St Clement Church
The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Candlemas) Community Service
Good morning
Candlemas is the last part of the Christmas season … next week, the church will be cleared of the stable, the decorated window sills and pillars.
We will then be on the run-up to Lent … where does the time go?
Like many of you, I have not been able to attend church since our Service of Nine Lessons and Carols.
It has brought home to me just how valuable the Community Services are.
So, you will all be in my thoughts as I join you at 10:15 next Sunday to share this service.
My love to you all
Liz
God of every land and nation, you spoke your Word and revealed your Good News in your Son Jesus Christ.
We pray for our troubled world, its peoples, and their leaders.
We pray for those caught up in war, violence, and hatred; especially the innocent victims of these evils.
May peace abound and righteousness flourish, so that we may vanquish injustice and wrong. Amen
We say together:
Here we are Lord; your people, your Church meeting together in your presence. We welcome each other and we welcome you.
Make yourself known to us in new ways through our worship, our prayers, and our understanding of your Word, today.
Amen
Hymn: 443 Rejoice the Lord is King
Our Prayer of Penitence
Lord, you were sent by the Father to bring good news to the poor.
Lord, have mercy
Christ, you came to save us from sin.
Christ have mercy
Lord, you were sent to proclaim the grace and mercy of God
Lord, have mercy
May our Almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring us his pardon and peace, now and for ever.
Amen
The Collect
Almighty and ever-living God, clothed in majesty, whose beloved Son was this day presented in the Temple, in substance of our flesh: grant that we may be presented to you with pure and clean hearts, by your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen
Readings:
Malachi 3. 1 – 5
Hebrews 2. 14 - 18
Hymn: 362 Glorious things of Thee are spoken
Gospel: Luke 2. 22 - 40
(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus 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 turtle-doves 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 mine eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory to your people Israel.’
And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.
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 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed.’
There was a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was of a great age, having lived with ger husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four.
She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day.
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 Israel.
When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.
(This is the Gospel of our Lord. Praise to you, O Christ)
Reflection
I don’t know about you but many people use January as a time to ‘take stock,’ a time for ‘New Year resolutions,’ a time to look forward and to make a list of the things that they would like to do before they ‘meet their maker.’
Simeon has a list but it has just one thing on it! We’re told that the Holy Spirit has revealed to him that he will see God’s Messiah before he dies - just one thing on his list, but a huge ‘one thing.’
We’re told that Simeon is looking forward to the ‘consolation of Israel.’ He is looking forward to the salvation of God’s people, Israel.
Every day Simeon looks for a child born the Messiah. Every day, as parents bring their children to the Temple for the rites of purification, Simeon looks to see if maybe this one is the Christ.
When Mary and Joseph appear in the Temple with Jesus, Simeon knows, this IS the one!
Simeon takes the child in his arms and that’s when the totally unexpected happens. Simeon gazes into the baby Jesus’ eyes and declares that this child is not only the salvation of Israel, but the salvation of the Gentiles as well!
We, as Christians, may not appreciate the magnitude of this statement because we’ve been brought up in the Christian tradition to believe ‘Jesus Christ came for the salvation of all people.’ BUT, in Simeon’s time, to say the Messiah, the Christ, has come for the salvation of Israel is one thing, but to say the Messiah, the Christ, has come for ALL people is unbelievable, it is something radically new!
We need to remember that Luke, our Gospel writer, is a Gentile writing to Gentiles. So, to hear early on in Luke’s Gospel that the salvation Jesus brings is for ALL people is really quite amazing. It really is GOOD NEWS!
Interestingly, Luke repeatedly emphasizes Jesus’ Jewishness. This is because we need to understand that Jesus is not just a son of a god, but He is THE Son of THE God of Israel, the one and only true God.
We are also told that Simeon is waiting for ‘the consolation of Israel.’ So, what is ‘consolation?’ A dictionary definition is ‘comfort that is received by a person after a loss or disappointment.’
Why did Israel need consolation?
If we look at Israel’s history - more than 4000 years – repeatedly the people of Israel, God’s people, deviate from worshipping God and instead turn to idol worship. Many have lost their identity as people of God – their identity and spiritual health is in decline; the Roman oppression is terrible … the roads are lined with crucified individuals meant to instill political terror and mental horror in people. This is why they need consolation; why they need comfort.
So, this baby is God’s salvation. This baby is the light of revelation. This baby is the glory of Israel. He will provide consolation, comfort and peace to a people and to a world oppressed by sin.
There are numerous references in the New Testament to God giving us peace – but nowhere does it say that God will change the situation; we are only told to ‘rejoice and present it to God’ and though our situation may stay the same, we experience God’s comfort and peace.
This is the mystery of God’s consolation: that we are able to experience comfort, not because we are comfortable, but we experience comfort despite the discomfort the world puts us through and nothing in this world can take that away from us.
