January 6, 2008

Facing Christmas

Facing the Future

Luke 2:21-38

Opening words: During the season of Advent I began a sermon series called Facing Christmas. We prepared for Jesus for the birth of Jesus by looking at various characters surrounding the nativity. We have looked at Zachariah, Joseph and Mary. On Christmas Eve Advent ended but the series continued. We looked at Jesus, himself. Last week, the First Sunday after Christmas, we looked at Magi. These various faces around the nativity are important because in their stories we have found our stories. While technology has changed our world, the human condition remains the same. Today, we end the series by looking at Anna. We find their story in the second chapter of Luke, verses twenty-one through thirty-eight. Let me call this message this morning Facing the Future.

Luke 2:21-38 ²¹On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.

²²When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"), ²⁴and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."

²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. ²⁷Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, ²⁸Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
²⁹"Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
³⁰For my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel."

³³The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, ³⁵so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."

³⁶There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. ³⁸Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

They tell me Thomas Jefferson is buried in Virginia His gravestone simply reads:

THOMAS JEFFERSON

April 13, 1743 - July 4, 1826
AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE
AUTHOR OF THE STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
AND FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA.

That is quite an impressive list but it is not everything that Jefferson did in his life. Consider the things that we omitted from the tombstone. He was the third President of the United States. As president he was responsible for the Louisiana Purchase from France. That single purchase covers nearly half of the continental United States. He was an Architect, Statesman, Inventor, Diplomat, would-be Bible editor, and Founding Father. His words have been quoted countless times, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” Let me state the obvious. Thomas Jefferson had a personal life but nothing about his personal life is mentioned on his tombstone. He lived his life to the fullest and made a difference in many ways. Yet his headstone only mentions three, the Declaration of Independence, The Statutes of Virginia for Religious Freedom and the founding of the University of Virginia. He considered or someone else considered them the highlights of his life!

What are the highlights of your life? If you only had three lines to summarize your life what would you mention? Would you mention your spouse? Would you mention your children or your grandchildren? What you mention your job or your social clubs? Would you mention your political party or the kind of car you drive? Would anyone here mention the balance of their checking account or the name of your dog? Would you mention your favorite team or your education level? What are the highlights of your life? If you only had three lines to summarize your life what would you say?

This morning would come across a woman who didn’t have three lines to summarize her life. Anna had three verses. However, those three verses are significant. Those three verses give us some details of her life. According to the text she was a daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher. She was married young and widowed early. It is safe to say she was childless and alone. She is just one more person in the world with broken promises. There was nothing special about her. I can’t prove this point, but the scripture tells us she stayed in the Temple day and night. Maybe Anna was in the Temple day and night because she had no where else to go. Maybe Anna was a homeless old crank who was had been discarded by Jewish society? She would have been long forgotten if not for an event at the Temple one day.

A young couple by the name of Mary and Joseph appear with their baby boy named Jesus. Jesus is eight days old. At eight days old the law said he must be circumcised and a sacrifice must be made. They are a poor couple so they make the smallest of sacrifices, two pigeons. Mary and Joseph knew it was to be a special day for them but they didn’t know it was to be a special day for the world. According to the text a man by the name of Simeon is present. He is full of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that directs him to the Temple and the Holy Spirit who identifies Jesus as the long awaited Christ. Maybe Anna was a busy body? The scripture says Anna overheard Simeon words and comprehends their meaning. Verse 38 says, “She gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” Did you hear what Anna said? This baby would lead to the redemption of Israel.

Do you know what redemption means? Redemption assumes that you start with something basically worthless. It has no value in and of itself. But it can be exchanged for something far more valuable. It has the potential to be something really useful. It can be used for bigger and better things. Usually we think of the redemption of our souls. Jesus exchanged his life for our lives. We are suddenly valuable because of what Jesus did for us! Jesus redeemed our souls.

It is also true that we can redeem time. On this first Sunday of a brand new year we are faced with an option. Are we going to waste this year or are we going to use it for the building of the kingdom. In other words, are we going to redeem it? Are we going to look back on our accomplishments in 2008 or is 2008 going to be nothing special? The fifth chapter of Ephesians says, “See that we walk carefully, not as fools, but as the wise redeeming the times, because the days are evil.” How much time have you lost in your life? How many people do you know who waste time?

Several years ago I was asked to officiate at a funeral. I didn’t know the gentleman. They did not have church or know a minister. As is my custom I met with the family the night before the service. They told me where he worked and some basic information. They told me he retired young and had been retired for twenty years. I said, “What did he do in retirement?” They said absolutely nothing. There was just dead silence. After a few moments of awkward silence his brother looked at me and said, “Reverend Adams, let me answer your question this way. On the day me retired he came home from work. He turned on the television and opened a beer. That day set the tempo for the rest of his life.” In other words, he really had nothing to show for the last twenty years of his life! He chose to waste two decades. As disciples of Jesus Christ we are called to redeem our days. To use the time that God has given us to make a difference for Jesus. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Let me end with this story.

A rich man was determined to give his mother a birthday present that would outshine all others. He read of a bird that had a vocabulary of 4000 words, could speak in numerous languages and sing 3 operatic arias. He immediately bought the bird for $50,000 and had it delivered to his mother. The next day he phoned to see if she had received the bird. "What did you think of the bird?" he asked. She replied, "It was delicious." She didn’t understand the value of the gift!

Do you realize the value of your gift? Do you realize the real value of time? It is limited. Jesus is the greatest gift we will ever receive. I believe the second greatest gift we will ever receive is time. Are you going to waste this brand new year or are you going to redeem it? And all of God’s people said, “Amen