Be open to the extraordinary

stjohnstmarkchurchburySunday, February 4, 2018

Bible Text: Luke 2:22-40 | Preacher: Gill Barnett | Series: Candlemas

What gives you the most satisfaction in life?  The ordinary everyday things that you know are going to happen and you come to expect and welcome? That give structure and order to your life? Or those odd things, the extraordinary things that happen once in a blue moon? That bring you up short, that surprise and cheer you but for which you can’t plan?

We’ve got both going on in our gospel reading today.  Mary and Joseph, being good Jewish believers, are taking their first born to the temple in order to present him to God. God the giver of life. To acknowledge God as Lord and to ‘redeem’ their son by offering a sacrifice.  No-one would have batted an eyelid at this ceremony. A few nudges and smiles – see they’ve come good in the end after all that gossip!

And then along come Simeon and Anna. Breaking into a very ordinary event with extraordinary stories and prophecies about our faith.  This is our Jesus they’re talking about.  Do we talk about him in the same way?  Do we talk about him at all outside the confines of our Sunday, Wednesday or Thursday services?

Story telling

We have an extraordinary story to tell. And it’s imperative that we do tell it because Jesus came to give us all life and light and hope.  Christ’s death and resurrection have freed us from the fear of death because Christ defeated death.  We will still die and leave behind this mortal body but that is not the end for believers in Christ. Because death is only a doorway to further life, more life, life everlasting.  All who fear death – and there are many of them in the world, need to hear our story – as strange and inexplicable as it is – so that they may have the opportunity to know Jesus for themselves as Lord and Saviour and to share in his victory.

Jesus came in human form. He is our model, leader, sacrifice, conqueror and high priest.  God himself showed us how to live transformed lives.

Transformation

Jesus as the perfect leader – invites you to follow him and you can bring along / invite as many people as you like.  Jesus is ‘a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel.’  There is no-one outside the scope of the invitation although the invitation won’t always be readily received. ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many, … and to be a sign that will be spoken against.’  But people still have to hear in order to decide whether to accept or reject him.  Who are you going to invite to follow?

Jesus as the perfect human – he obeyed everything that God required of him as a member of the tribe of Israel.  He kept all the laws.  His parents were obedient to the law.  Jesus was not born above the law. Instead he fulfilled it perfectly.

Jesus as the perfect sacrifice – Mary and Joseph, along with all Jews came repeatedly to the temple to offer sacrifices for their sins. They went via a new high priest each year, who themselves had to be consecrated. The important word here is repeatedly.  But we now have Jesus as the perfect sacrifice. As we say in our Eucharist prayer, Jesus made this sacrifice, once, for all.  There is no longer any temple, any division.  He’s done it all.

Jesus as the conqueror – not of kings or princes or nations but of the final enemy, death.  This is, for many, the last and greatest fear they have to face.  Yet it is no fear at all for those who know Jesus. ‘Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’  How many people still need to hear that?

Jesus as or High Priest – the one who lived our life and yet was perfect in every way. He had no need to consecrate himself before offering the complete and final sacrifice for us all, himself. Because he was perfect and took ALL our sins, we are released from sin’s dominion and from fear of death when we call him Lord.  Who still needs to hear that extraordinary statement?

Twilight

It is a truth of our humanity.  There are many who exist in a kind of twilight world with little belief or hope or lasting values to sustain them. Our world faces dark times with the threats of war, global poverty, disease and climate change.  And more personally, we know in our own lives how things wax and wane.  This is the ordinary story of humanity.

And then along come the Simeons and the Annas of our lives – breaking into the ordinary with extraordinary stories and prophecies…  How does that play out in your life?  As you live your ordinary life, where do you have the chance to tell the extraordinary story of Jesus?  Who do you meet on everyday occasions that you could share this extraordinary story with?

Think about those people you meet on a regular basis – outside this Sunday service:

Do they even know you are a Christian?
Do they know the extraordinary story of Jesus?
If you don’t tell them, who will?

Places of encounter

This place, this church and our hall are places of encounter with a God of love and life and hope and it’s too great a message to be left inside the building.

Some of the ordinary things have changed. The library’s gone; some ordinary things only happen once a year – the panto starts this week.  But that’s where life happens and they are the opportunities you are given to tell the extraordinary story of Jesus.  You may not want to be as extraordinary as either Simeon or Anna, that may not be your gifting but youhave the same extraordinary story to tell about the extraordinary Saviour of the world who brings light and life and hope.

Be extraordinary

Do something extraordinary this week and drop his name into a conversation.  Try it and see what happens.  Be open to the working of our extraordinary God in our ordinary lives.