First Sunday after Christmas, Year B

10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. 62:1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch. 2 The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. 3 You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. ( Isaiah 61, NRSV)

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; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a 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. (Luke 2 NRSV)


“LOOKING THE PART”


There are certain things about Christmas that look right or not. The ground without snow on Christmas Eve this year just didn’t look right to some of us. The TV commercial the other week with Santa in a Hawaiian shirt and Bermuda shorts just doesn’t look right. We expect Santa to look a certain way. Imagine the three kings without their crowns. Those who have a certain role in things need to look like what they are supposed to be. We might say that they need to “look the part”. It helps when our doctors look like they are living healthy lifestyles. Especially when it comes time for them to give us advice. I ran across an interesting illustration of this. A young man in the funeral home business was doing relatively well but did much better one year. His secret? Because people tend to see distinguished public figures as more trustworthy, he added some gray to his hair with hair coloring. Artificially, he made himself look more like a funeral director.
The reading from the prophet Isaiah tells us about the appropriate clothing and appearance for redemption, which is also fitting for the Christmas season. It is in the garments of salvation. It is joyous, like the attire for a wedding. It is a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord. All this is the righteousness the Lord is causing to spring up, like green shoots from the ground.
The Gospel reading is of the time the infant Jesus was brought to the Temple to be presented. The firstborn male was considered to belong to God, but could be “bought back”, so to speak, with an offering. Joseph and Mary were there to make that offering. A man at the Temple saw Jesus and proclaimed that he could now depart this life in peace for he had seen the Messiah. How could he have seen that? What did Jesus look like? Only the Holy Spirit could have told him. Seeing Jesus took the eyes of faith and he said that once he had seen him he had seen the salvation prepared for the nations. And there was a woman, a prophet, named Anna. And when she saw Jesus, she, too, saw how God was bringing salvation to the world in him. What most people saw was a baby, but what these people saw was God’s representative on earth, sent to show God’s love and bring salvation.
As we begin this new year, we look forward with hope. We also think about the past one. This year has been one of numerous loud controversies. There have been ones about debt ceilings and candidates and unions and the new stadium for the Vikings, but one of the more unusual ones is about a football quarterback named Tim Tebow. He plays for the Denver Broncos and has led the team to a year that was beyond all expectations. A few people were even calling it miraculous for a while. He is noted for often dropping to one knee to pray during games. This has caused controversy among those who think it is too flashy or too religious. The critics do not discourage him. By all accounts, though, Tebow is a nice guy, sincere in his faith. He has helped his father with missionary work and, in an era of professional athletes constantly in the news for trouble with the law and vulgarity, Tebow behaves with decency and modesty and integrity. What he professes, he lives. He wants to share with others how important his faith is to him. He is not silent about it. I do not doubt that he has a sincere faith. To many he is the picture of faith. One concern I have is whether people can see the faith. Many can see his actions, even imitate his actions, the outward visible behavior, but there is more to life than that. Faith is also an inner quality. That is the reason for Tebow’s actions. It is both, not just the outward appearance. Do those who imitate him also share his faith? Another concern is that much of the excitement is focused on football. Maybe the role of faith is bigger than sports. Faith has to do with all of life. It is not a game.
What does faith look like? It looks the part. It lives according to the values it claims. Faith, like that of Anna and Simeon, looks at signs of good things to come. It brings confidence to those who have it. It sees what God is doing around us. It looks like hope, which we consider at the start of this new year. We do not know how it will turn out, whether it will be a great one or a disastrous one. Elizabeth Sherrill tells the story of when her grandmother gave her a set of linen towels with tiny seahorses embroidered on them for her “hope chest”. She did not know what that meant and asked her what one was. For her grandmother hers was a source of hope in rural South Dakota as she was growing up. She could look into it when the land was covered with snow or afflicted by drought. It spoke to her of a better day to come. Elizabeth never had one like that for furnishing a house but wants one for furnishing the soul, making hope something inside us, instead of inside a trunk in an attic, to give hope in moments when we need it the most. Faith is a way of seeing life. It is one that looks at the gifts God has given us and considers how they can enrich our lives. It looks forward to God being present with us in the future, whatever that future holds. It looks beyond what is superficial.

Faith also perseveres. It continues on against difficulty. It is not accidental but is a deliberate way of life. It is not only when our team is winning or things are going our way, but is present in all of life’s conditions. Fay Angus tells how she saw this one day while serving as a volunteer at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. She was serving hot chocolate and doughnuts to some of the many high-schoolers from all over the country who participate in the parade in their marching bands. One of the great fears of the parade organizers is rain. As drizzle started she asked one young man from Alabama what he would do if it started to rain. He answered that he would get wet and keep on marching. It was a lesson to her on how to live when our plans do not always go the way we want them to.

What does faith look like? It looks like a baby if that baby is Christ. He brings hope of salvation and joy. Salvation and joy that we can wrap ourselves in. That tells us that God is with us. Faith looks like hope, confidence in God’s goodness and plan for us. It looks like perseverance, watching until it comes. It has deep roots that will sustain us in the new year and will keep us moving forward. As we go into the new year, let us do so with hope. Let it be around us like our clothing. So we can pray Marie Barton’s prayer:

While bells are ringing midnight-clear,
Three gifts I ask for this New Year:

Faith is the pilgrim staff I crave
To keep me strong, to keep me brave.

Hope is the candle’s pinpoint star
To lead me on the path afar.

Love is the mantle I would wear—
Heart-warming garments lined with prayer.

Father God, with these priceless three
Enrich the days Thou sendest me!

Amen.