Sermon for Candlemas: Merry Christmas!

Sermon. St Michael and All Angels. 1 February 2015.

Candlemas

Malachi 3.1-4; Luke 2.22-40

Good to be back, and back from Mallorca. I saw the Three Kings! Those of you who were at the carol service may remember what I said, about how, throughout Spain, on Twelfth Night, men dress up as the Three Kings, go in procession to church, present a Christ-child figure gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, and then give presents to the children of the town or village. And about how (my favourite bit), as they process, the Kings scatter sweeties at all and sundry. 

I am am not just saying what I did in my holidays. I am trying to draw together all that this church has been through since that carol service, from Christmas Day to New Year and the Naming and Circumcision of Jesus, through Epiphany and the Three Kings, the Baptism of the Lord to today. In a sense, it’s all one Feast - which is why we stay in white or gold. So, one name for today might actually be: the Last Day of Christmas. Merry Christmas, anybody?

That may be pushing it. And any way, today already has quite a few names. The traditional popular one is Candlemas, which is interesting. Where are the candles in today’s readings? If anywhere, it is in Simeon’s words that the Christ child is to be a Light to lighten the nations. (I wondered if some prophetic soul might pick out the refiner’s fire in the first reading - but if your candles are a refining fire, something has gone wrong.) In any event,  there grew up a custom of blessing beeswax candles on this day, which people would then take to their homes. It might be because of Simeon's words. Or it might just be because we need cheering up. After all, if you think about it, this is actually midwinter now. 

Another possible name for today is the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Doesn’t sound attractive does it? Mary as dirty? Or morally impure? Or displeasing to Gd because she’d done something as physical, as carnal, as giving birth? What to make of this? Well, the first thing to say is that the title is not wrong. The story is about the “Purification” of Mary in some sense. In the Teachings of Moses, a women who gives birth has to seek "purification". It is this purification of Mary - not, incidentally, of Joseph or Jesus - that the gospel refers to, when it refers to the fortieth day, and the offering of turtledoves and pigeons. 

But the second and more important thing to say is that this "purity" is not about the removal of dirt, nor has it anything to do with moral impurity. As I’ve said before - and may just say again - this ritual purity is really about ritual fitness, being fit to work as a symbol in the Temple. And there is a school of thought that says this: the symbolism of the Temple is all about Life (I haven't got time to explain why). And a woman who has given birth is not fit to symbolise life in any sense, because she’s been the reality. She has brought real-life life into the world. So she’s too close to the reality to be a good symbol. It would be, if you like, like turning from lovely beeswax candles and looking directly at the sun. I am not saying that school of thought is right. But it works as a good corrective to other ideas about what ritual purity is. 

The other, more modern and proper name for today is the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple. This is indeed the more natural reading of today’s gospel in Luke: the point is that Mary and Joseph take Jesus to the Temple. The problem with this is that nowhere in the Hebrew Bible nor in later Jewish tradition is there any command to bring a newborn to the Temple. The Bible (in Exodus) does say that the firstborn male is consecrated to Gd, but doesn’t tie that up with a particular command. And later (in Numbers) there is the idea that the Levites take over the priestly role of the firstborn. So the parents of a non-Levite firstborn male give a Levite some money, to acknowledge that, thanks to the Levites, their boy has been released from duty, as it were. It’s called the redemption of the firstborn. But it can happen anywhere, doesn’t happen on the fortieth day, and isn't tied up with a sacrifice. So, why on earth did Mary and Joseph feel a need to ‘present’ Jesus in the Temple? Confusing. 

However, there is another name for today’s Feast. It comes from the East, from Orthodoxy. It is: the Meeting. And isn’t this how we can make sense of it? There are two layers of meeting. First, the Temple itself is a Meeting Place, the Meeting Place. It is a place where people met each other, yes. And it is also a place where you meet with the Presence of Gd. Christians sometimes think that Jesus and his followers were wholly against the Temple. But that’s not true. And it certainly isn’t true for how Luke tells the story. Notice how Luke wants to show how faithful, how Jewish, how faithfully Jewish everybody is being in this story. Even if he gets the details wrong, his intention is clear: 

‘When the time came, according to the Law of Moses, they went to Jerusalem… as it is written in the Law of the Lord… and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the Law of the Lord… And when they had finished everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee.’ The Law of the Lord. It’s quite a striking expression. No criticism of the Law, of the Temple, of priests, or of ritual here. Quite the reverse. So Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple which truly is the Place of the Meeting with the Presence of Gd. 

