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There were those
who stayed.

Not because it was easy,
not because they were certain,
but because they trusted
that God still comes
to those who wait.

They came again
to the familiar place,
carrying their longing
as faithfully
as their prayers.

And when the child arrived –
no sign to mark him,
no light to single him out –
they knew.

They took him into waiting hands
and named what they saw:
salvation
small enough to hold,
bright enough to rest a lifetime on.

One spoke release.
One spoke hope.

And one spoke truth.

Not to wound,
but to prepare.
Not to steal joy,
but to make room for it
to be honest.

For love, they said,
will not be painless.
Light will not come
without cost.
And the heart that welcomes God
must be wide enough
to be pierced.

Bless those who hear such words
and do not turn away.
Bless those who carry them
quietly, faithfully,
until they are needed.

This is the light of Candlemas:
not the light that dazzles,
but the light that stays.

May it find you waiting.
May it find you listening.
May it find you willing
to carry what must be carried,
and to trust
that God is already near.

Turning 80

There are some well-known people who turn 80 this year: Joanna Lumley, Cher, Dolly Parton, Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Sylvester Stallone – and a few in this congregation too…

When asked about retiring, Dolly Parton apparently said, in her self-deprecating way: “I can’t afford to – it takes a lot of time and money to look this cheap”.

We’re not sure how old Simeon and Anna were, but we have to guess that they were at least in their 80’s. Their involvement in the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple helps make this a turning point in the Church year. The warmth and wonder of Christmas is still, just about, with us, but already the days are getting longer.

Candlemas

Another name for today is Candlemas. The day when traditionally all the Church’s candles for the year were blessed and at night many would place a lighted candle in their windows at home. In pre-Christian times it was a festival of light, marking the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.

The Candlemas reading from Luke holds together light and cost, joy and truth, promise and pain. And at the heart of today’s gospel stand two elderly figures who had learned to wait – Simeon and Anna.

Simeon and Anna

Luke tells us that Simeon was ‘righteous and devout,’ and that he had been waiting for ‘the consolation of Israel.’ He had waited long enough to know disappointment, long enough to watch prayers apparently go unanswered, long enough to see political power come and go. Anna, too, had waited: widowed for most of her life, she remained faithful in worship, fasting and prayer. Neither had given up on God, even when the years stretched on.

Their waiting was not passive. It was a disciplined attentiveness, a staying awake to the possibility that God might still act. And when Mary and Joseph bring their infant son into the temple – doing nothing remarkable, just fulfilling the law – it is Simeon and Anna who recognise what others miss. Years of waiting have sharpened their vision.

Simeon takes the child in his arms and speaks words of praise and release: ‘My eyes have seen your salvation.’ These words are often read at funerals, and rightly so, because they speak of a life fulfilled. Simeon can now let go. The promise he carried for so long has taken flesh before him.

Anna responds differently. She does not speak words of closure but words of proclamation. She tells others about the child, especially those who, like her, were still waiting for redemption. Faithful waiting, Luke suggests, does not end in silence but in witness.

Courage to tell the truth

And yet this scene is not only tender; it is also bracingly honest. Simeon turns to Mary and speaks words no new parent wants to hear: ‘This child is destined for the falling and rising of many… and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

Here is the other side of faithful waiting: the courage to tell the truth about the cost of God’s promises. Simeon does not wrap his words in sentimentality. He does not protect Mary from pain by offering easy reassurance. His honesty is an act of deep pastoral care. He respects her enough to speak the truth.

Candlemas reminds us that the light of Christ does not eliminate darkness; it exposes it. Simeon understands that salvation will be costly, not only for the child, but for his mother. Love, when it is real, always carries risk.

This kind of honesty matters deeply for the Church. Simeon models a faith that refuses to trade truth for comfort. He shows us that hope and realism belong together. To name the sword is not to deny God’s goodness, but to acknowledge that God’s work in the world will disturb settled powers and pierce tender hearts.

Mary, for her part, does not argue or retreat. Luke tells us she treasures these words, even when they are hard. Faith, here, is not certainty but courage, the willingness to hold together joy and sorrow, promise and pain.

To wait

For many of us, Simeon and Anna’s story resonates deeply. We know what it is to wait for answers, for healing, for justice, for renewal in the Church or in our own lives. We also know what it is to receive truths we did not ask for. Candlemas does not promise that waiting will end neatly, only that God is faithful within it.

The Presentation of Christ calls us to be a people who wait well and speak truthfully; who recognise God’s light in unexpected places; and who are honest about the cost of love. Simeon and Anna remind us that faithfulness over time forms us into people capable of recognising Christ and of telling the truth when it matters most.

May we, like them, be attentive in our waiting, courageous in our speaking, and faithful in our hope. And may the light of Christ, once seen, never be forgotten, even when it leads us through shadow.

I started with a Dolly Parton quote, and I was looking for one to end with from Joanna Lumley, something about patience or waiting. Perhaps she’s not very good at either, since I couldn’t find one. But I found this from Joanna instead and it seemed a pretty good way to finish: “I am blessed beyond the realms of blessedness and easily the greatest pleasure is giving it away.” Amen

‘For those who wait’ was delivered by Ian Banks on Candlemas, 1st February 2026, at St John with St Mark, Bury. It was based on Luke 2:22-40.

 References:

• https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/holydays/candlemas.shtml
• https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/522200-it-takes-a-lot-of-time-and-money-to-look
• https://quotefancy.com/quote/1304000/Joanna-Lumley-I-am-blessed-beyond-the-realms-of-blessedness-and-easily-the-greatest