{"id":20629,"date":"2024-12-24T18:32:09","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T17:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/?p=20629"},"modified":"2024-12-26T18:50:41","modified_gmt":"2024-12-26T17:50:41","slug":"luke-222-40-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/luke-222-40-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Luke 2:22-40"},"content":{"rendered":"

First Sunday of Christmas | 29 December 2024 | A Sermon on Luke 2:22-40 | by the Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel |<\/h3>\n

Luke 2:22-40 English Standard Version <\/strong>Copyright \u00a9\u00a02001 by Crossway Bibles<\/a><\/p>\n

And\u00a0when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem\u00a0to present him to the Lord\u00a023\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>(as it is written in\u00a0the Law of the Lord,\u00a0\u201cEvery male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord\u201d)\u00a024\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in\u00a0the Law of the Lord,\u00a0\u201ca pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.\u201d25\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was\u00a0righteous and\u00a0devout,\u00a0waiting for\u00a0the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.\u00a026\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not\u00a0see death before he had seen\u00a0the Lord’s Christ.27\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when\u00a0the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law,\u00a028\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>he took him up in his arms and\u00a0blessed God and said, 29\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u201cLord, now you are letting your servant depart\u00a0in peace, according to your word; 30\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>for\u00a0my eyes have seen your\u00a0salvation 31 <\/sup><\/strong>that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and\u00a0for glory to\u00a0your people Israel.\u201d 33\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And\u00a0his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him.\u00a034\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, \u201cBehold, this child is appointed\u00a0for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign\u00a0that is opposed\u00a035\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.\u201d 36\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And there was\u00a0a 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,\u00a037\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple,\u00a0worshiping with\u00a0fasting and prayer night and day.\u00a038\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were\u00a0waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And when they had performed everything according to\u00a0the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of\u00a0Nazareth.\u00a040\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.<\/p>\n