But of course, this is also the meeting of the Holy Family with Simeon and Anna.

‘Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the Temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, he took him in his arms and praised God, and said… "a light for revelation to the gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."’

Much could be said about what Simeon said. And wouldn’t it be lovely to know what words Anna said? But, I’m afraid we better face up to the fact that once again it’s the man in the story who has the speaking part. 

But… just this… can you see how this really is another Christmas story?

‘Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the Temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, he took him in his arms and praised God, and said… a light (like a star) for revelation to the gentiles (like wise men) and for glory (that angels sing of) to your people Israel (including its shepherds).’

So, the story is complicated and confusing in some ways, and maybe I've made it yet more complicated. But it's very simple and inviting too. It’s about a meeting. And we meet, and we are or we can be each person in this story.

We can make the obedient journey to the place of the Presence of God. 

We can be guided by the Spirit, if only by not resisting the promptings we have. 

We can take Jesus to ourselves. 

We can praise. 

We can look for the light and glory. 

'a light (like a star) for revelation to the gentiles (like wise men) and for glory (that angels sing of) to your people Israel (and its shepherds).’

Sermon for Epiphany

Sermon. St Christopher’s Walworth. 6 January 2013

Feast of the Epiphany

I’d like to start by wishing you a Merry Christmas. That probably sounds wrong. In the world out there, Christmas ends, oh, at the latest after teatime on Boxing Day. If you’re old-fashioned, or like Christmas songs, or know about the Church’s own calendar, you might still have a strong sense of the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’. But even they ended last night. Today we move on... to... Epiphany. But all of that said, Epiphany is for us the coming of the Magi or the Wise Men or the Kings to the child Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, which sounds quite Christmassy still. So it might well be said that in Church, now we are in the season of Epiphany, we are really in the second bit of Christmas-tide. So I am right to wish you a Merry Christmas, even now. After all, we are still in gold, as we were for Christmas Day itself.

Merry Christmas/happy Epiphany. Throughout the world, there may be as many different ways of celebrating Epiphany as there are of marking Christmas itself. If, in the country you come from/know about, there are particular customs, I’d love to hear about them after the service. What I’d like to do here and now is say just a little about how today is marked in three different countries. They happen all to be in Europe; perhaps you’ll forgive me that.

First, let’s go to Greece, and the Greek Orthodox Church. The Feast of 6 January there, and throughout the Eastern Orthodox world, actually has a different name. It’s Theophany rather than Epiphany. But that’s the least of it! It’s not just about a different name. It is actually marking a different event altogether. You see, in the Greek Church, they mark not only the coming of the shepherds, but also the coming of the magi (wise men) on Christmas Day. So today is about celebrating another event in Jesus’ life. Any ideas what? It’s actually all about the Baptism of our Lord in the River Jordan (which we in the West will mark next week, by the way). So in Greece, they celebrate today what happened when John the Baptist baptised Jesus. And what happened was more – so much more – than a rite of passage for a young man, or even an act of commitment by a very devout person. What happened was – is – nothing less than the Shining Forth of God in history. The Shining Forth of God is a good translation actually of both the names, Epiphany and Theophany. For the Greeks, the Shining Forth of God happens precisely, or supremely, at the Baptism of our Lord because that is when the Holy Trinity is revealed in history. Think about it.

•         The Father speaks to or directs attention to
•         the Son, and sends
•         the Spirit upon him.

It is an encounter with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - the first time all three are named as such. A Shining Forth indeed.

In the worship in the Greek Church, this is a cause of great rejoicing. The words of the service speak about the whole of nature being surprised - or bewildered or ecstatic - that such a wonderful event has happened. It is as if not only John the Baptist, but the earth and the waters themselves cry out: ‘How can this be? Surely it’s impossible that you, the Son of God, Creator of us all, now enter the world and even seek to be baptised as if a sinful human being? How mysterious! How glorious! How typical of God – God who is forever confounding all our expectations!’

And then, at the end of what will doubtless be a very long service, there is a long prayer chanted over the waters which stand ready. [Water is poured.] For, yes, Jesus was baptised only once, in only one river, the river Jordan. But!  In those waters, then, the Holy Trinity was revealed. And the Holy Trinity is outside of time. So the Holy Trinity, because of what happened there, can also be as present in these waters here. So a long, long prayer is chanted over the water, and the water can then be taken, drunk, used to symbolically wash, or to sprinkle and bless our houses. And the prayer is so long, not because we need to work ourselves up, nor because we need to work at getting God’s attention. But because we have so much to relish. 

