Sunday, December 26, 2021

First Sunday of Christmas
Exodus 13:1-3a, 11-15
Psalm 111
Colossians 3:12-17
Luke 2:22-40

Yahweh’s works are great, pondered by all those who delight in them.

I was preparing for a Christmas party by cleaning my house a couple weeks ago and I decided to listen to Christmas music. The CD I chose was one that had humorous songs, including the classic from Bob and Doug McKenzie (played by comedians Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas), “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. They used their favorite items from the Great White North as the items their true love gave. In the song they asked the question, “Where do they get twelve days?” They try to figure it out by counting Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and then the weekends, but are left we several “mystery days.” Since the twelve days of Christmas is not really a tradition most of us follow anymore, it is hard to know what they mean. If you count from Christmas through Epiphany, you come up with twelve days. Christmas is not really over until we get to January 6th.

So, according to the world the party is over by Sunday; some people will even have their trees on the curb as soon as possible. This is not true everywhere; in England December 26th is a holiday called Boxing Day. The Boxing Day tradition goes back about eight hundred years and is a time for remembering and taking care of the poor. In ages past, and even in some places today, Boxing Day was when the alms boxes located in churches were opened to distribute the gifts to the poor. It has also been traditional for the large landowners to give their servants the day off to spend with their families, with gifts of food from the family’s Christmas dinner to share.

Sunday is also St. Stephen’s Day. Stephen was the first Christian martyr; his story is found in Acts chapters six and seven. In the early days of the church, the apostles tried to take care of all the work that needed to be done in the growing fellowship of believers. They studied and taught the scriptures and the stories of Jesus, and they took care of those in need. They realized that it was impossible for them to do everything, that they needed help if they were going to be able to focus on preaching the Word to the world. They chose seven deacons to do the tasks of administration, the business of the church. Stephen was one of those seven.

Stephen wasn’t just a servant, however. He was a man of God who also did works of great wonder and spoke with the grace of God. He was seized by the authorities because they opposed the spread of “the Way” as Christianity was called in the beginning. They claimed that Stephen spoke blasphemy and persuaded some men to testify against him. Based on lies, Stephen was found guilty and was sentenced to death by stoning. “All who sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his face like it was the face of an angel.” (Acts 6:15, WEB)

Stephen gave the most eloquent speech, laying out before them the story of God’s love. He reminded them of the works of God’s power in the life of Israel and the promises of God that still lay before them. Then he placed the one whom they crucified in the midst of the story, showing them that everything was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. He showed them how they missed the Messiah, and how they betrayed the God they claimed to love. They stoned him for his words, but even while Stephen received such brutality he knew the peace of God. He prayed for Jesus to receive his spirit and fell on his knees to ask for forgiveness - not for himself, but for the ones who were killing him.

The days following Christmas are filled with aspects of God’s story that do not make sense to us. How could God allow a faithful servant like Steven to die such a horrific death? Imagine being stoned? It is not a quick and easy passing. If they were lucky, the person being stoned would die when pushed into the hole, but it is a form of capital punishment by which a crowd throws stones at the person until they died of blunt trauma, they would suffer incredible pain as they were buried under stones. It is interesting that the first time we meet Paul, who was then called Saul, was at the stoning of Steven. Paul’s life ended in the same way.

The other surprising event is remembered on December 28th, the day set aside for the Holy Innocents, the children massacred in Bethlehem at the hands of Herod. Though we are to remember these two horrific moments, in the midst of it all we are called to praise.

One this first Sunday of Christmas, we listen to another horrific part of God’s story. It is no wonder that many look back onto the Old Testament texts with questions and doubts. We prefer to believe in a God who is loving and kind; any stories of death and destruction is difficult for us to juxtapose with our understanding. We have a hard time believing that the God who sent us the baby in the manger could possibly allow the death of all the first born of Egypt. That’s what happened at the Passover, when the angel of death passed over the homes covered in the blood of the lamb and took the sons of Egypt as the final plague to convince Pharaoh to set the Hebrews free. There must have been a better way.

The Old Testament passage comes in the midst of the story of this final plague. The Exodus was the first of many great works and a foreshadowing of the greatest work that He performed in and through Jesus Christ. The deliverance was not easy; Pharaoh’s heart was hardened against the Hebrews, and he refused to let them leave despite his promises. So, God made the ultimate demand, the demand that the other gods had no right to make. He gives life to all, include humankind, so only He has the right to take that life away. As a last resort, God took the first born of Egypt, man and beast. But as proof that He is God, He saved the firstborn of the Hebrews. He saved His sons.

After Pharaoh ordered the Hebrews to leave, God gave the people instructions about the journey. He told them to remember the Passover regularly, to remember how God delivered them out of Egypt. Then He called His people to consecrate all their first-born males, human and animal. This consecration was to happen not only on that night, but in all time after they enter into the Promised Land. The animals were sacrificed; it was not a command to sacrifice to death for the first-born human sons, but to life. This was a command to dedicate their first fruits to God’s service. The first born belonged to God.

