Candlemas Sermon 1999

Candlemas is one of the oldest feasts in the Christian church. In the new lectionary it is also called “The presentation of the Lord” but while it has much to do with Jesus, it has historically been associated with Mary. It is one of what are called the Mariological Feasts which began to be celebrated when Christians realised how important it was that Jesus had been a human, rather than God in a temporary body. While Joseph was effectively Jesus’ stepfather, Mary was actually his mother and he gets his humanity from Mary.

There was actually two reasons why Mary, Joseph and Jesus were in the temple, as we are told in the Gospel reading. Firstly they were there to offer a sacrifice of “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons”. Under Jewish law, a woman who gives birth is regarded as unclean for a period afterwards and so is anyone who comes in contact with her. This was an offering to purify Mary and Joseph after the birth of Jesus. This custom goes back to the time of  Moses and is recorded in the Book of Leviticus. This is why this feast of Mary’s is also called “The Purification”.

Also going back to the time of Moses was the custom of consecrating first born males to God. This was a result of the flight of the Israelites from Egypt when God struck down first born males, both human and animal, but spared those households where the door post had been marked with the blood of a lamb. This was and is celebrated annually, by Jews all over the world, in their festival of the Passover when the Angel of the Lord passed over the Israelites houses. These days we have replaced it with a service of thanksgiving.

Here we have an important feature of Candlemas. Jesus, the Son is consecrated to God, his Father, in the Temple. The event which this consecration commemorates, Passover, was going to have enormous significance in Jesus’ life. While this is the final event of Christmas, but we are already starting to look forward to the events of Easter, which took place at the time of the Passover.

Symbolically, the story of Simeon serves to reinforce this significance. It is as if the old is passing away to make way for the new. Simeon was from the old regime of the Law and Jesus is the start of the new regime of Love. And still in keeping with idea of moving away from Christmas and forward to Easter, as we are, Simeon tells Mary, “a sword will pierce your soul.” While this confused Mary, it foretold that she would live to see Jesus crucified, which she did.

So why do we call it candlemas? Why have we lit candles during the service? Light has always had great significance in Christianity. In the Gospel reading we heard Simeon praising God and describing Jesus as ‘a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’ By lighting candles, we are reminding ourselves of Jesus and the fact that he brings light to our darkness. And listening to the news these days, it seems that the world is full of darkness. The events of Kosovo are only one example.

Strictly speaking, most of us don’t start preparing for Easter till the beginning of Lent but actually some of us have already started and I don’t mean just supermarkets which I notices yesterday, have already started stocking Easter eggs. Christmas 1998 is now history and Lent 1999 is our next major event. Nigel has already been having meetings with the other ministers, both Anglican and others, to make plans. We are already starting to think about Lent courses and what we will do for Lent.

So what are you going to do for Lent? Traditionally people give up something for Lent. This is a discipline which we use to show our love for God our Father but it should also be something which benefits us as well. One of the favourite things people give up for Lent is chocolate, which is not good for us in quantity and so giving it up is for our benefit. Others give up smoking and, hopefully, they will have the will power not to start again after Easter.

Something else you can give up is a few hours an evening to attend a Lent course. At this time of year, it is not always pleasant to go out again in the evening, especially after a hard day at work. We also frequently have other interests and hobbies which we give precedence to. When you think about it, Jesus sacrificed a lot more for us than simply a few hours of time spent playing football or down at the pub. Do we really have the right to refuse to do something for him? Especially when it is really for our own good.

This year Nigel is going to lead a course on prayer. We should all know the Lord’s prayer, though even that is becoming less common these days, but do we really know how to pray? My spiritual life can certainly do with a boost and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

Andrew is running a confirmation course. He is going to use some of the material from the Emmaus Course, so it will also be suitable for people who just want to learn more about being a Christian. Some of Lynn Prout’s house group will be joining in and we welcome anyone who is interested, confirmed or not.

Various house groups will be running through Lent and would welcome you to come and join them. Other churches in the area will also be running courses, details of which will be made available at a later date.

Do yourself a favour and make the time to come to one of the Lent courses which will be available. One candle burning on its own can dispel some of the darkness but a group of candles burning brightly together can light up a much bigger area.