12/21
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| Harelm Meer |
The winter solstice. The darkest day of the year. From here on out it gets a little more light every day. And it’s officially winter.
Tonight we look at the last infancy story in the gospels, Luke 2:22-40. And the 3rd day of Christmas. Traditionally known as the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. Found only in Luke. Had we read 21, we would have read of the circumcision of Jesus. Years ago, I remember the Met had an exhibit, Art Treasures of the Vatican. It contained a very ornate reliquary for the icon of Jesus’ circumcision, the only part of him he left behind.
The ceremony being described is the redemption of the first born. Since the story of Abraham and Isaac, the first born male child, the one who breaks the womb, must be redeemed by a sacrifice. Traditionally a sheep or lamb. But poorer families like Joseph and Mary could substitute two pigeons or turtle doves. This ultimately leads to a discussion of God sacrificing God’s only son to redeem the world for its sins and a whole hard conversation about substitutionary atonement which is built on a theological structure and logic I’ve never been able to accept. As in, Jesus died for our sins. ( Marsha males reference to z scent debate in the New York Times ver what eg minimum belief required to be a Christian are. )
Joseph and Mary take Jesus to the Temple and encounter two elderly people. One is Simeon, whose credentials are that he is righteous and devout. He has been waiting for the “consolation of Israel,” namely its liberation and independence. He is guided by the spirit to recognize that this child is the one and responds with his first oracle, known as the nunc dimittis: now let your servant depart in peace. His purpose is to praise God and declare God’s saving power.In the logic of Isaiah 49:6, namely that Israel’s glory is to be a light to the nations.
His second oracle is that this one comes for the “rising and falling “ of the nation. Foreseen in the conflict between God’s avowing purpose, God’s liberation project and human opposition.That here will eb resistance Ean rejection. And Mary’s side will be pierce with a sword. (As her son ultimately is) She will have to live through his rejection, suffering and execution.
The other elderly person is Anna, said to be from the tribe of Asher. She is a widow and a woman prophet. Luke is unique in his frequent paring of male and female witnesses. She too I looking for th redemption of the people, their liberation. (How odd that he parents let the child be taken up by these strangers, old and hanging out in the Temple….…)
It is important for Luke to show that they had fulfill all the law before departing. This is the last if Jesus’ infancy. Next wile the brief story of him in the Temple, his only childhood story, on the cup of his bar mitzvah. Thus the story begins and ends with the law.
The “falling and rising” can also seen as an “all or nothing” situation.
Luke does a very neat circle of (H)Anna being Samuel’s mother and giving Mary the words to her song, Anna being John the Baptist’s mother and now another Anna is a prophet.
One message is that God’s love is not limited status, gender or geography. More important, these two elderly people see not the present but the certain future an san now “depart” the earth. How do we see with their eyes? We can see the beginning and have to imagine it’s completion. As it always is . As Dr. King said, the arc of history maybe long, but it bends towards justice. We need to keep that vision in our eyer as we take up the struggle in our own days.
12/22
Today I join again with our friends from Sabeel in Jerusalem in an Advent Bible study with Naim Ateek. We are discussing the Annunciation passage in Luke. Elizabeth will bring John the Baptist, the miracle child. And Mary will bing the Messiah. Mary embodies total obedience, trusting and surrendering to God. It raises the question, are we also bearers of God? Do w know the who do the impossible? Can we be partners with God? God needs us to be instruments of God’s peace.
Naim points out that the angel describes the Messiah’s work in parochial terms, exclusive to Israelites, while Mary’ s song will extend to all poor lowly, excluded and marginalized. Quoting Ephesias 3:6 and Galatians 3: 26-29, God’s purpose begins with one group but extends in love for all the world.
A question so raised as to why Mary’s doubt is tolerated but Zechariah’s not. (He was struck speechless until he recognized Jesus as Messiah.) Niim suggest that because eZechiah was a priest , he should have known better. And that trained theologian and scholars may bit be ion ot mystery.
Why Mary? A sign of God’s special love for the simple, the lowly, the poor, the oppressed. Women in the group see this as well as a call to lift the role of women un teh vvvv church.
As we contemplate the coming celebration of Christmas, it is necessary to look at the existential reality of Bethlehem. Today, 4400 Palestinians are underway detention by Israelis, including 41 women and 170 children. And due to Covid, in Bethlehem where income depends on tourism, especially this time of year, over 7000 Palestinians out of work. We can only truly understnsd the reality if Christmas if we undersea dht reality of Bethlehem.
AS we are engaged in our discussion, rh Israeli sure court is hearing 15 challenges of the 2018 “Law of the Nation State” which reserves national rights in Israel to Jesus only. Paslesreinass and Druze this fin themselves excluded form citizens’ rights. Critics maintain that the amounts to apartheid in all but name.
