The Cliffhanger (Dec. 31, 2023) Luke 2.22-40

We have come to the end of another year. The time when most of us have difficulty trying to discern what day it is. I know that this week was a bit of a challenge as I tried to remember what day it was and what I was supposed to be doing. It is often said that the time between Christmas and New Year’s is a kind of a vortex: we have no clear idea of time. I read a meme that states how many feel about work during this time. It shows an email that is sent to a person and the person states that this looks like a 2024 problem. The end of the year is here and a new one is coming. Time to escort the old out and ring in the new.

In our world, Christmas is over in most aspects. The gifts have all been opened, the sales are in full swing, the decorations are starting to come down, the radio station that played Christmas songs from November 1 is now playing their usual playlist. Yes, in the world we live in, Christmas is done for another year. But in the life of the Church, Christmas is the time between Christmas day and the day of Epiphany on January 6. It is the twelve days of Christmas that we often sing about in the days leading up to Christmas. In this time, we remember the Christmas story and what comes after it. And what comes after is part of that story and that story leaves us wanting more.

Now something you might not know about me is that I like action movies. And some of those movies I like the best are in the Marvel cinematic universe. This may seem a bit off topic but stay with me and you will see where I am going. At the end of each movie there is a scene where one realizes that this movie is not complete. There is a hint that there is more to come. And, in these movies there are, after the credits, scenes which really whet the appetite for more. But one must wait for the next movie to be released before one can know what will happen next. It is what is known as a cliffhanger. Television uses it and leaves one wanting to come back to the show the next time it is on because, well, who really likes to have loose ends that are not wrapped up?

There are several scenes in the Christmas story that could be called cliffhangers. What happens after the baby is born? What happens after the shepherds return to their flocks? Enquiring minds want to know these things. But the biggest cliffhanger is from today’s text.

In this text we find multilayered story. There are several things going on here. So let us take a look and figure out what is being told to us in the text.

The first thing that we find is that the family is following the Torah or the Law of Moses or of the Lord as Luke states it. In the first three verses of the text this is stated three times. The child was circumcised on the eighth day in verse 21. Beginning with verse 22 the law of purification for the mother (40 days) was followed precisely. The child was then brought to Jerusalem to be presented to the Lord.

Now the presenting in the temple was following the Law of the Lord as Luke says. The firstborn son was considered holy, or set apart, for the Lord and needed to be redeemed by the family to be a part of the family once again. The cost of the redemption was usually 5 shekels. But notice that the text does not say that the child was redeemed. Could it be that, like Samuel, this child was holy and was a part of the redemption of the Hebrews? It is interesting that when they followed the Law as closely as they did, the parents do not redeem the child as they would have if this had been an ordinary child. But this was no ordinary child, and the parents knew it. Therefore, the firstborn son of Mary continued to be set apart to the Lord.

The third aspect of following the Law was in the sacrifice. There was to be a sacrifice of a lamb. If the family was too poor, then two turtledoves or pigeons would suffice. This shows that Mary and Joseph were not wealthy and that they lacked the means to sacrifice what was considered a “good” offering. Luke goes out of his way to show that God is on the side of the poor, the downtrodden, the oppressed. Here he is showing that Jesus understood what it would be like to be poor. He grew up poor. How do we treat our poor? Do we pity them, or do we cluck our tongues and wonder just why they do not have the temerity to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and make something of themselves? Or do we realize that there are factors that may be beyond the control of those who are poor? Systems that keep them down and systems that make sure they remain poor. Jesus would understand this. And Jesus would reach out to those poor and give them hope.

In the temple was a man. His name is Simeon, and he is a righteous and devout, or pious, man. He was also, probably, an old man. He is “looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him.”[1]When one says that he was looking for the consolation of Israel, it means that he was looking for the redemption of Israel. He was looking for the Messiah to come and redeem the people from the oppression of the Roman rulers.

On this day he was directed by the Spirit to go to the temple. He was to find the one for whom he was looking. How many times had he gone to the temple, year after year, looking at the sons that were brought to be consecrated to the Lord and wondered, “Is this the one? Maybe that one.” He was told by the Spirit that he would not die until he saw the one for whom he hoped. And today the Spirit led him to go to the temple. And when he gets to the temple, perhaps he was led by the Spirit to the couple with their young son. He sees the child and breaks into a wide grin (can you see it?). I am sure he asked if he could hold the child and after a moment of trepidation, with looks of questioning to one another, the parents say yes. Imagine with me the look on the old man’s face as he holds the child. Can you remember the first time you held a grandchild or even a great grandchild? The thrill and the emotion that welled up inside of you? Now imagine that this was the child for which you had waited for so many long years. It is no wonder that Simeon breaks into a song. He says, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”[2] The word dismiss also means release. Simeon can now be released from his vigil. He is ready to go because he has seen the one who is to be the salvation not just for Israel but for all the people including the gentiles.

As one can expect, the parents are amazed or left in wonder at what the old man says. But he continues speaking though this time he appears to be addressing Mary only. He says, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”[3] Not only will this child bring people together, but he will also cause the thoughts of many to be revealed and they will not like it. There will be opposition to him, and he will face hostility. And finally, Mary’s own soul will be pierced as with a sword. These words would give anyone pause and I wonder if Mary thought about them when Jesus was crucified all those years later.

As if that was not enough, there came a prophet, a woman named Anna, 84 years of age and who began to praise God and speak of the child. This was spoken to all who would listen, to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. We don’t know what Anna said and that is a shame because I am sure her words were as powerful as Simeon’s, but there is a bias toward men here and Simeon is the one from whom we hear.

At last, after all the praises and the commotion that accompanied it, after probably trying to calm a six-week-old infant, the parents finish everything that was required of them. When this is done, they return to their home in Nazareth. And there the child grows. In fact, the text tells us that he “grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.”[4]

We now find the cliffhanger. What comes next? What does the child do? What does he become? We know what becomes of John, his relative who is also an extraordinary child. We know he went out to the wilderness and stayed there until he came to bring about his ministry. But what about this child that we have been hearing so much about in this story? Here the story is not wrapped up in a pretty bow with no loose ends. There is, as stated before, a cliffhanger, something that has us yearning for more.

We are in the in between time of Christmas and New Year. The Christmas rush is done and now we are in the holiday blahs. There is not much going on except maybe some bowl games and looking forward to the ball dropping tonight at midnight. But in this in between time we find that the Christmas story is not over, not by a long shot. In fact, it has just begun to be told. The child who is praised and who is said to bring redemption is still a child. What will happen to him? What will his life be like? Like the Marvel movies, the text leaves us knowing that there will be more coming. The good news is coming. I can guarantee that the sequel will be better than the first. Amen.

[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print. [2] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print. [3] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print. [4] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989. Print.