! On the contrary, He came to take away our sins. He removed the barrier between man and God. Therefore, like Simeon, the Holy Spirit implores you to take the Christ Child into your arms and receive Him into your hearts; assured of the peace you have with God. Then your joy will be the same as that known by Simeon.

However, Simeon only saw the Christ Child as a tiny Babe. What Christ would do later in life he knew only in part; He tells Mary, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed” (vv.34-35).

Now if he rejoiced so greatly, knowing this about the Christ, how much greater can be our joy! We have been privileged to follow Him through life. We have seen Him cleansing lepers, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead, and preaching the Gospel to the poor. More than that, we have seen Him pouring out His lifeblood on the Altar of the Cross for the sins of the world. We have seen Him as the resurrected Lord, showing His disciples His hands and feet and side, visible evidence of His victory over death and the grave. We were there when He ascended into heaven; His arms extended in blessing. Therefore, what great cause we have to rejoice at His coming into our hearts with all His gifts and blessings!

It is no small thing to know that where He is, there is light and truth. Simeon glories in the truth that Jesus is “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” (v. 32), a light that turns men’s darkness into day. Where He has entered the hearts of men, there need be no doubts or misgivings, no fears of the past, no questions about the future, because the Savior brings peace with God through the forgiveness He has won and offers to all sinners. By His Word He answers all questions, solves all problems, and leads all into the truth.

We do not know just how much Simeon saw by revelation of the Spirit who led him to the Christ Child. However, he had reason to speak of the Savior as the Glory of His people Israel. Moreover, we have every reason to say of Him that He is the Glory of all Christendom. Let us glorify in the fact that He has chosen us to be His temple. Then the joy of our Christmas will continue; its peace will fill our hearts; and we shall grow in the knowledge of what the Christ Child has done for us, so that with Simeon and Anna, with the shepherds and the Wise Men, with Mary and Joseph, and with all true believers we shall praise His holy name, forever and ever. Amen.

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.