Sermon Title: \u201cEverything According to the Law of the Lord!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 St. Luke writes at the end of this passage that is our gospel text for this first Sunday after Christmas, \u201cAnd when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord\u2026\u201d And that pretty much sums up this gospel lesson.\u00a0 St. Luke, the Gentile evangelist; St. Luke, who is himself, not a Jew, not a follower of Jewish customs or requirements, in his gospel intended to proclaim the good news to other Gentiles, as he wanted them\u2014and us Gentiles today to know that this child, and his parents, this holy family\u2014though filled with the divine presence, in Jesus, are still also a human family, who fulfilled all righteousness, finished everything required by the law of the Lord of any faithful human family, and neglected nothing that God had commanded of human families from the time that God created and established this most basic human community\u2014the human family.\u00a0 And we have to ask, why was this so important to Mary and Joseph, and then to St. Luke\u2014that he wants us to know about the faithful obedience of this family?\u00a0 And why, on the Sunday after Christmas, is this the appointed reading?<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The fact is, we share this lesson with our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters, who traditionally refer to this Sunday as the Festival of the Holy Family.\u00a0 We Lutherans have tended to focus, not so much on the Holy Family, but on the presentation of Jesus in the temple, and the experience of Simeon and Anna, who proclaim that Jesus is indeed, the fulfillment of prophecy, the light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of God\u2019s people, Israel.\u00a0 And while focusing on the presentation is not a misuse of this account\u2014 it\u2019s only one part of this visit to the temple in Jerusalem.\u00a0 Yes, it\u2019s important to hear the witness of Simeon and Anna\u2014but they would not have been witnesses to this Messianic child, if Mary and Joseph had not been faithful parents, bringing their child to the temple, as required by the law, in the first place.\u00a0 Which is why, in the Roman Catholic tradition, the primary focus is on the faith of the family\u2014the obedience of Mary and Joseph, and Jesus, in fulfillment of God\u2019s commands.\u00a0 Which is valuable for us, today, as well.\u00a0 Valuable, for us, in a world where families are under-fire constantly, to give in to the culture first, while putting God\u2019s commands second.\u00a0 Valuable for us, in a society which is anything BUT Christian, and where parents and children are under constant pressure to conform to the ways of the world, to fit in to the dominant culture of secularism, to water-down our faith and obedience so that we don\u2019t appear to be fanatical about our Christianity.\u00a0 It seems that the example of the faith and obedience of the Holy Family, which is also a completely human family, is critically important for us to see and to acknowledge\u2014to strengthen us in our own families and to remind us that Jesus\u2019 birth didn\u2019t end God\u2019s law, but frees us to live for His law, joyfully, committed, ourselves, to doing everything that the Lord requires of us!\u00a0 And, according to the example of the Holy Family, what is required of us?<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 First and foremost, we are to offer our children to God.\u00a0 That\u2019s why this Sunday is also known as \u201cthe Presentation\u201d.\u00a0 It marks Mary and Joseph, presenting their child to the Lord God.\u00a0 According to Mosaic law, every firstborn male was required to be dedicated to the Lord as holy\u2014as consecrated to the Lord.\u00a0 And is that not an appropriate commandment for every parent, and every child?\u00a0 We would view our children differently, and treat them differently, if we truly understood that we have presented them to be God\u2019s own, consecrated them to God, and then received them back, so that God is their Father, and we are simply foster parents.\u00a0 If we truly thought of our children as God\u2019s, on loan to us\u2014who would ever raise a hand against God\u2019s daughter or son, in anger, or frustration?\u00a0 Who wouldn\u2019t think twice in every decision, every word of guidance, every opportunity we have for loving and challenging and strengthening this child, that God has entrusted to us?\u00a0 That\u2019s the first thing that the Holy Family models for us.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The second is that when God entrusts children to us, we must continually give thanks for them, and live lives of repentance and forgiveness.\u00a0 When presenting a child to the Lord in the temple, the traditional offering, if you could afford it, was an unblemished lamb, to serve both as a sacrifice of adoration and thanksgiving and as an offering for sin.\u00a0 Mary and Joseph, members of the working poor, could only afford the smallest offering, two turtledoves or pigeons.\u00a0 Though Jesus\u2019 parents were of modest means, still, they fulfilled what the law required\u2014they made an offering of thanks and praise to God, and an offering to atone for sin, to receive forgiveness.\u00a0 And who among us remembers to give thanks and praise to God, regularly, for our children?\u00a0 And who among us doesn\u2019t need to be reminded to fill our homes and our lives with repentance and forgiveness?\u00a0 Parents and children, in accordance with God the Father\u2019s will, are to come faithfully to the church, our temple, where together, they can confess their sins to God and by the blood of Jesus, receive full and complete forgiveness\u2014that restores hope and joy and peace, in the household.\u00a0 Parents and children, in accordance with the Father God\u2019s will are to make it a regular practice to repent of harsh words, unkind actions, and disobedient behavior, asking one another for forgiveness.\u00a0 And that means parents being prepared to admit wrongs they may have committed, asking children for forgiveness, as well as children doing the same. Obviously, Mary and Joseph were concerned that, as parents, they receive God\u2019s absolution\u2014and the same is to be true for all of us\u2014that being forgiven by God, leads us to repentance and forgiveness in our homes, our family relationships, in all our relationships.\u00a0 And that means parents and children, repenting and asking one another, for forgiveness.\u00a0 So, the second thing we learn from the Holy Family is to give God thanks and praise for the gift, of all children, and to be concerned to live lives of repentance and forgiveness.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finally, what we learn from the example of Mary, Joseph and Jesus, is that it is our privilege, to live in accordance with the law of the Lord\u2014it is our joy, to try to fulfill everything that the Lord has commanded us.\u00a0 Sadly, if there is one thing Christians do not understand\u2014it\u2019s the proper relation between the Gospel and God\u2019s Law.\u00a0 If you ask most Christians about it, their answer will be something like, \u201cBecause we are saved by God\u2019s grace, it doesn\u2019t matter what we do, or don\u2019t do in life.\u201d\u00a0 Which basically is a cop-out, because what that means is that I can do whatever I want.\u00a0 And before we adults nod our heads yes, and point our fingers at our disobedient children, we adults might want to turn our accusing fingers at ourselves!\u00a0 Because it\u2019s we adults, who often choose not to keep the commandment to \u201cremember the Sabbath day to keep it holy\u201d, neglecting the Sunday gathering of believers, as described in Hebrews.\u00a0 It\u2019s we parents who are not raising our children in the covenant of their baptism, bringing them to the services of Gods house, teaching them the Lord\u2019s Prayer, the Creeds and the Ten Commandments. It\u2019s we adults who sometimes fail to set a proper example\u2014in thought, word and deed, telling the children, \u201cDo as I say, not as I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The good news is, indeed, that we are not saved by what we do or fail to do.\u00a0 But it\u2019s this good news, that we are saved by God\u2019s grace, through faith in Jesus and not by works, that frees us to want to fulfill everything that the Lord has commanded us!\u00a0 It\u2019s the good news that frees us FOR, the commandments of God.\u00a0 Frees us for, obedience.\u00a0 Frees us for, holiness, purity, chastity.\u00a0 Frees us for honesty, and integrity.\u00a0 Frees us for, repentance and forgiveness.\u00a0 Frees us for Sunday worship and reading the Word and living lives of prayer.\u00a0 The good news doesn\u2019t excuse us from the will of God\u2014and certainly doesn\u2019t free us to follow our own will.\u00a0 The good news sets us free from the burden of having to earn our own salvation\u2014and sets us free to live, totally for God, with every breath we breathe, every choice we make, every step we take.\u00a0 Knowing that we are not\u2014Jesus, son of God and son of Man.\u00a0 Knowing that our family is not, the Holy Family.\u00a0 But also knowing, that our human families\u2014that we, adults and children, seek to follow the example, of Mary, Joseph and Jesus\u2014that we may indeed seek, by the grace of God, freed by the Gospel, to be faithful\u2014as we seek to fulfill all that the law of the Lord requires of us\u2014that the favor of God may also, be upon us!<\/p>\n

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

\u00a9David M. Wendel<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 d.wendel@grace43081.org<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Westerville, Ohio US<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First Sunday of Christmas | 29 December 2024 | A Sermon on Luke 2:22-40 | by the Rev. Dr. David M. Wendel | Luke 2:22-40 English Standard Version Copyright \u00a9\u00a02001 by Crossway Bibles And\u00a0when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem\u00a0to present him to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20566,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,547,157,853,108,629,110,636,349,3,109],"tags":[],"beitragende":[],"predigtform":[],"predigtreihe":[],"bibelstelle":[],"class_list":["post-20629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lukas","category-1-so-n-christfest","category-beitragende","category-bibel","category-current","category-david-m-wendel","category-engl","category-kapitel-02-chapter-02-lukas","category-kasus","category-nt","category-predigten"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20629"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20629\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20631,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20629\/revisions\/20631"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20629"},{"taxonomy":"beitragende","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/beitragende?post=20629"},{"taxonomy":"predigtform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtform?post=20629"},{"taxonomy":"predigtreihe","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtreihe?post=20629"},{"taxonomy":"bibelstelle","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bibelstelle?post=20629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}