Christ In Our Midst
a sermon based on Luke 2:22-40
by Revs. Randy Quinn and F. Schaefer

I'm fascinated by the figure of Simeon. And I wonder, how many other babies had he approached before Jesus? How many other babies had he looked at and wondered about? And how many times had he said to the parents of these babies, "you have a very special child"?

Apparently, Simeon was advanced in age and it almost seems as if he was tired of life and ready to move on at the point when he met Mary and Joseph.  The first statement out of his mouth was: "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word for my eyes have seen your salvation"

What this statement tells us is that Simeon had been waiting for a long time.  He had lived his entire life for the fulfillment of the prophecy that he would see the Messiah with his own two eyes. 

Perhaps, toward the end, he started to wonder, maybe even doubt.  Perhaps, he felt that time was running out and he reflected upon his life; wondering perhaps whether he had lived his entire life based on a false prophecy, on a false belief.

Have you ever been in that kind of reflective and evaluative mood?  I have witnessed a lot of people go through such a phase--especially those who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness.  You start wondering if you life really mattered; if you made somewhat of a difference, and you wonder what that difference might be.

Perhaps, Simeon was in that kind of mood on the day he saw Mary and Joseph holding . . . none other than the Messiah.

How did he know that this little babe was the Messiah?  Well, we can only speculate.  We don't know exactly how Simeon determined that the baby he was holding was HIM--the long-awaited Messiah. In the text it simply says that he was "guided by the Spirit." And of course, Simeon's prophecy was immediately confirmed by the prophetess Anna who had also devoted her life in the temple of God.

What does this story mean to us? What lesson can we learn from it?  The story of Simeon and Anna is set  against the backdrop of the temple ritual of Jesus' circumcision.  When you think about it, baptism or child dedication has taken the place of the circumcision in the Christian church.  Many of the concepts of circumcision live on in the baptism and child dedication theology.  One of those concepts is that God extends his grace and makes a claim on our lives even before we can respond to God.  So, our parents make a commitment and/or promise in the child's place.

And one of the things we do as part of a child's dedication and/or baptism is that we bless the child.  Much like Simeon and Anna, we take up the little child into our arms and we pray prophetically (if you will) over the child.

And in as much as we pray for the child to grow strong in the faith, we proclaim the child to be a little Christian.  That's why baptism is also called a Christening in some traditions.  We give the child a Christian name. We declare the child to be a "little Christ"--for that's what being "Christian" means.  In other words, we see Jesus in the little child, somewhat like Simeon and Anna have seen Christ in the little baby they held.

O, I wish we were all like Simeon and Anna.  I wish we all would see Christ in our infants, our children, our youth, and all the grown-ups too.  It is true that Christ dwells within us when we are Christians.

I remember the story about a monastery that was having trouble. The monks were bickering with each other, and things were not going well.

So the head of the monastery went into town to seek the advice of the local Rabbi, a man who was well known for his wisdom and insight.

When they met, the monk related his concerns and asked what kind of advice he might offer to the community.

The Rabbi was taken aback by the reports. He told the monk he was surprised to find they were having such difficulties because he was certain that one of the monks was the Messiah.

The Monk returned in silence. And said nothing to the others for several hours. Finally one of the monks asked him what the Rabbi had said. And he explained how the Rabbi was convinced that one of them was the Messiah.

Well, as the story unfolds, the problems they were having began to go away as each began to treat the other as if they were the Messiah, as if they were the Christ. Everyone served one another with compassion and love.

Like the parable in the 25th chapter of Matthew where Jesus says, 'when you do it to one of the least of these my brothers, you do it to me,' they begin to recognize Christ in the lives of one another.

And what would our lives be like if we began to see the Christ in each other? What would it mean if others began to look at us as if we were the Christ?

And what did it mean to Mary and Joseph when Simeon said this was the Messiah? Did their response to the child then affect how he grew up?

You bet it did. And I think we could all learn to see the Christ child in every baby, to see the Christ in every person, to serve God by serving one another.

Can you imagine what the church of Christ would be like if we all saw Christ in each other?  Unity, love, peace, and fellowship would abound.  The church of Christ would be the most powerful force on earth.  A force of unity and love that could shape the world and usher in the Kingdom of God.

May we all learn how to be more like Simeon and Anna; may we see Christ in our children, may we see Christ in each other and may we be Christ to one another.  Amen.