Behold - A Sermon on Luke 2: 22-40

“Behold!”
Luke 2:22-40
Todd Buegler
December 31, 2005 & January 1, 2006
Lord of Life


Grace and peace to you from God our Creator, and from Jesus, the Son of God and the Messiah who is grace! Amen.

Several years ago, when Lord of Life’s youth Habitat for Humanity team arrived on the site for our first day of work, we were greeted by a construction supervisor, a foundation in place and ready for framing, and a large pile of lumber, trusses, siding, roofing and other supplies. We got to work. On this particular trip, because the family was working “day jobs” to afford their portion of the home, and they worked on the house itself on weekends, we knew that we wouldn’t get an opportunity to meet them until sometime on Friday. The week went well and much work was done. On Friday at 2pm, the house was framed, the roof was on and shingled, and we were three-quarters of the way done with siding.

While we were at work, a car pulled up and a family of 5 arrived, THE family. They walked slowly up the incline that would be their driveway and they just stopped and soaked it all in. Their eyes were wide and you could see the excitement brimming inside.

Gradually, our group noticed them, and began nudging each other. “Look at that! Check it out! Look!” and they watched the family’s reaction to seeing their home standing for the first time. As more and more people noticed the family, the sound of hammers and saws came to a stop.

A couple of the group members and I walked up to introduce ourselves. I shook the Mother and Father’s hand and they continued to stare at their home. The first words the woman spoke are burned into my memory: “Look at that!” and she broke into tears.

Our group did look. And suddenly, for me and our entire group, the transition was complete. Over the course of the week, what had started out as a pile of wood, had become a house. And now, with the simple words “Look at that”, that house had become someone’s home.

There are occasional moments in our lives when what we see or experience is more than what we expect. It is a moment when the Holy Spirit is infused into an experience. This was one of those moments for me. “Look at that!” “Look at that family.” “Look at that home.”

I’ve had other “Look at that” moments. The kind of moment that takes your breath away:
The birth of my children.
The look of those same children when they saw Christmas presents under the tree last weekend.
The look on my face when staring at the instructions for assembling those same presents.
When a homeless person took my hand and said “Thank you, God bless you” after I dropped some change into his coffee can.
When I watched the volunteer missionaries immediately fall in love with the children at Westhaven, the Jamaican orphanage where we work.
Whenever I’ve experienced the presence of God in ways I didn’t expect.

When these moments have happened, my usual response has been to catch my breath, and then to say “look at that!” In those moments, I encountered Jesus.

This is exactly what happened to Simeon and Anna in our Gospel lesson. They knew the Messiah was coming and they waited and prayed for the day to arrive. The prophecy in the Book of Isaiah said that “In the Lord, all the offspring of Israel shall triumph and glory.” They were waiting to see the glory of the Lord. Simeon was even told by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he would see the Messiah. Every time parents brought their children to the Temple to be dedicated, and he and Anna were filled with anticipation that possibly one of them was the child they were waiting for. For years, they had been waiting patiently.

Then, one day, Mary and Joseph arrived at the Temple and Simeon and Anna, now an old man and woman, looked and saw something in the face of this child. With the eyes of faith Simeon and Anna saw in this ordinary event, the presentation of a firstborn child, the very salvation of God. This would be the Messiah. Two aged person, whose eyes were no doubt dimmed by time, were able to “see” with clarity unmatched by others the true meaning of what was before them: God’s gracious presence. Simeon took the child up into his arms and praised God saying: “Behold, your salvation!” Now, “Behold” isn’t a word we use too much today. Today that word would more accurately translate to: “Look at that!” But whichever phrase was used, it was clear that the joy of Simeon's discovery far exceeded his expectations.

I had a similar “Behold”, or “Look at that” moment when my own children were brought to the temple, or in this case, our sanctuary, to be presented to God and to receive the sacrament of baptism. Now I had taught about baptism in our confirmation program, our youth ministries, in Bible studies for years. But when I held Nathan at the font, and Pastor Peter poured the water on his head…in the name of the Father, of the Son, of the Holy Spirit…I understood something that had escaped me before. Looking down at Nathan, I remembered the words God spoke: “I have called you by name…you are mine…” and at that moment, I realized that Nathan doesn’t really belong to Lori and me. Nathan belongs to God. God is just loaning Nathan to us for awhile…to tend while he grows, to care for, to love. But ultimately, Nathan belongs to God. Ultimately, I belong to God. Ultimately, you belong to God.

Mary and Joseph were bringing Jesus to the temple, as was the practice, to present Him to God; in a sense, to again acknowledge that “God, this child belongs to you.” The difference in the story of Jesus and the story of my Nathan? When Mary and Joseph presented Jesus at the temple, God, through the words of Simeon, gave Jesus back to us. God is saying “this child is the salvation. Look at that. See my plans for you.”

Even Simeon didn’t know that the child he held in his arms was to have such a dramatic and forceful impact on the course of human history. But he did know that something great and significant was taking place and he was part of it. And he said: “Look at that!”
But at the time, Simeon and Anna were the exception. They were the only ones who saw Jesus this way. The early church leaders looked for a Messiah who would be a revolutionary to set them free from political oppression and would give Israel back its lands. Jesus was the unexpected Messiah. He came, not as a King, but as a child in a stable, born into poverty. He completely defied the expectations and hopes. You see, Jesus’ revolution was not about restoring a nation. It was about restoring a broken relationship between God and God’s people. Look at that!

What do we, today, expect Jesus to be? Much like Simeon and Anna, we are at the temple today, and Jesus is being presented to us. How do we expect Jesus to be working in the world now? What do you expect of Jesus for your own life?

In the Book of Colossians, Paul uses baptismal imagery in saying that Christians, as God’s people, are to “put on” a new Christ-like life and its qualities of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, patience, forgiveness and above all else, love. In fact, we are completely dependent on God for these gifts. We do not dress ourselves in these qualities. It is God who dresses us.

And what is most revolutionary? That Jesus’ gift of forgiveness is for you.

Your expectation might be that you don’t deserve it. You’re right. Your understanding might be that try as you might, you just can’t earn God’s love. Absolutely. God’s revolutionary idea is that Jesus’ life is given for you. God loves and forgives you unconditionally. God dresses us in these new garments. We are made new by the baby we see today…everyday.

Jesus is not just a child. Jesus is a “Look at that” experience. And Jesus is much more than we would expect:
Jesus spent time with sinners. Look at that!
Jesus healed the sick and resurrected the dead! Look at that!
Jesus fed the hungry. Look at that!
Jesus, the son of God, was crucified…a criminal’s death. Look at that!
Jesus, dead for three days, was resurrected. Look at that!

Like Simeon, we can look and see the life of Jesus and with amazement say “Look at that! This gift is love and promise, fulfilled!” It is amazing…there are no words to describe. It is grace!

Expected or unexpected, Christ comes. The world will never be the same since his coming. Look and see…today, Jesus is being presented, but this time he is being presented to you.

And because of Jesus we can see ourselves, as God sees us, clothed in new garments of love.

Look at that!

Amen .