First Sunday after Christmas (2025)

Luke 2:22-40

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Merry Christmas to you! We are in the Christmas Season and celebrate the promised Messiah who was born to be our Savior, who became flesh and dwelt among us for the sake of our salvation. What we witness here is Jesus being brought to the temple, that they might fulfill the requirements of the Torah, that a sacrifice might be offered up for Mary’s first born son. As they approach they are greeted by two people who had been waiting for this day, and promised that they would see this glorious day when the Messiah had come.

The Temple

This is the temple built by Herod.

He was known for his great building projects through out the region. He was not one that was keen on obeying the Lord, or abiding by God’s will. He built them for glory, and fame, and renown, but not because he was a faithful man. That doesn’t change the fact that this temple was astonishingly beautiful built upon the high point in Jerusalem. Why was the temple important in Israel’s history?

The Temple was where God dwelt with the people

On Christmas day, we had the reading about the tent of meeting where God’s presence dwelt with the people during their exodus and let them know when to move and when to stay, and the people would know that God was with them in their journey. Then in 2 Chronicles 7, after Solomon completes the temple and offers a sacrifice, the glory of the Lord fills the temple in Jerusalem. That was the place to be in the presence of the Lord, but later they would desecrate the temple to the point that in Ezekiel the Glory of God would finally leave. What’s the big deal about the temple?

Some ask, well isn’t God everywhere?

God is omnipresent, That means he can be found everywhere. He shows that even when there wasn’t a tent of meeting, or a temple, that his presence fills the earth, and His works can be done throughout the world, for He is the creator of all things. Yet God established that there is a proper place to offer sacrifices and receive His blessings. That’s why you see Joseph and Mary approach the temple, and not just stay at home.

The Cleansing Sacrifice

They gave the offering for the poor.

There was an offering for the firstborn son and they were to be redeemed for they belonged to the Lord, and the typical sacrifice was a lamb, but not every household could afford that, and so God also created the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves that could be offered up to redeem the child as well. These sacrifices had to be offered, that the people might be purified, and the Scriptures were clear that

Everything was purified by blood.

The life of a creature was in the blood, and that blood had to be shed to atone for the sinfulness of the people, and the wickedness that is in the world. So blood was shed at the temple that the people of God might receive God’s blessings in safety and without fear. There is a lot of detail about the sacrificial system in Leviticus, and you might wonder why learn about it? What’s the point of all of this? Well this whole system

This whole system pointed to Jesus.

For you and I are no less sinners than the Israelites. We are guilty of the same sin that they were. We have been half-hearted in our confession of faith, we have fallen victim to greed, ingratitude, lust, lies and a whole slew of sins, why don’t we offer the same sacrifices? It’s because of what happened there on the Cross.

The Long Awaited Consolation

All of the Bible is about Jesus.

Who came to offer himself up as the final sacrifice and to bring this system to its final part. The reason that we don’t offer sacrifices today, even though we are just as sinful, just as corrupt, and just as flawed as the Israelites, is because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. for

He would bring comfort.

Comfort that all people need because of our sinful condition, because of our failings, because we live in a world that is not as it should be, but one that is broken. It’s broken not just because of the works that people outside these walls, or in capitals commit, for its easy to look at others and see their flaws and their faults, but because of the flaws that live inside of you and me. That’s God law says Love, and yet we find hate in our hearts. That’s why this child was born the consolation, the comfort of Israel, because

He would fulfill the Torah for all.

All the demands of the Law would be fulfilled for us, not by us, for we have proven to be incapable of the task. But the Father out of Love for the world sent Jesus to fulfill the Law in our stead that his blood might cover us, that we might be acceptable in God’s sight, that’s why we aren’t sacrificing, lambs, goats, oxen, or turtledoves, because the Son of God has entered into heaven for us. That’s why we are able to sing

The Nunc Dimittis

Through Christ we depart in peace.

The forgiveness of sins that was won for us on calvary is given to us that we might have peace with God not based upon our works, or our decisions, merits, or any of that, but based upon what Christ has done for us. And this

Salvation was accomplished for all people.

It has expanded out to the nations, which is why you even though you are not of Israel by blood, can sing the same nunc dimittis that simeon sang 2000 years ago, for by Christ we have peace with God and our eyes have seen HIs salvation that has been accomplished for us. For

Jesus is revealed to all.

It is by the Spirit working through the Word that faith is created in our hearts that we might believe in the work of God accomplished for you. For the blood of Christ has cleansed you from your sins, and you have the forgiveness and peace that mankind longed to have with God ever since the fall. All thanks to this child that was born of Mary.

The Christ Child

Simeon sang this song after holding Jesus in his arms as he was brought to the temple.

Why sing this after communion?

Well what has been placed into your hand there at the altar? Jesus tells us this is my body, this is my blood. Which means in your hand, you have just received the Savior. It is a mystery that we receive the body and blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper, and we don’t understand how, but we know that is what Jesus has said. That this is my body. So we say Amen.

You are like simeon.

For you have just received Christ in your hands, so it is appropriate for you to bless, that is speak well of, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. For if you have received the Sacrifice that Jesus has offered up for you, then you have just again received forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and know that you have peace with God, all of which gets summed up in the word, salvation. What does this all mean for us?

Be where Christ is at.

Now we don’t have a single temple where all the people are to gather. For the Church is spread out across the globe, but what God has established is where the Word is preached, and the sacraments are rightly administered, there is the Church. That’s where Christ is, and that’s why our Service is built around those two things. The Word and the Sacrament. How can anyone remain Christian if they are not where Christ is at?

So my dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let us learn from Simeon, whose song we sing praising the Lord, that when he heard that the Lord’s Christ would be at the temple he went. So you dear Christian, why should you honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy? Why should you set aside the time to be at church? Because this is the place where God gives to us forgiveness, life, and salvation and Christ our Lord comes to us under the bread and the wine, if that’s not enough to motivate us to come, then we should repent, and examine our hearts, for we are serving and worshiping something else. So come to the House of the Lord, and for here we receive the blessings of God, as Christ comes to us in Word and Sacrament. In Jesus name. Amen.