According to Numbers 18:16 there was a redemption price of five shekels that could be paid to a priest when the first-born son of a mother was thirty days old. This redemption price would have ‘bought’ or ‘redeemed’ or ‘paid the ransom’ for the child so that they could be restored to their family. If a father could not pay the redemption price, the child had to do so when he became a man. It is expected that Joseph paid, although we do not hear about it in the scriptures. Perhaps in the case of Jesus, the ransom was never paid by humankind because Jesus was sent to pay the price Himself, not with shekels but with His own blood.

In other words, the very command we hear in today’s Old Testament lesson was truly fulfilled in the life, ministry, and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mary and Joseph dedicated Jesus to God’s service, and Jesus served in a way that only He could serve. Ultimately we know that Jesus was the final sacrifice, and it is His blood that is now painted on our doors so that the angel of death will pass us by.

Jesus was circumcised at eight days according to the Law and when the forty days of purification was over, Mary, Joseph and Jesus went to Jerusalem so that He might be presented at the Temple. They gave a pair of doves or two young pigeons. A wealthy family would have given a lamb and dove or pigeon; this offering is a reminder of the humble state of Jesus’ family and perhaps further reason to believe that Joseph didn’t pay the redemption price for Jesus.

In the Gospel lesson we meet two people, a man and a woman, both were waiting expectantly for the coming of the Messiah. The first person was a man named Simeon who was righteous and devout. This description of Simeon as both righteous and devout is interesting. Matthew Henry suggests that righteousness is lived for the sake of other people and one who is devout is devout toward God. “...these must always go together, and each will befriend the other, but neither will atone for the defect of the other.” In other words, we love God and neighbor, not one or the other. If we hate our neighbor we cannot love God. And if we love God, we will always love our neighbor. Simeon was a man who gave his life to God’s service; he loved God and his neighbor.

The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon. There are not many examples of the Holy Spirit on men before Christ finished His work, and yet we see the Spirit clearly in the Luke’s Gospel. Luke, being a man of science and medicine was focused on the miraculous works of God, as we see in the telling of Jesus’ birth and in His presentation at the Temple. Simeon apparently lived in Jerusalem; he prayed often. He lived in thanksgiving of God’s works. He was an example to us of the life that glorifies God. Simeon had been given a promise; he would not die until he saw the Messiah.

There’s a Paul connection, here, too. The bible tells us of a man named Gamaliel who was a Pharisee, an honored teacher of the Law. He was in the Temple when Peter and the apostles were taken in for preaching the Gospel. He told his fellow councilmen to be patient and let God take care of the situation. “Now I tell you, withdraw from these men, and leave them alone. For if this counsel or this work is of men, it will be overthrown. 39 But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow it, and you would be found even to be fighting against God!” This was wise advice, although I’m certain the council was hoping everything would turn out much differently.

Gamaliel, however, may have had a concealed motive for speaking such wise words. We know that this Pharisee was a Jewish scholar and teacher of the Law. His most famous student was Saul of Tarsus, otherwise known as Paul. Tradition holds that Simeon, the old man in the Temple who recognized Baby Jesus as the Messiah, was Gamaliel’s father. If this is true, he most likely told his son about Jesus. Did Gamaliel know that the men standing before the Sanhedrin were followers of that baby in the Temple? It is believed that Gamaliel did become a Christian and was baptized by Peter and John, but that he kept his Christianity a secret until his death so that he could remain in the Sanhedrin to offer aid to the Christians who were being persecuted. The Jewish account of his life maintains that he remained a Pharisee until he died. But his speech at the trial of the apostles gives some credence to the possibility that he had faith. His council saved their lives so they could continue to share the Gospel.

The second person is an elderly woman named Anna. We know that she was old. She was at least eighty-four, but she could have been more than a hundred, depending on the translation. She had been living in the Temple for many decades, living a life of pious prayer and fasting. Her life was indeed one of glorifying God. She worshipped day and night.

Simeon and Anna both recognized that Jesus was the one for whom they were waiting. They knew He was the Messiah and they praised God for His faithfulness. Simeon boldly proclaimed what Jesus came to do, that He would be the salvation of Israel and a light to the Gentiles. This was an amazing thing to say. Simeon knew by the power of the Holy Spirit that the boy Jesus would die, and that his death would pierce the very soul of His mother. Those are powerful words. Anna came upon the scene as Simeon told Mary and Joseph about their son’s future and she began praising God loudly and telling everyone about Jesus. “He’s the one we’ve been waiting for! He’s the promised King!” Simeon may have quietly shared the story of Jesus, but Anna was not going to be silent. She was ready to tell the world.

