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

First Sunday after Christmas (2009)

From Stable to Temple Rev. Toby Byrd

Luke 2:25-40 (ESV)

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.

During this past week, as we celebrated Christmas, part of what made our celebration so meaningful was that it was so easy to locate Jesus and with Him, God’s grace and salvation. On that most holy day of Christmas we knew exactly where to look. Our Savior was “away in a manger,” “in a lowly cradle,” “on Mary’s lap …. Sleeping” and “with the oxen standing by;” but what about after Christmas? Where do we look for Jesus when the angels have “went away… into heaven” (Luke 2:15), when the shepherds have “returned” to their fields (Luke 2:20), or when the holy Child of Bethlehem has left the stable and manger? After the magnificent glory of the Nativity, the days and weeks following Christmas can leave us somewhat disoriented, confused, even depressed. Where do we go then to find Jesus? Our text today would suggests that we should travel with Mary and Joseph on their post–Nativity journey “from the stable to temple.”

Joseph and Mary take their infant son, who is now forty-days old, to the Temple in Jerusalem to observe the requirement of the Law, which demands that every first-born male be consecrated to God. Whether Joseph and Mary had been to the temple before, I don’t know, but I’m certain they were awe-struck by its massive size and splendor.

This temple, built by Herod to emulate the splendor of Solomon’s temple, was a magnificent testimony to man’s artistic skills. Construction began around 20BC and the initial structure took 46 years to build. This portion was completed just prior to the beginning of our Lord’s ministry. However, with this temple there was always something to be added or changed and the actual completion of the temple took some eighty years. In fact, it had only been complete for about four years when the Roman army invaded Jerusalem and destroyed it in 70AD. Thus, the temple was constantly under construction or modification during the life of our Savior. This was one of the reason the Jews thought so little of our Lord’s statement when He told them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19 ESV).

Regardless though of its splendor, the temple was nothing more than a temporary structure. Grand and majestic according to human standards, it paled in comparison to this little infant who had just entered its hallowed halls. Carried into the structure where God and man meet, little did His parents realize that they held the true, permanent Temple of God in their arms! Moreover, we see that even now, as a 40-day old infant, Jesus had to be about His Father’s business.

Making their way through the temple grounds, Mary and Joseph encounter an aged man who is filled with the Holy Spirit. St. Luke’s says he is a, “righteous and devout” man who is, “waiting for the consolation of Israel” (v. 25). It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not depart this earth until he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Imagine his relief when he recognizes the infant in the arms of Mary as the very Christ he has been waiting on.

Aged Simeon lived by faith in the promise of the Spirit and he knew that the revelation of the Christ would be manifested in the temple. Thus, Simeon went to the temple daily to await his encounter. Simeon also knew that he was a part of the “old Covenant” and the One who was to come was bringing a “new Covenant” for God’s people. Thus, when he takes the Christ child into his arms, he is not just holding a little child, he is holding the revelation of God’s love and mercy, he is holding, next to his aging heart, the Incarnate Son of God whom all men will worship. His life is complete, he has beheld the promised Messiah, and he is ready to leave this world and be with all the saints in heaven.

The temple, the sanctuary of the Lord, is the center of worship in the Old as well as the New Covenant. God is indeed, omnipresent and resides at every altar. Moreover, our Lord Jesus promises to be among us and comes to us through bread and wine at each communion meal. Thus, it is essential, that like Simeon, we worship Him in spirit and truth at every opportunity. However, we know that he who despises public worship in God’s temple will look in vain for the Lord’s Anointed, because if you want to encounter Christ, there is no better place than in His Father’s house.

St. Luke tells us that Simeon wasn’t alone in the temple because a prophetess named Anna also resided in the temple night and day. She was a devout, obedient servant of the Lord and she could be found constantly in prayer, fasting, and worshipping God. The Holy Spirit reveals these two aged saints of Israel to us in miniature because they represent Israel at her best. Led by the Spirit, they were constantly at home in the temple, longing and hoping for the fulfillment of God’s promised Messiah. On this glorious day, God answered their prayer.

Here we are this morning, living in the days after Christmas. Some of us are relieved that the commercialism is over while others are sad that the days of celebration aren’t continuing. However, all of us who have been called to faith, like Simeon and Anna, know that we will find Jesus (and with Him, God’s perfect grace and salvation) “in His temple”—in our holy places of worship, our temporary temples where Christ, the permanent Temple, has deigned graciously to meet us through His holy Word and Sacraments.

The tinsel and the glitter and the beautifully wrapped gifts under the tree all serve to remind us of the perfect gift we received as children of faith. We received our Lord, Jesus Christ. Moreover, we know that we can find Him in His temple through His means of grace.

