“JOY: Too Good to Be Hoarded”

Text: Luke 2:22-38  

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

          As we gather together on this evening in the middle of the week leading up to Christmas, it’s possible you might have a little trouble focusing on what’s happening here, as opposed to what’s happening out there. I’m having a little difficulty keeping it all straight. The parties, parades, shopping, wrapping, visiting, and every other activity that needs to be accomplished can be overwhelming. And yet, you’ve chosen to spend your Wednesday evening here in worship. Because you know that there’s always something new to hear and to see. God always has a message that can speak to you in a fresh and meaningful way. And tonight, it’s through the JOY given to Simeon and to Anna as Jesus is presented in the temple on the 40^th day after His birth. It’s a Joy that for these faithful disciples is Too Good to Be Hoarded. They just can’t keep it to themselves.

We are a people who like to keep things for ourselves. Secrets abound. Stuff piles up. Most of us don’t end up like those on tv who can’t move through their homes because of all the things that we keep, but most of would likely admit that we have much more than we actually need. So much so, that we often have garage sales and other opportunities to just give it away, because it’s just more than we actually need. But do we ever think about the most important thing that we’ve been given. The love and JOY of God in Christ Jesus. Something that’s in such abundance that we have far more than we might ever need. Do we hoard it? Do we hold on to it as if there might not be more where that came from? Or do we give it away?

Let’s examine this thought tonight as we see how Simeon and Anna react to the love of God in Christ Jesus. Once the angels have “left . . . and gone into heaven” (Lk 2:15), and when the shepherds have “returned” to their fields (Lk 2:20), when the holy Child of Bethlehem has left the stable and manger, we begin to look elsewhere to find Jesus. And so today we travel with Mary and Joseph from the stable to the temple. “And 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.”

In this account we have a number of actors in addition to Jesus Himself. Joseph and Mary, who continue in their faithfulness to the Lord by bringing Jesus, the true, permanent temple of God, into the temporary temple to be consecrated to His Father. Jesus is indeed the temple, the place where God and man meet, as we know from His incarnation. He came into the world as the Light of the World, and His earthly parents take Him to the temple as a 40 day old infant in order that He might be about His Father’s business. Business that He never stopped doing throughout His entire life.

And then there’s Simeon. Led by the Spirit, Simeon knows where to find the Christ. He is promised that he won’t die until he sees the Lord. “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.” Simeon is the representation of the old era. And he takes his Lord and Savior into his arms and blesses God saying, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” The temple, the sanctuary of the Lord, is the center of worship in the Old as well as the New Covenant. And the new covenant is being ushered in, even as Simeon is allowed to depart in peace, having seen God’s salvation face to face, and held Him in his arms.

The last actor we see in this account is Anna. Anna too, knew where to look for her Savior. She had been living in the temple for years and years. “She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.” She, like Simeon, is a representation of Israel at its best: devout, obedient, constant in prayer, led by the Holy Spirit, at home in the temple, longing and hoping for the fulfillment of God’s promises. And the Savior who we have so recently seen in the stable, lying in the manger, is now at home in the temple.

Today, we still find Christ in his Temple through his means of grace. We find Christ in his Word, which is read here; which you read in your homes; which you carry with you in your memory, thoughts, and prayers. The temple is the habitation of God and therefore it signifies all places where God is present. And so, it also signifies Holy Scripture wherein we find God revealed to us.

And we also find Christ in his holy Sacraments. Through confession and absolution, we are strengthened in our baptismal unity with Christ, and we’re assured once again that “he that believes and is baptized shall be saved.” In the Lord’s Supper we find our Savior in a most concrete, specific, intimate way. We find him “incarnate” in bread and wine, and we partake of his very body and blood given and shed for us for the forgiveness of all our sin. It’s no coincidence that immediately after this sacred ‘meeting’ we sing the very song Simeon spoke at his first meeting with Jesus. We sing the Nunc Dimittis.

We wouldn’t find our Savior were it not for the power of his Spirit. By the power of his Spirit, we embrace him. The essence of true worship is gladly to receive what God so graciously gives. As we gather in His house, we gladly receive the Christ Child into our arms, embracing and holding fast his precious promises of life and forgiveness.

And by the power of his Spirit, we take what God has given to us, and we praise God for His gifts becaue God loves to hear our songs of praise and thanksgiving in response to his gift of salvation in Christ!

And by the power of his Spirit, we pray to Him. Imagine the many fervent prayers and pleadings which those two aged saints, Simeon and Anna, offered up over the years! So, too, we are commanded pray without ceasing.

Also, by the power of his Spirit, we speak of him to others. Anna didn’t only thank God, but she also spoke of him to others. Our text says, “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.” Faith and knowledge of Christ can’t remain silent. Faith breaks forth and testifies in order to help others, and to share the Light that was given to us in Christ Jesus, as Psalm 116 says: ‘I have believed, and so I also speak’” This is a JOY that’s Too Good to Be Hoarded. We can’t simply keep it to ourselves as though we could stockpile it for a later date. God keeps giving it and wants us to share it with others.

Even though Christmas isn’t here yet, it won’t be long before the Christmas decorations will be taken down. The beautiful Christmas carols are going to fade away until we break them out again next year. But we will always have God’s grace and presence with us. He’s here—as he has promised to be wherever two or three of his people gather in his name, and where his word of forgiveness and life is proclaimed. And because He continues to come to us in Word and Sacrament, that JOY will always be ours. Abundant and overflowing. He gives us so much because we need it so much. But also, because He wants us to share it with the world.

We’ve received His Light and His JOY, so that we can like Anna and Simeon, spread that JOY out into the world and bear witness of Him to others. May our song be that of Simeon, knowing that “our eyes have seen the salvation that has been prepared in the sight of all peoples, a light for revelation to the gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” This is a JOY that’s Too Good to Be Hoarded. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.