Luke 2:22-33 (The presentation of Christ in the Temple.)

When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, "Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.

Our dog knows the command ‘to bring’. She dutifully picks up the item and brings it to us. She knows she mustn’t let go until we take the item off her. Then, to encourage her to do this again, we give the item back to her! It’s the same with children: They present a toy to you; you take it off the, admire it, but then you must give it back to them. Something along these lines was happening in the Jerusalem Temple when Mary & Joseph ‘presented’ Jesus. The background to the ritual was that every firstborn male was to be dedicated to God. And so the child would be handed over to a priest, but then it would be handed back in exchange for a prescribed gift. In the case of Mary & Joseph, given that they were poor, it was a pair of pigeons or turtledoves. You may not be aware that the same idea lies behind the moment in baptism when a baby is handed over to the minister at the font. Without wanting to labour the point, the same thing is happening in Holy Communion Services where the bread and wine are offered up to God. God then blesses the elements and then they are given to the congregation. And so this is the drama behind all these events: A Life is handed over, it is lifted up to God for his blessing, and then it is returned in order for it to be a blessing to others. What do you think? Where else might we want to enact this drama? How about each morning… with our own lives.

This ritual might seem slightly pointless, given that we always walk away with what we came to give. But I can assure you that if we genuinely enter into the spirit of it, it can have a significant effect on us. My children might not remember this but before each of them left home for university I advised them, ‘Remember who you are’. I guess what our ritual is advising us is something similar, namely ‘Remember whose you are’. Believe me, remembering these two things each morning can seriously affect your life! In remembering these two things we are not necessarily doing something purely spiritual. Remembering who we are and whose we are can be a very enlightening exercise as we think through our list of family, friends and colleagues. The spiritual side kicks in if we are prepared to take things a step further, remembering that ultimately we are a child of God, and that we belong to him. In acknowledging this, we can then offer our lives up to God, and then receive them back kind of glowing with his blessing! 

Candlemas marks a turning point in the Church’s calendar. We finally let go of Christmas and head towards Easter. And as we go, we become aware that God walks with us, helping us to find out who we are and whose we are.