AtomLive as People of Faith
Luke 2:21-40
During Announcements:
It’s New Year’s Day…and, if anyone has yet to discover what your New Year’s resolutions could be…let me suggest the following: they come from a pastor named Walter Schoedel. He calls them “7-Ups for the New Year”…they fall under the heading of attitudes and actions.
- Ø WAKE UP--Begin the day with the Lord. It is His day. Rejoice in it.
- Ø DRESS-UP--Put on a smile. It improves your looks. It says something about your attitude.
- Ø SHUT-UP--Watch your tongue. Don't gossip. Say nice things. Learn to listen.
- Ø STAND-UP--Take a stand for God’s grace, mercy, and justice. Resist evil. Do good.
- Ø LOOK-UP--Open your eyes to the Lord. After all, He is your only Savior.
- Ø REACH-UP--Spend time in prayer with your adorations, confessions, thanksgivings and supplications to the Lord.
- Ø LIFT-UP--Be available to help those in need--serving, supporting, and sharing.
If you're going to make New Year's resolutions this year, let me suggest Rev. Schoedel's list.
Before the Gospel is read:
As we hear the Gospel today, take note of Mary and Joseph as parents. In the Christmas story, we’re told they traveled to Bethlehem because of their civil obligation!! And in this Gospel, just as they travelled to their family's community to fulfill the requirements of being counted in the census for the government, now we hear of their travelling to their faith community to fulfill the requirements of presenting a newborn before God. Both are important…as today’s Gospel reminds us…
Luke 2:21-40
21 After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22 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 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
25 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. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
27 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, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, 29“Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; 30for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” 33 And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
He is a young man named Kyle. Kyle Maynard was born with some of the birth defects that every parent fears--stunted arms and legs and misshapen hands and feet. Most people would consider him to be handicapped. But most people don't know Kyle Maynard. This young man, who chooses not to use prosthetic limbs, constantly challenges himself to break physical barriers. He played middle school football alongside much bigger kids. In high school, Kyle began weight training and joined the wrestling team. He and his coach developed moves that made the most of Kyle's physical assets. Kyle advanced so much that he earned the title, Strongest Teen, for his weight-lifting feats.
In fact, Kyle Maynard has such a confident outlook on life that a juvenile court judge once sentenced a troublesome kid to spend the day with Kyle. The judge wanted the teen to understand that our lives are shaped much more by our attitude than by our circumstances. After spending a day with the troubled teen, Kyle commented, "People think I have a bad life. Look at my life compared to this kid's. I have a beautiful family who loves me. Everybody has struggles. My struggles are just more apparent."
When I read the story about Kyle this week, I had to ask: Where did Kyle get this outlook and sense of his esteem and confidence? So…I googled it!! And, from his website, he writes:
Scott and Anita, my parents, knew the world would not adapt and conform to my every need - especially when I would be old enough to live on my own. With a lot of patience and some tough love when necessary, they helped me learn creative ways to adapt to everyday life and activities - like using a special spoon to eat and a "zipper puller" for my pants when I was younger.
Consequently, I learned to eat on my own, dress myself, write neatly, type 50 words a minute, drive a Dodge Durango, live independent of assistance, and use virtually no adaptations!
If it were possible for anyone to love me more than my mom and dad, my grandparents made a strong case for it! Instead of going to daycare, Grandma Betty would babysit me during the day and we had some amazing adventures together. Grandma Betty and Grandpa Norm let me sit on their countertop to "help" cook and paint on the walls with water. They even used to spill rice on the ground so I could vacuum it up! Grandma Betty knew it was important for me to develop dexterity using my arms. She knew the more I used kitchen utensils and random household objects, the more adept I would be at developing the coordination I would need later in life.
What an incredible story about the power of Positive, healthy, God-fearing parenting and grand-parenting!! And, I tell you this story, because we so often think of Jesus as the Son of God, we may not give Mary and Joseph enough credit as his earthly parents…and today is a day to give them their due credit…and learn from them as well!!
Mary and Joseph were not wealthy people, as today's story from the Gospels makes clear. But they gave Jesus what he needed. They helped him know he was loved. And they taught him about God. The 22nd verse of the second chapter of Luke reads like this:
"When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord . . ."
This was the custom in New Testament times. Couples brought their first born and presented them at the temple…
(perhaps we could make a connection here with Baptism…and the importance of bringing children for baptism into God’s family!! And, Fortunately we do not restrict this important occasion to our first born. This is an important time for parents with every child.)
Mary and Joseph presented Jesus as an infant to God and they lived godly lives when they returned home. And then notice it continued…as Luke sums up Jesus' childhood years,
"When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him."
Mary and Joseph both KNEW about and FULFILLED their “obligations” as parents!! And, one of the gospel messages that comes through them is actually very simple:
Parents have an IMPORTANT God-Given ROLE to fulfill for THEIR child. The message is: BRING THEM to receive the blessings and TEACH THEM the promises of God!!
BRING them…as the baptismal promises we make say, “Bring them to worship, teach them the Lord’s prayer, the creeds, the Ten commandments. Place in their hands the Holy Scriptures…”
These are ALL ways to fulfill our God given role as parents/grandparents, remembering…
The NUMBER One purpose of parents, in the Scriptures is to…bring their children and to teach them of God’s Grace, God’s Love, and God’s purpose for them!!