God is good. Therefore, God does NOT cause bad things to happen, but God can use the bad things that happen for good and when we are forced to deal with pain and suffering in this world, he uses that to bring us closer to him because HE is our source of comfort. The answer to all struggles that we have, is Christ: no matter what situation we encounter in our lives – and now, is a major one the world over - or how much pain we experience, we can choose to bear it with darkness in our hearts or with comfort and peace. It will not always be comfortable for us but we can always be comforted in our hearts because we know that, no matter how long it takes before Christ comes again, that he most definitely will come and he will save us all.
This baby Simeon holds came into the world over 2000 years ago. Yet, he still provides comfort, life-changing mercy, and grace to people today.
The consolation and comfort that God gives is peace. We are urged to present all our inner struggles to God and God will give us peace that protects us. Simeon and Anna both waited until their old age before they saw the redemption and consolation of Israel, which in Simeon’s case, God somehow revealed that he would see before he died.
There’s a reason each and every one of us believes in and follows God; God’s promise that he gives to us all is that Christ will come again and that knowledge is enough to give us comfort in our hearts even if we are not comfortable in this world.
It’s because of ‘discomfort’ that we seek comfort in Christ; no matter is too small, no obstacle too great to bring before Christ. If we bring all our petitions and prayers to God, he will bring us comfort even amidst our suffering, even as we wait God’s fulfillment of his promise to us.
O Jesus, thou hast promised
To all who follow thee –
That where thou art in glory
There shall thy servant be;
And Jesus, I have promised
To serve thee to the end;
O give me grace to follow,
My master and my friend. (hymn - O Jesus I have promised)
Amen
Let us declare our faith in God
We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with His love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high.
We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen
Hymn: 467 Through all the changing scenes of life
Our Intercessions
Faithful God, we thank you for the example of Simeon and Anna, their faithful service and witness and for their patient waiting for Christ to be revealed. Help us to serve you faithfully and patiently, watching for you to be revealed in our own lives.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Holy God, as we remember the older and retired people in our churches, we give you thanks for all that they do in our church worship, in our church fellowship and in our communities. Send your Holy Spirit to inspire them to use and share their life experiences with wisdom, humility, and gladness.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Lord God, we pray for all who work for peace and unity and for all world leaders that they will continue to seek for an end to the suffering caused by war and violence, injustice and inequality, disease and prejudice, poverty and hopelessness and bring healing to the world. We pray especially for those fighting terrorism throughout the world and for peace in Ukraine and the Holy Land.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Father God, we pray for our church and village community, that each of us may make use of our individual talents enabling our church community to flourish as a witness to the ‘One Body’ of the church. Help us to spread the warmth of your love to everyone we meet.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Gracious God, we pray for the work and service of all care homes and day centres for elderly and sick people, for the charity organisations and shops that raise money to help. We pray for all finding their life painful, lonely or uncertain, especially those who are ill or vulnerable.
We especially bring before you: Reverend Diane, Ken, Brian, May, Susan, Tony, Jan, Lynda, Dot, Maureen, Pam and David, Sandra, Roger and Helen, Michael and Patricia, Rob and Alison, Mary, Jeremy, Anita and Stephen, Callum and Elaine, Sue and Martin, Margaret and John, Coral and Paul, Barbara, Simone, Felicity, Dinah, Daphne and David, David and Jeanette, Stanley, Carol, Rachael, all those known to each of us and those who have no one to pray for them.
Help them to sense your comfort in times of need and bless their families and carers.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Merciful Father, your love reaches beyond the grave. At the end of our days on earth be with us and with those we love. May those who have gone before us rest in your eternal peace. We remember those who have died and we pray for all those whose life is saddened by the death of a loved one, be with them in their loneliness.
Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer
Everlasting God, we pray for ourselves; as we go from this church today to start the week ahead, we ask that in all we do, we may walk more closely with you at our side safe in the knowledge that your fatherly love and care know no bounds.
Rejoicing in the fellowship of St Andrew, St Allen and St Clement and all Christian people to your unfailing love.
Merciful Father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
We say together:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen
Candlemas by Malcolm Guite
They came, as called, according to the Law.
Though they were poor and had to keep things simple,
They moved in grace, in quietness, in awe,
For God was coming with them to His temple.
Amidst the outer court’s commercial bustle
They’d waited hours, enduring shouts and shoves,
Buyers and sellers, sensing one more hustle,
Had made a killing on the two young doves.
They come at last with us to Candlemas
And keep the day the prophecies come true
We glimpse with them, amidst our busyness,
The peace that Simeon and Anna knew.
For Candlemas still keeps His kindled light,
Against the dark our Saviour’s face is bright.
The Peace
God is love and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
Hymn: 235 Forth in Thy name, O Lord I go
The Blessing
May the Father’s hand
Keep us from stumbling,
the footprints of Jesus
give us confidence to follow,
and the fire of the Spirit
keep us warm and safe
in our walk with God this day. Amen