Luke 2,25-38. 1. Sunday after Christmas

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Luke 2,(22-24) 25-38 (39-40)    0615

1. Sonntag nach dem Christfest  09 

The Holy Innocents. Martyrs about 4 B.C. ✠ 

28. Dezember 2014 

1. O Christ Jesus, heralded by starlight, watch over and protect all Christian children who suffer on account of Your Name and their faith in You, so that by Your grace they may be brought to peace and safety (VELKD, Prayer for 1. Sunday after Christmas § 2).  Amen. 

2. »Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: „Lord, now lettest thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy Word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of Thy people Israel.“ And His father and his mother marveled at what was said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother: „Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed and a sword will pierce through your own soul also, so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.“ And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. 

  3. Yahweh gave Abraham the Messianic promise: »Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and ... in your Offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed« (Genesis 22,16-18). The Offspring spoken of in Genesis 22 is the Offspring of Mary who is being circumcised in Luke 2. This Offspring is Jesus and of Him Simeon proclaims: »O Lord, now lettest thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy Word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of Thy people Israel.

4. The covenant Yahweh had made with Abraham stated that every male born was to be circumcised in the 8. day (Genesis 17,9-13). Mary and Joseph had brought Jesus to the temple to be circumcised and that is where Simeon praised Him as the Christ. Simeon declared Jesus to be God’s salvation for the world. He accomplished this by fulfilling the prophecies and perfectly keeping the Mosaic law. Jesus thus went to the cross as the spotless and unblemished Lamb for sacrifice. His death on the cross paid for our sin and His resurrection opened the grave with new life. Jesus is the salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high (Luke 1,77-78). »For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead,  then you will be saved. For the Scripture says: „Everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame.“ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For „everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved“« (Romans 10,4.9.11-13). 

5. Simeon also proclaimed Jesus to be a Light to lighten the Gentiles. One of the Advent O Antiphons speaks to this Divine Light: ℣ O Morning Star, Splendor of Light Eternal and Sun of Right- | eousness:* ℟ Draw near and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shad- | ow of death. (fn) O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis. The Prophet describes our Gentile condition: »The people who walked in darkness have seen a Great Light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness -- on them Light has shined« (Isaiah 9,2). The newborn Jesus is our Light who shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome Him (John 1,4-5). In the darkest of our nights, when all hope is extinguished, when death seems unconquerable and when despair is all around us, Christ the Light of the world burns brightly and illuminates the darkness. Hope is restored. Death is conquered. Despair becomes joy. This Light took up human flesh and bone and became man. Jesus did this to redeem us and to be the Light of our salvation. The Light was extinguished for a time, but the Light rekindled Himself. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and He rose on the third day. He is the Morning Star who heralds the dawning of a new day, a day full of hope, life and joy. 

6. Finally, Simeon praises Jesus as the Glory of Thy people Israel. Abraham is the forefather of Israel and through Him the line of the Messiah descends. The Glory of the Lord is Divine presence (the Shekhinah Glory) that lead Israel as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night (Exodus 13,21). When the temple was built, the Glory of the Lord dwelt in the Most Holy Place (1. King 8,10-13). Jesus is the Incarnate Glory of the Lord. »The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His Glory, Glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. For from His Fullness we have all received, grace upon grace« (John 1,14.16). The Glory of the Lord appears to deliver, redeem and save. The Glory of the Lord ransoms captive Israel. 

7. The news of this Messianic birth was not good news to everyone. When King Herod the Great heard about it from the magi two years later, He ordered the death of the Holy Innocents: »Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the magi, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the Prophet Jeremiah: A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more (Matthew 2,16-18). The celebration of Jesus’ birth is still greeted with derision, mockery and persecution by some today. Nevertheless, the Light shines forth in this darkness and the Glory dwells among us calling people to repentance and forgiveness. Simeon knew the newborn Jesus was the Light and Glory to bring salvation to all men and women. We confess this today and celebrate it especially during Christmas.  Amen. 

8. Let us pray. O Lord, Thou does remember Your steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel, send forth the Holy Spirit to enlighten the Gentiles so that all the ends of the earth may behold the salvation of our God.   Amen. 

To God alone be the Glory 

Soli Deo Gloria

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All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.  

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

http://insider.foxnews.com/2014/12/12/rpt-isis-beheads-4-christian-children-iraq

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands.