Revd Mark Bonney
Very
little is ever black and white. There are always tensions, checks and balances
– joys and sorrows. Certainties and uncertainties – some of those things can
make it extremely nerve-wracking trying to discern what is the right course of
action, as is the case with all that’s happening in the Middle East. At other
times those contrasts and opposites are vital in providing dynamism and energy.
Today’s
feast of Candlemas is a bundle of contrasts and opposites that are a vital part
of the Christian faith. Today is 40 days since Christmas and we now dismantle
the crib – the joy of celebrating Christ’s birth has that touch of
bitterness as with the prophecy of Simeon we are turned towards Lent and the
Passion.
Candlemas
holds before us the stark contrast of a language of salvation and glory that is
also a language of rejection and pain. Luke is not relaying a historical event
in a simple straightforward way, there are many other layers of meaning – and
not a few historical difficulties in the text. He needs to get the family from
Bethlehem to Jerusalem – Matthew had done that with the slaughter of the
Innocents and the flight into Egypt and the return later. Luke gets the family
back by introducing the motifs of purification and presentation – but he
appears to be confused about two different religious customs. The first was that
of the purification of the mother at the Temple after the birth of a child at
which she offered two young pigeons or doves. The second was that of the
presentation of the first male child to the Lord and paying the sanctuary a sum
of five shekels to get him back. I don’t want to get bogged down with these
– because what the gospel is about here is with elements beyond the simply
historical (if historians would excuse such a crude statement!).
We
might reflect briefly on the fact that the sacrifice of two turtle doves or two
pigeons was the sacrifice of the poor. Mary the mother of our Lord – Mary the
God bearer as ancient tradition calls her is also mother of the Poor: there’s
a bias in the gospel towards the poor in spite of some who from time to time
have tried to say that because Joseph was a carpenter and had a trade he must
have been somehow middle class.
The
sacrifice for those who were not poor was a Lamb – interestingly in some
medieval paintings of this scene Mary wears priestly robes to indicate in some
way that in her presentation of Christ she was performing a priestly function
– “O Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.”
In
the presentation of this child a Lamb was present – a Lamb found in poverty
and helplessness – the gift of the rich is there – the Lamb of God for us
all.
It
is this gift of a Lamb – the best gift of God in the midst of poverty hat
Simeon and Anna both recognise. No doubt they are representative characters –
certainly representative of the pious hopeful ones in Israel, but representative
too of many who faithfully, quietly and over many many years follow the Lord –
maintain their desire for God and their pattern of praying.
The
dear 84 year old Anna and the special word she was able to speak reminds us
forcibly of the special place of the faithful elderly. There’s much to cherish
in the long years of patient prayer and struggle that someone like Anna
represents.
The
two most important theological elements which provide a balance and contrast are
the utterances of Simeon – the Nunc Dimittis and the brief words to Mary about
a sword piercing her heart.
The
Nunc Dimittis, which the choir will sing later is almost a pastiche of
passages from Isaiah about salvation and Israel’s glory and the light
to the Gentiles. Salvations is for ALL –Matthew introduced the Gentiles via
the Magi – Luke does it through these words of Simeon – we have glorious
picture of the universality of God’s love – BUT – there’s always a BUT
– there’s another side to it all as Simeon says to Mary “this child is
destined for the rise and fall of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be
opposed…. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
This
clearly looks to the Passion and crucifixion of Christ –
– although, of course, from the author’s point of view this rejection
is no longer future – it’s past and probably also present– he knows what
has happened over the previous 40 years or so since Jesus died , the gospel
isn’t an eye-witness account it was written some 70 years after Jesus was
born!
The
really curious line is about the sword piercing Mary’s heart. Pious devotion
has seen the sword piercing Mary’s heart as she stood at the foot of the cross
and saw her son die – the problem with that interpretation is that the picture
of Mary at the foot of the cross is from John’s gospel, not written at the
time of Luke. So we need to think more around it. The most challenging statement
to Mary in Luke’s gospel itself is where Jesus talks about his true family
being those who do the will of God – he doesn’t come to bring peace, but
will set son against father, mother against daughter. The demand of the gospel
is placed upon everyone – Mary included – but in Luke’s view Mary has
emerged successfully, not because she’s Jesus’ mother – but because she
did the will of God. Mary has no special status as Jesus’ mother – her
greatness comes because she believed the word of the Lord and obeyed his will.
And that remains the challenge for all of us – rich, poor, high or low – matters not a jot or tittle in the kingdom of God – it’s doing the will of God. And it’s not always easy discerning that – I’m absolutely terrified when someone like George Bush stands up and claims God for what he’s thinking of doing – one despot against another I begin to fear. The sword that Jesus brought of which I just spoke wasn’t a literal one – but one that cuts to the heart and challenges the deepest assumptions – perhaps even challenging the rights of the USA and the UK to be the world’s policemen
There
are many angles to this Candlemas story – a light proclaimed to all people, a
glorious vision of God yearning for all people to be his – yet the walking of
that way can mean the heart being pierced.
– in a moment we will receive the bread of life and drink the cup of
salvation – sheer bliss, but the call is also to go out and bear fruit to the
glory of the one and only living God – Father Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.