Presentation of the Lord Yr ABC 2025

Ordinary Time Homilies  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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Malachi gives the impression that the Messiah’s coming will be in power. but Hebrews lets us know that the power, which indeed defeated the devil and death, was “upside down,” the power of incarnation and dying. And no one noticed. Finally the gospel has Jesus coming to the Temple in his mother’s arms for a routine consecration and purification, but two old people see differently, they see the Messiah, the coming of the nations, and the fall of Israel - the Messiah had come to his Temple. So if you drawn close to God expect to be patient, to wait for decades for promises to be fulfilled, yet do not expect most in the world to pay attention to the fulfillment, only those who pray. But you will die in peace having seen God in disguise while the world goes on to revolution and destruction.

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Title

The Lord Whom You Seek Will Suddenly Come to his Temple

Outline

The feast of the Presentation is a feast of irony

It is like David Mains’ Tales of the Kingdom in which there is a “sighting day,” a day to look for the king, and no one sees the king except “little child” who sees a beggar and cries out “I see da king!” but no one but he can see him.

Malachi makes us expect a grand and powerful entry

He will come to his temple, he will be like a refiner’s fire, he will purify the sons of Levi. But what does this look like in our upside down world, where everyone calls truth falsehood and falsehood truth?

Hebrews gives us a clue

He will be in flesh and blood, like his brethren in every respect. He will destroy death and free those bound by the fear of death, but he will do so by his death. No grand entry there, but it is a good clue, for its stands the world’s values on their head so that they are rightside up again and it knows that the devil is the author of death, not God.

Then we see the fulfillment

When Jesus is 40 days old Mary and Joseph enter the Temple carrying him to “present him to the Lord,” but not as Samuel who then lived in the Temple in Shiloh, but as an offering, the birds they offer not substituting for the child but purifying Mary and pointing to the destiny of the child.
Any nobody notices it because nobody notices the poor. Well, almost nobody: Simon, an old man close to death does: “I’m ready to die Master for I have seen your salvation, not just for Israel, but for the Gentiles.” [I paraphrase] And then he says that Jesus was “a sign that will be contradicted” and would lead not just to the rise of Israel, but to the fall of many in Israel (as well as suffering for Mary). And then an old woman, Anna, shows up, a woman given to prayer, and seconds Simeon. Two old and unimportant people see, for they were close to God, and all the important people are part of the fall of Israel, blind to Christ among them.

God’s ways are like that

If you draw close to God and listen and are patient for years, perhaps for decades, you will see what he is doing and will recognize his fulfilling his promises.
Yet do not expect most in the world to pay attention to you - only a few will, those who also pray - but you will die in peace having seen God is disguise and the world will go on to crucifixion, revolution, and final destruction even as God fulfills his purposes.
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