Hope in the Darkness

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There are times when you feel like there’s no hope for society–we’ve gone down a path of no return.

After the recent government shutdown, you may be disillusioned with politics. Why can’t all sides get alone?

Add to this never-ending wars in the Middle East, online safety and internet hacking, the concern over refugees and immigrants, worry about nuclear weapons in North Korea and Iran, and, even, extreme weather conditions, and you’ve got yourself a plate full of anxiety!

No matter where you stand on various issues, there’s a lot in today’s world to fret over.

But, in the midst of all this, the Orthodox Church gives you a feast of hope: the Presentation of Christ.

When Jesus was born, Israel was in disarray.

Of the twelve tribes of Israel, ten of them had been nearly obliterated by the Assyrians centuries ago.

Of the remaining tribes, many people thought they had sold out to the Romans.

It was a bleak outlook with not many options.

Some Israelites thought they could raise an army, led by a messiah, and reclaim what was lost.

Others felt that retreat and solitude was the answer.

Still others thought that assimilation and cooperation was the answer.

But the biggest question of all was: where was God in all this? 

Didn’t he care? 

Why wasn’t he helping?

This is the backdrop for the birth of Jesus, the Anointed One sent by God.

Presenting Hope to Israel and the World!

On the 40th day of his birth—February 2—his parents brought him to Jerusalem.

“When the time came for [Jesus’s] purification according to the law of Moses, [Joseph and Mary] brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.” (Luke 2:22)

It’s at this point in the story that the Holy Family runs into Simeon and then Anna.

Both Simeon and Anna were in the Temple looking for salvation and redemption. They were looking for hope for society and the world.

The name “Simeon” reminds us of one of the lost tribes of Israel. Then, Luke tells us that Anna is from the tribe of Asher, another lost tribe.

Here are remnants of a battered people after exile, destruction, and invasion by foreign armies. 

But a ‘remnant’ is a sign of hope!

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! . . . God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed thy prophets, they have demolished thy altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Ba’al.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. . . . I want you to understand this mystery, brethren: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in, and so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; (Romans 11:1-11, 25-26 RSV)

Simeon and Anna send the message that God is putting the world right–undoing all the wrongs committed by rebellion, sin, anger, hate, pride, gluttony, and the rest.

The Feast of the Presentation tells you that our anxieties about the world we live in are nothing compared to God’s love for the world.

Things will get better. They will be transformed through Jesus.  

Simeon’s prayer is coming to fruition:

“Master, 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.” (Luke 2:29-32 Edited RSV)

So, I’m wondering . . . 

What anxieties do you have about the world we live in? Are they local, national, or international?

What comforts do you turn to to help make sense of a chaotic world?

In what ways does the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple give you hope of the world’s transformation?