The Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple

[AngCath]

http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Presentation.jpg
Almighty and everliving God, we humbly pray that, as your only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple, so we may be presented to you with pure and clean hearts by Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
***
Malachi 3:1-4


3See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; 3he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.* (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) 4Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
***

Hebrews 2:14-18


14 Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. 16For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. 17Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters* (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. 18Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.
***

Luke 2:22-40


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’), 24and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;* (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.* (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) 27Guided by the Spirit, Simeon* (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28Simeon* (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
29‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant* (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) in peace,
according to your word;
30for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which 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. 34Then Simeon* (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) 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 35so 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* (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, 37then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child* (http://javascript<b></b>:void(0);) 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. 40The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

[karen freeinchristman]

Very interesting image.

[gitlance]

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee.

Blessed art Thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of Thy Womb, Jesus.

Holy and glorious Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

:crossrc:

[higgs2]

Hey it's Candlemas! We celebrate Sunday. Parishioners bring their household candles in to be blessed. We'll tell the story of the presentation in Godly Play. Maybe we'll sing "This Little Light of MIne"!

[pmcleanj]

Hey it's Candlemas! We celebrate Sunday. Parishioners bring their household candles in to be blessed. We'll tell the story of the presentation in Godly Play. Maybe we'll sing "This Little Light of MIne"!
Usually during Christmas, we have traditional Christmas dinner for our extended 'family-of-friends', but this year six of our 'family' were abroad for a wedding. Usually at Candlemas, we have a very small celebration, with only one or two or no guests, and the kind of simple dinner that can cook in a crock-pot while I'm at work all day; but this year we had all our hitherto-missing friends come over and I took a vacation-day to prepare.

I got the linens on the table and all the dishes in the oven, just before the first guests arrived. We found all the candlesticks and candleabra in the house and arranged them down the centre of the table, and got the patio lanterns out of the garage and candles into them, and a fire laid on the hearth ready to light.

When all our guests had arrived we turned off every single light in the house and took the patio lanterns and a match-book over to the porch of the Ukrainian Catholic church nearby (simply because it's a good nearby place with shelter for lighting candles). I told the story of the Presentation of Christ in the temple: of how this day marks the fortieth day after Christmas; of the Law that gave Hebrew women 40 days of separation and recovery after childbirth culminating in a redemptive sacrifice of a kid, or two small birds; of how when Jesus was brought to the temple to be redeemed that Simeon recognized Jesus as "a Light to Lighten the Gentiles and the glory of Thy People Israel"; that Candlemas is a Festival of Light and as a symbol of the Light of Christ we would be symbolically processing that New Light back to our darkened house. Then we lit the candles in the lanterns -- in previous years we have done this in blizzards, in relentless Chinook winds, and in rainstorms, but this year the weather was as pleasant as can be -- and carried the lights home. We sang "this little light of mine", "Jesus bids us shine", and "It is better to light Just One little Candle" as we processed. "Creator of the Starry Height, Thy People's everlasting Light" or "The People that in Darkness sat a Glorious Light have seen" might have been more dignified, but we've been doing this for a decade: when the girls were four and one it was beyond them, and it's hard to change childhood traditions later.

When we got the Light home, we took a flame from it and lit the fire. Then we stood around the dining table and took turns lighting the candles and naming people and intentions that we were praying for. When all the candles and oil-lamps were lit, the dining room was as bright as if lit by electricity, and we recited the Collect for Candlemas as our tablegrace, and sat down and had our feast, the main course, of course, featuring "two small birds". We also had pumpkin soup made from the preserves of our Hallowe'en pumpkins, and toffee pudding for dessert.


ALMIGHTY and everliving God, we humbly beseech thy Majesty, that, as thine only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple in substance of our flesh, so we may be presented unto thee with pure and clean hearts, by the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.