“A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel”
I am still on paternal leave, so this homily was not held anywhere yesterday. But since Candlemas is such an important day, and since it landed on a Sunday, I think a homily is in order. I was away for the weekend, and got back late tonight, so I couldn’t publish it yesterday, but better late then never. In the Church of Norway, the readings for Candlemas are the same every year. They are as follows: 1 Samuel 1:21-28; 1 John 1:1-4; and Luke 2:22-40. As usual, when quoting Scripture, I will use the Revised Standard Version (RSV), unless otherwise noted.
Collect of the day (translated by yours truly):
Let us Pray:
Eternal Gud, you who created the light and sent your Son as the Light of the world. We pray: Open our eyes for your salvation, so that we as Hannah and Mary might give you thanks and praise through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Yesterday we celebrated Candlemas. It is an old day on the Church calendar, and we celebrate it in memory of the presentation of Christ in the Temple, when Sts. Mary and Joseph brought Him there, on the fortieth day after He was born. Since Mary had undergone the purification process required by the Mosaic Law, she was to present Christ. And while they were at the Temple, they met two persons; Simeon and Anna. Anna was a prophetess who practically lived in or by the Temple, and had done so since she became a widow. And she prophesied over Christ, worshipping God, and telling those she met all about Christ.
Simeon, who I want to focus on, was a man who had the Holy Spirit, and who had received knowledge from the Spirit “that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ” (Luke 22:26). Christ or the Messiah is the One who has been anointed. It simply means ‘the Anointed One.’ Kings were anointed for office, as we still see in the British coronation ritual, as was priests and prophets. The anointing signified that they belonged to God in a special way or for a specific purpose. We sadly do not anoint much in our church, the Church of Norway, but there are rituals for it. But we used to do it more. We used to anoint confirmands, as a sign that they would receive more of the gift of the Spirit, and we used to anoint kings, to emphasise that they were under God, and that God gave them the abilities for leadership.
This does not mean that the Church is above the king in secular matters, but it does mean that no one is above God. And we saw this also when our own current king, Harald V, was consecrated in 1991, although without anointing. He chose to receive this consecration in Nidaros Cathedral, by the bishop there. I remember parts of the ceremony. I was almost eight years old. But I have to admit that I had to search the details. Luckily it was filmed and is available on YouTube (all in Norwegian, unfortunately without subtitles). See here, for the whole ceremony, and here, for the prayer itself.
King Harald recognised that there is a King above him, the King og kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ, and that he was in need of His blessing. On king Harald’s crown there is a cross at the top to mark that Jesus has all power in heaven and on earth, and during the ceremony king Harald went forward, knelt down, before the bishop prayed to God (here translated into English):
Almighty God, you have been our dwelling-place in all generations, and your Kingdom cannot be moved. You are the Lord and to you every knee must bow. We pray: Look with mercy upon him who kneels here before your presence. Bless King Harald V, strengthen and guide him in his work as King of Norway. May his service to people and church be a blessing. Grant that our king may live with his people in freedom and peace, under your gracious hand. We pray: grant King Harald to administer his high calling with wisdom and justice, and uphold truth and justice in accordance with your will and the laws of the people. Sustain him by your mercy when difficult days come, and be your own strength and joy. We pray this in Jesus’ name.
King Harald recognised that Christ has all power, and that the Norwegian royal power is something borrowed. His kingship is derived from God’s sovereignty, and is only a shadow of it. The real king is Jesus Christ, Jesus the Messiah. And as the Messiah, He is King, Priest, and Prophet. And through this, He is the Saviour of the world. That’s why Simeon came to the temple, because he was finally going to see Jesus, see the Messiah. And when He met Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, he took Jesus into his arms, blessed God, and said (Luke 2:29):
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel.
Simeon lived in the hope that one day, the Saviour would come, a man who would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” and a “glory to [God’s] people Israel.” And now I want to highlight the light, which is the background for Candlemas. We celebrate it because Christ is “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” or “the light of the world,” the one who makes is to that “he who follows [Him] will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). We read that verse every single time we baptise anyone, in connection with the lighting of the baptismal candle. And candles are important, especially on Candlemas. The reason why Candlemas is called “Candlemas” was that a custom developed where on 2nd February, all ritual candles that were to be used throughout the year were consecrated and blessed. This blessing of light is known from the 9th century in Gaul and Germany, but it did not reach Rome until two hundred years later. And there the feast also got its name, Candlemas or Missa Candelarum in Latin (from candela, ‘candle’ or ‘wax candle’).
We light candles on Candlemas, and throughout the year, because they stand as representations of Christ, the Anointed One, He who is “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel.” And whenever I read those words of Simeon, my mind immediately thinks of prayer, because this has been a mainstay of my prayer life ever since I was introduced to Compline (or completorium) years ago. Here, from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (as found in Common Worship):1
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace : according to thy word. / For mine eyes have seen : thy salvation; / Which thou hast prepared : before the face of all people; / To be a light to lighten the Gentiles : and to be the glory of thy people Israel. / Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost; / as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. Amen.
And I think this association to prayer is good, for in prayer, we receive the light of Christ. Through prayer we can open ourselves to Him. He does not use floodlights, flashlights, or torches. No, He gives us the divine light within. Not our own light, as if we ourselves created this, but the light of Christ within us, the divine light.
In John 8:12, he says “I am the light of the world,” but in Matthew 5:14-16, He used the same words of us:
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
But notice something important, that the light is in the definite singular form. Christ is not saying that we are lights or the lights (“of the world”), but the light (“of the world”). There is only one light, Jesus Christ Himself, but as His disciples, we can be lamps through which He can shine.
Christ is the light of the world, and vi shall be ‘in Christ,’ as St. Paul puts in many times. To use an image that woukd not have been as easy to understand for those who started celebrating Candlemas in the Middle Ages, we can say that Christ is the One who gives power to the lamp. An electric lamp will not shine if it does not have a battery or if it is not plugged in. And we cannot be “the light of the world” if we are not plugged in to Him who is the light of the world. For through Him we have fellowship with God and “become partakers of the divine nature,” as we read in 2 Peter 1:4. Then we receive the divine light, as we can see in Psalm 36:9: “For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light do we see light.” For it is not our own light that shines forth, something we create by our own power. No, when Jesus says that we are “the light of the world,” He is talking about one light, the light of Christ, Christ Himself. The temple was a light to the nations, not because it shone of itself, but because it was the Lord who shone through it. And so Christ shines through us, to the world, if we follow Him.
Christ er “a light for revelation to the Gentiles,” and He does so through us, as we preach His gospel. We must always proclaim the light of Christ to the world and to all those we meet. He is like a sun. The sun is our source of heat; it provides heat so that we can live. It seems to me no wonder that the many peoples around the world have tended to worship it (and that some still do). For it seems to hold the key to life and death: Too little of it – and you die. Too much of it – and you die as well. But in Scripture, the sun together with the moon is just “the two great lights” (Genesis 1:16). The sun is not God, but it can be used as an image. The risen sun can represent God – Christ. As the Lord says through the prophet Malachi (4:2a): “But for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.” We can always go to meet Him, Jesus, by turning our gaze towards the altar; towards the east and towards the Lord who comes to us under the forms of bread and wine in the Eucharist. There Christ comes to us the the crucified and risen Lord and Saviour, as the the light of the world. Turn to Him in prayer and receive Him in the sacrament. Receive the light and warmth that radiates from His countenance, as we read in Isaiah 60:1: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, who was, is, and will remain, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England (London: Church House, 2000), 77.