Simeon and Anna committed their lives to the promises of God. They waited patiently to see the God’s faithfulness. Their sacrifice was not blood and death, but their whole lives of hope and faith. When they received the fulfillment of God’s promise, they spent their rest of their lives praising God with thanksgiving. I think my favorite part of this story, however, is the response of Mary and Joseph. They marveled at the words spoken about their son. They knew because they too experienced the Holy Spirit and the messengers of God. And yet they marveled at everything that happened to them after Jesus was born.

God is worthy of our praise. The psalmist wrote, “Praise Yah! I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart, in the council of the upright, and in the congregation.” Why praise God? His works are great, meant to be pondered, or marveled by all. He is righteous and faithful. He has provided for His people and He remembers His covenant. His works are truth and justice. He is our Redeemer, His redemption was sent to us through the baby born in the manger, who lived and died for our sake. He ordained His covenant forever. His name is holy and awesome. The psalmist continued, “The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom. All those who do his work have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”

Psalm 111 was a hymn for Passover concerning the Lamb. We are to learn to give thanks for His wonderful works. As a result of God’s great acts, He deserves unending praise. Just as we struggle with so many images in the Old Testament, the command to fear God does not make sense to us. But we are reminded that we are not meant to be afraid of God, but to be in awe of Him. He is Creator and we are His creation. He has done great things to us. Those who fear God recognize their proper place in His creation. God provides for those who fear Him. God demonstrates His righteousness though we do not deserve His grace. During the Exodus, God even provided food for those who grumbled. He is as gracious, perhaps more so, to us.

Our God has done amazing things. He created the entire world and everything in it. He redeemed all of mankind by the blood of Christ. He brought salvation to our lives, ordained His people to service and promised to do even greater things through His Church. We might suffer for a moment. We might have difficult work to do in this world. But no matter what we face, we believe in the God of the heavens and the earth. By our rebirth through our baptism we are dedicated to a life of service for our God. It is a sacrifice of living, not death. Such a life begins with a daily sacrifice of praise to God, singing songs of adoration and admiration. As we live this life of thanksgiving, we will realize how inconsequential our troubles really are because we will be looking for the fulfillment of God's promises and His faithfulness.

Our God is great and He does great things. The most incredible part is that He does so much of it through us. He calls us to live that holy life, to live faithfully in thanksgiving, doing everything in His name. Whether it is with quiet voice or loud proclamation, His name will change the world. The peace we have in Christ does not guarantee a world without suffering. We'll see horrific moments. We'll panic in the face of danger. We'll cry when we are afraid. We will have to let go, let others take their place in the work of God, give up the things we hold most dear. But as we dwell in Christ and sing His praise together, we can live like Simeon and Anna in hopeful expectation that God will be faithful.

The text from Colossians sounds like a message filled with ‘do this’ and ‘do that’ and yet this is not a message of law, but of Gospel. You are God’s holy and beloved, you who have heard God’s word and believe. Being of God means a life of peace and joy, though this does not mean it will be a life without conflict. As a matter of fact, for many Christians the peace of God comes with the risk of violence and even martyrdom. Stephen could have appeared before the Sanhedrin and given them what they wanted: fearful trembling before their power and authority. He might have been freed, but he would never have been free. Instead of cowering before them and giving in to their demands, Stephen spoke the Word of God into their lives. The fear of the Lord was the beginning of the wisdom for Stephen, and it gave him the courage to face martyrdom for His glory.

Paul wrote, “Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father, through him.” He was not telling us how to live our calling in the world. We might be like Stephen, called to boldly stand for the Gospel despite the risks. We might be like Simeon, led by the Spirit to be at the right place at the right moment to see or hear or do something that seems rather insignificant in the scheme of things. But our quiet life of faithful living will impact others in some way. Or, we might be like Anna, loudly proclaiming the truth we know so that others will hear and believe in the good works of our God. But whatever you do in word or deed, do it in Jesus' name with thanks to God, and He will be glorified.

The life to which we are called is never going to be easy. We may be taken out of our comfort zone and put into a position of risk and difficulty. We may have to do something that shocks and upsets the world around us. We may have to say the very things that will bring scorn from our neighbors. Though we do not see any stonings in our corner of the world, Christians are still dying for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. We cry out for peace, and we strive to work for peace, but the peace that God promises is not something we can achieve by doing this or that. It comes from God. God’s works, all God’s works, are worthy to be pondered.

As we live in His peace, we are called to be the holy and chosen people whom God has made us by His grace. This means growing in the grace of God and becoming the visible manifestation of His love in the world. We are told to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We are told to bear with one another, to forgive as we have been forgiven and to put on love above all else. As the peace of Christ rules in our hearts and we live in thankfulness, the world will see the word of Christ dwelling in our lives like Stephen. For some, this life of peace will be offensive and they will seek to see it end. We might be tempted to hide that peace or to work toward a false sense of people. But as Christ dwells amongst us, we will grow in grace and will naturally live the life to which we have been called, doing everything in word and deed in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God our Father through Him.