As this sermon was being “tuned up yesterday”…I found myself wondering: how many children will we have in our worship on Sunday, January 1st? I wondered this because this is a growing concern of mine: children who are missing the importance of worship in their lives!! And, if they are missing worship, how will they have faith and grow in faith as they grow older?
Thus it became my hope and prayer this week that, even on a day when we don’t have Sunday School, Parents would BRING their children and themselves to worship and receive God’s gifts given in Worship…
And I grant you…this task of bringing is a hard task. It’s hard because, in part, today there are SO MANY voices calling out our names and calling for our kids attention in other ways…Joy and I know this…after all, we raised and we are continuing to raise 4 children.
If what Joy and I did was of any help…here’s what we did with our children as they were growing up.
At the beginning of each year we talked through the importance of BEING in worship as a family and then agreed upon how many Sunday’s we would listen to the other voices…and then we made plans for these Sundays…It was usually 3-4 Sundays each year.
Then, throughout the year, when events like All-State Choir or Band or a Soccer Tournament or a Volleyball tournament would call their name on a Sunday, each child needed to decide if this would be ONE of the Sundays they would listen to this other voice!!
And, at the time, a couple of our children made the choice to worship at the Saturday evening worship due to the other voices calling their name so they would “save” their Sundays reserved for the other voices!!
This was what we did…it was our way as parents seeking to be faithful to God’s call to us to raise our children in the Christian Faith…to be like Mary and Joseph: to BRING them and TEACH them about God’s love, grace and purpose for them.
Today, Joy and I simply offer what helped us as ONE WAY to seek to be faithful parents for Jesus!! Before I move to the FAITH 5 opportunity…
Let’s move to US together as a CONGREGATION…and be reminded that we are the Simeons and the Anna’s of today!! We, together, as a church family, we also have a ROLE to do all we can to help and assist all parents!! We do this, in part…by…
Teaching Sunday School
Being Confirmation Guides
Praying for Children and Youth
Writing/Sending notes/emails/texts of affirmation
Learning about Christian Parenting…
Giving Encouragement…
Offering “Keeping the Promise” Events…
Next week our first graders will celebrate their baptism and then at our 11:00 worship receive a blessing!! When these kids come back to the pews, all are encouraged to BE the SIMEON’s and ANNA’s for them…
On Monday, the Peterson family gathered at our place for our Christmas celebration…22 gathered around the table. Now, I’m a pastor…they know it…I know it…and, while not wanting to be “pushy” about things, in the past years I’ve wanted to include some table talk about “spiritual” things…as my way of being “Uncle Simeon” for my nieces and nephews.
What I did was place coasters (from Youth and Family Institute) at each plate…that had leading statements that each was invited to respond to. Statements like:
Tell of a special song that speaks to you about God…and tell why.
Tell of something you’ve experienced that you hope nobody else will had to experience.
What is one thing you pray for.
This year, I decided NOT to put the coasters out…just felt it was time to give it a break and not be “pushy” about this. BUT…when family started to arrive and look over the table, one of the nieces said, “Dave, where are the coasters?” “Do you really want them”, I asked? “YES” she said. “We have to have them…it’s the best part of our Christmas!!”
And…another way to be the Simeon’s and Anna’s for those in your life…offered as a suggestion.
In so many ways, WE ARE the Simeon’s and Anna’s of today…the ones who give them YOUR blessing…and each Simeon and Anna is always encouraged to tell these children you are praying for them…that God loves them…and encourage them in their faith journey!!
And then, as another opportunity to grow as faithful parents, starting Sunday, January 15th, Pastor Wade begins a three week series called the “FAITH FIVE”!!
Parents….Grand-parents…uncles…aunts…this series is FOR YOU!! Faith Five is an incredible way to grow into being the parents and adults God wants us to be in the lives of our children!! Faith Five offers to us a daily “FAITH FIVE” to put into practice that will grow the faith of your child and your faith as well!!!
The website says it this way…after highlighting each of the Faith Fives…Share, Read, Talk, Pray, Bless…we read…
You want a great relationship with your kids? You want openness, honesty, caring and sharing in your family? You want to raise a child to be a strong, thoughtful, empathetic, positive, healthy adult out in the world some day? You can’t buy that. You have to invest in it. And the investment is the most expensive currency you own – your TIME – aimed at that most precious young person in your life.
Kids spell love TIME. Be intentional. Be consistent. Be caring. Be the parent. Every night. Every home. No one else can do that for you.
Sign-ups are in the church office!!! It starts 2 weeks from today in the afternoon!!!
And, as mentioned…this is for everyone…it’s a way for EVERY household to grow in faith, whatever the make-up of the household is.
For today, the Christmas story continues, and as mentioned…this is a story that gives Mary and Joseph the recognition they deserve…
In the Christmas Gospel we heard how they travelled to their family's community to fulfill the requirements of being counted in the census for the government: today we hear of their travelling to their faith community to fulfill the requirements of presenting a newborn before God…and raising this child in the Faith…
May we continue to live and do likewise as people of Faith. AMEN.
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