We find Him in His Word, which we read in our public worship services, as it is read in our homes, or which we carry in our hearts, our memory, our thoughts, and our prayers. Luther reminds us, “The temple is the habitation of God; hence it signifies all places where God is present. Thus it also signifies Holy Scripture wherein one finds God as in his proper place … the statements of the prophets take their places warmly next to Him, they take Him up in their arms and say with great joy: This is the man, of whom we have spoken. Now our words have come to their end with peace and joy. Moreover, right there they begin to give the most beautiful testimonies: how this Christ is the Savior, the light, the consolation and the glory of Israel—and everything else that Simeon is saying and preaching” (Luther’s Works 52:105).

We find our Lord Jesus through the means of grace; His saving Word—the Gospel and in His holy Sacraments; baptism and communion. Through confession and absolution, we are strengthened in our baptismal unity with Christ, and we are assured once again that “he that believes and is baptized shall be saved.” In the Lord’s Supper we find our Savior in a most concrete, specific, and intimate way. We find Him “incarnate” in bread and wine, and we partake of his very body and blood given and shed for us—for the forgiveness of all our sin. It is no coincidence that immediately after this sacred “meeting” we sing Simeon’s song; the Nunc Dimitis.

Moreover, in Christ we, just as Simeon, find “The consolation of Israel.” That is, we find God’s salvation full and free in the life, death, and resurrection of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. The aged Simeon proclaimed that our Lord was, “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (v. 32). He came for Jew and Gentile to set us free from slavery to Satan and the wages of sin. He came to restore our relationship with His heavenly Father by reconciling us to Him through His substitutionary death on the cross. Moreover, He accomplished all that He came to do. Through His life and ministry He proclaimed and performed the Gospel among the people climaxing His earthly existence by His resurrection from the dead. Truly, our eyes have seen our salvation.

Each and every time we participate in divine worship, we worship Christ in His Temple by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is through that power that we are able to embrace Him in our hearts as surely as Simeon did in his arms. The essence of true worship is that we joyfully receive what God so graciously gives. Thus, we gladly take the Christ Child into our arms today, embracing and holding fast to His precious promises of eternal life and forgiveness. The Holy Spirit has revealed this truth through St. Paul, who wrote, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7 ESV).

By the power of the Holy Spirit we are filled with faith to praise our Lord as did Simeon and Anna. Our Lord loves to hear our songs of praise, adoration, and thanksgiving in response to His gift of salvation in Christ. The Holy Spirit reminds us of this truth when He reveals through the psalmist, “I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed” (Psalm 71:22-23 ESV).

By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are led to pray to the Incarnate Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Imagine the countless, fervent prayers and pleadings which those two aged saints, Simeon and Anna, offered up over the years! So, too, we follow the urging of St. Paul to, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:16-18 ESV). We pray for ourselves; that our Lord would be merciful to the wretched and miserable sinners we are and we pray for our neighbor seeking their good welfare and safety. We pray also for the church, that she will remain faithful to our Lord and continue to proclaim the Gospel according the Will and Command of Christ.

Moreover, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are emboldened to speak of Christ to others. Luther reminds us that, “Anna did not only thank God, but she also spoke of him to all who were awaiting the redemption … Faith and knowledge of Christ cannot remain silent. Faith breaks forth and testifies in order to help others and to share its light, as Psalm 116[:10] says: ‘I have believed, and so I also speak.’”

Christmas for this year has come and gone and it will not be long now before the Christmas decorations are taken down and the beautiful Christmas carols fade away until the next Christmas season. However, as this sermon has tried to point out, their absence need not lead to confusion about where to look for God’s grace and presence. God is with us (Immanuel), incarnate in His Son, Jesus Christ, who is with us through His means of grace. He is here—as He has promised to be wherever two or three of His people gather in his name, and where His word of forgiveness and life is proclaimed. He is the true, permanent Temple bringing the light of His salvation to our temporary temples. The Spirit leads us to the temple, where we embrace the Messiah, praise Him, bring our needs before Him, and bear witness of Him to others.

Therefore, being filled with the Holy Spirit we are bold to confess with the psalmist: “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! (Psalm 84:1-2, 4, 10, 12 ESV).

Aged Simeon and Anna were blessed to see the Messiah in their lifetime, yet they are no more blessed than you. For you, too, are also blessed to see and hold the Messiah. No longer is He a little baby to be carried by His mother. Instead, now He comes to you of His own power each and every day in response to your prayer and worship. What a marvelous time to live and to know the Lord. What a marvelous time to be a blessed recipient of His great love and mercy. What a marvelous time to be the recipient of His forgiveness for our sins. Basking in this wonderful and marvelous truth of God’s Word, we are quick to respond, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word” (v. 29 KJV).

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