Here’s but a small part of the prayer: 

‘All creation sings praises unto you, who revealed yourself; for you, our God, did manifest yourself upon earth, and dwelt among humankind. You made holy the streams of Jordan, in that you sent down from heaven your Holy Spirit, and crushed the heads of the serpents which lurked there. Wherefore do you, O King who loves humankind, come down now also through the descent of your Holy Spirit, and sanctify this water.’

***

Let’s move up from Greece, not too far, to a country like Croatia or Austria. Here we are in more familiar territory. We are back with the name Epiphany, and we are back thinking about the Three Kings. And here there is a tradition of blessing the chalk. [Chalk is shown.] Yes, chalk is blessed in church, and then distributed. And every member of the congregation can write over or by their door the year 20 – 13 and the letters C M B, with the cross of Christ in each gap. ‘20 + C + M + B + 13’ And as they do this, they pray a blessing upon all who live there, and all who cross the threshold. And why C M B? Well, two reasons. The traditional names for the wise men are Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. And, whoever they were, they were good at travelling through dangerous territory. So they can be good intercessors for us, as we think about our own safety and the security of those who travel to be our guests and visitors. But, something else too. The letters can be taken to stand for the Latin Christus Mansionem Benedicat, meaning Christ bless this house. Christ bless this house, throughout this new year. 

***

Like those wise men or kings, let us now make a journey to the West. Quite a way West, to Spain. Here we are still in Epiphany. Indeed, here you can have no doubt that you are thinking about the Three Kings, as you’ll see huge processions with, well, potentially all the biblical characters on floats, and so on. There’ll be noisy accompaniment, drums, trumpets, fireworks, but always ending with Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar themselves – real-live people dressed up in kings’ finery! They will go into the Church, pay homage to a baby – again, a real-live one, in all probability – representing the Christ child.

And then? Then they have a job of work to do! Then they go to all the houses which have children and give them their presents. Imagine! You get presents personally delivered by a King! Traditionally, the Feast of the Three Kings is the time the children get their big presents, more important, in that sense, than Christmas Day and Santa Claus. (The only complication I haven’t told you is that all of this actually happens the night before. It will have happened last night. But that’s often the way in the Church, as the Church day actually begins the evening before.)  And one detail which always moves me, those Kings, as they travel or process along, are not glum or troubled or aching. Rather, they are already celebrating, already partying. And as they go, they scatter sweeties right, left and centre. [Sweeties are scattered.]

I thought you’d enjoy that. Let me tell you, I’ve told that story and done the same in front of professors, and they too, like you, can’t stop themselves from scrambling for the self-same sweeties.

***

We’ve one final journey to make this morning. And that is of course back here, back to London. Here we are. 

• We can prayerfully imagine ourselves revelling in and relishing the gloriously long prayer over the waters of baptism, the waters of the revelation of the Holy Trinity (and event in time and beyond time)
• We can prayerfully imagine ourselves already taking the blessed chalk and blessing our own homes and guests in the spirit of Casper, Melchior and Balthasa
• And we can prayerfully imagine ourselves enjoying the party and the generosity of the Three Kings, as they share in the generosity of God who gives his Son to us.

In fact, I do want to say that I think all of these activities deep down share the same message. I’ve already called it the Shining Forth of God. But God’s Shining Forth here takes a particular form. It always comes in ways which are amazing, shocking even. And the amazing or shocking thing turns out to be that – you know what? – God is so much closer than we thought.

•    God reveals God’s nature not only in a distant river, centuries ago, but here and now, in these humble waters 
• God blesses us not only in one act in history, but in giving us a way of blessing even our own humble houses. Christ blesses my own little stub of chalk for my own little door
• God comes to us even in the giving – the reckless abandoning - of a little sweetie. Because God is close, and God is loving, with God it is always about a party.

Whether it is through Word and Sacrament, or things as humble as water, chalk and chocolate... what all of this means is that we (you and me!) are now (now!) as close to God in Christ as any human being has ever been, in the history of the world. If we can trust it. If we can receive it. 
 

A Happy Epiphany to you all! Amen.